The colony of South Carolina proved an inhospitable host to American forces fighting for their independence at the opening of the sixth year of the Revolutionary War. After the British forced the capitulation of Charleston on May 12, 1780, the western portion of South Carolina erupted into civil war, marked by brutality and terror (recently captured by the motion picture, The Patriot). Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, the spirited subordinate of General Lord Cornwallis, led his loyalist dragoons on a reign of terror, thundering through the countryside and devastating adherents to the patriotic cause throughout the late spring and summer of 1780. Dozens of bitter clashes — including Conwallis’ virtual annihilation of Horatio Gates’ army at Camden — scarred the Carolina countryside for four unforgiving months of the war, leaving Continental hopes in the hands of the back country militiamen of Carolina. George Washington’s right hand man, General Nathanael Greene went south to retrieve the situation along with the rugged back-country fighters and irregulars led by rough and tumble men like Andrew Pickens and Francis Marion, “the Swamp Fox,” and the rejuvenated Continental forces turned the tide of the war at the Battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens. Although Greene and Morgan withdrew to Virginia after Cowpens, Greene returned in the spring of 1781 to conduct a war of attrition against bleeding the British forces at places like Ninety Six, Hobkirk’s Hill and Eutaw Springs in a campaign that ultimately led to the surrender of Cornwallis’ British forces at Yorktown later that fall.

 

Our tour will focus on those thrilling but elusive months when South Carolina hosted the most active portion of the Revolutionary War. From our base in Columbia, South Carolina, we will head out Thursday morning into the contested South Carolina theater. Our first stop will be the Waxhaws battlefield, scene of the “Buford Massacre” of May 29, 1780, where scores of American colonists became victims of “Tarleton’s Quarter,” and then we’ll march on to the Hanging Rock. In the afternoon, we will strike at the battlefield of Camden, the scene of General Horatio Gates’ inglorious defeat on August 26, 1780 and the battle of Hobkirk’s Hill on April 25, 1781. There Lord Francis Rawdon defeated Greene only to ultimately withdraw due to heavy losses and swarming Patriot forces.

 

On Friday of our tour, we will first visit Musgrove Mill, a South Carolina state historic site that marked one of the few times where Patriot militia bested a larger force of Loyalists in a fierce and bloody struggle - on August 18, 1780. After lunch, we will march on to King’s Mountain where the “Overmountain Men” crushed Patrick Ferguson’s British and Tory Forces on October 7, 1780, halting Cornwallis’ rolling momentum.  Thomas Jefferson later recalled the impact of that victory on the Patriot cause: “It was the joyful annunciation of that turn of the tide of success which terminated the Revolutionary war with the seal of our independence.” We will close the day with a visit to Fishdam Ford where Patriot General Thomas Sumter thwarted a British surprise attack on November 8, 1780.

 

On Saturday, we will begin with a visit to Blackstock”s Battlefield where Sumter gave Tarleton his first defeat - on November 20, 1780. At our next stop we will walk the ground at the Battle of Cowpens, where Daniel Morgan outsmarted and whipped Tarleton’s legion on January 17, 1781. We will close the day with a visit to Ninety Six, a key loyalist outpost and the scene of several important actions including Greene’s failed 1781 siege. Here we will walk on original colonial roads and see the incredible remains of the eight-pointed star fort where Loyalists successfully withstood Greene’s 28-day siege.

 

We will visit Fort Watson where “The Swamp Fox,” Francis Marion and “Light Horse” Harry Lee successfully invaded this key British outpost which sat astride Royal supply lines out of Charleston. From there we will proceed to the Eutaw Springs battlefield, where, on September 8, 1781, the Swamp Fox teamed up with Greene to battle the British to a tactical draw in one of the bloodiest battles of the entire Revolutionary War. Although the British held the field, they ultimately withdrew to their coastal garrison at Charleston, leaving the countryside in the hands of the Patriots.

 

Don’t miss the opportunity to see the sites of these significant clashes that comprised the South Carolina theatre of operations during last period of the American Revolutionary War! We hope to see you in the Carolinas!

About Our Tour Leaders

Rod Gainer is a leading authority on American military history with a special expertise in the American Revolution and the Civil War. He serves as a historian with the U.S. Army’s military history center at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and has conducted many staff rides and tours over the course of his career.

 

Scott C. Patchan is a leading authority on the American Revolution and the Civil War, particularly the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign. He is the author of The Forgotten Fury: The Battle of Piedmont; Shenandoah Summer: The 1864 Valley Campaign; and Longstreet’s Attack and the Struggle for Chinn Ridge, (Potomac Books, 2010). He is currently completing a book that will cover several of our tour stops including Waxhaws, Camden and Hanging Rock.

Thursday, March 25

8:30 AM                        Depart for tour - Ramada Inn Limited

5:00 PM                         Arrive Back at hotel in Columbia

Friday, March 26

8:00 AM                        Depart for tour - Ramada Inn Limited

5:00 PM                         Arrive Back at Ramada Inn Limited 

Saturday, March 27

8:00 AM                        Depart for tour - Ramada Inn Limited

5:00 PM                         Arrive Back at Ramada Inn Limited

Sunday, March 28

8:30 AM                        Depart for tour - Ramada Inn Limited

4:00 PM                         Arrive Back at Ramada Inn Limited

 

 

REGISTRATION FEES (lodging not included):     $595

    

If You Must Cancel we will refund 100% of your fees paid. However, to receive a 100% refund,

you must allow 30 days from the date of our receipt of your notice of cancellation

 

What is Included in your Registration Fee:

·        the services of expert historians chosen for their knowledge and experience

·        transportation to sites as indicated

·        Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday lunches

·        refreshments and snacks during the tour

·        map & information package

 

Lodging: Lodging: Our program will be based at the Ramada Limited Columbia, I-20 at Exit 65, 1315 Garner Lane, Columbia, SC 29210 where we have reserved a block of rooms at the discounted nightly rate of $54.99 + tax - Single or Double. A deluxe continental breakfast is provided for hotel guests. To reserve a room under our block, call 803-731-9997 and identify yourself as a member of the American History Forum group.