Major Battles in South Carolina

Why Charles Town??? One of the most important and strategic ports on the Atlantic Ocean SC sent money for troop supplies They shipped rice and indigo to the French islands in the Caribbean The British wanted to put a stop to this trade

Battle of Charles Town June 28, 1776 British decided to capture Charles Town and use it as a base from which to launch attacks on other colonies; specifically capture an unfinished fort on Sullivan’s Island; sent a naval force SC defended Charles Town with 5000 Continental troops and SC militia; slaves helped construct the fort on Sullivan's Island out of palmetto logs and sand British planned to station three ships on the southwest side of the fort; nine ships on the southeast; British troops would wade across from Long Island (Isle of Palms) and attack. This should have worked…

The water was too deep to wade; the three ships from the southwest ran aground and became easy targets for the Americans; the nine ships had to sail into deeper water right in front of American guns; cannonballs from British ships could not penetrate the palmetto logs because they were spongy enough to absorb the cannon shot British defeat Fort renamed Fort Moultrie for Gen. Moultrie, commander of SC militia State flag came from the battle flag which was blue with a silver crescent moon. A palmetto tree was added because of its importance in the defeat of the British.

2nd Battle of Charles Town British attacked city when it was unprotected when Gen. Benjamin Lincoln was fighting in GA Lincoln returned and prevented the fall of Charles Town

3rd Battle of Charles Town May 19, 1780 Fell into the hands of the British after a long siege when the British had surrounded the city and cut off all supplies 5000 American troops captured including Edward Rutledge and Christopher Gadsden Loss of important port city for the colonists

Battle of Camden Camden was important British outpost August 16, 1780 Gen. Horatio Gates led the American troops to Camden; about half of the troops were untrained Militia panicked and ran leaving the Continental Army to be overtaken by the British Of 3,000, 800 were killed and 1,000 were captured

Guerrilla Warfare Several groups of militia in SC used guerrilla warfare against the British Americans benefited because they knew the land better Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, and Thomas Sumter, the Gamecock, were two of their leaders Marion’s troops would attack the back of a British patrol, kill or wound several soldiers, and disappear into the swamps

Battle of Kings Mountain October 7, 1780 Men from the mountains of NC and SC ambushed the army of Loyalists at Kings Mountain Over 1,100 loyalists were killed CONSIDERED THE TURNING POINT OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN THE SOUTH; beginning of the end for the British Caused the British to leave the interior of South Carolina

Battle of Cowpens January 17, 1781 American forces defeated the British Gen. Nathanael Greene and Gen. Daniel Morgan dived the troops into half and separated them east to west Morgan then divided his troops in half again near Cowpens The 1st group fired and retreated making Tarleton believe they were running away; when the British fell for the trick, the Americans turned and began firing and defeated the British Over 900 British killed, wounded, or captured