Revolutionary War Road Trips in South Carolina
Explore the Revolutionary War with this 12-part sequence that includes street journey itineraries, historical past of the American Revolution, and details about the historic websites, museums, and battlefields throughout the state.
The American Revolution in South Carolina started in Charleston. But the Revolutionary War in South Carolina began within the Ninety Six District. For a long time previous to the struggle for independence, the district was a low precedence for the colonial authorities based mostly within the coastal metropolis. But all of the sudden, the frontier district was important and the place the place the primary shot was fired within the state.
Patriot leaders from Charleston rushed into the backcountry to safe the residents’ allegiance that they had ignored for many years. Loyalists used their resentment to construct a militia and safe the district for the British. And all of it culminated on the Battle of Ninety Six.
Go on a street journey to discover the Revolutionary War by means of South Carolina’s Old 96 District. Find out the place you’ll be able to be taught extra concerning the battles and folks concerned at historic websites. See the place you’ll be able to spend the evening and get one thing to eat. And discover a couple of charming cities alongside the best way.
This put up is proudly sponsored by Old 96 District and South Carolina Association of Tourism Regions.
Road Trip Map of the Revolutionary War within the Old 96 District
Road Trip Details
97
Miles
5
Stops
3
Destinations
2
Days
No. 1
Charles Hammond House
Charles Hammond was born in Virginia in 1716. He turned a distinguished landowner and service provider alongside along with his youthful brother, LeRoy. When the American Revolution started, Loyalists pressured the Hammonds to affix their trigger or endure penalties.
The brothers as an alternative selected to flee to South Carolina. In the 1770s, Charles Hammond constructed a powerful dwelling on the frontier close to the Savannah River. LeRoy and his son LeRoy Jr. operated a ferry crossing the river. Together, the prolonged household based Campbeltown – immediately generally known as North Augusta.
In 1776, Colonel LeRoy Hammond joined Andrew Williamson’s militia through the Cherokee Campaign. Three generations of Hammonds served within the Patriot militias all through the Revolutionary War. Samuel Hammond was essentially the most traveled within the household, serving within the Continental Army at battles in New Jersey and Georgia and later commanding militia models at Cowpens and Kings Mountain.
When Riverview Park was inbuilt North Augusta, the Hammonds had been reinterred within the household cemetery on the Charles Hammond House. The home is at the moment being renovated into a captivating mattress and breakfast. Imagine sleeping in the home constructed by a Revolutionary War Patriot!
908 West Martintown Road, North Augusta, SC | www.fb.com/charleshammondhouse
No. 2
Joanne T. Rainsford Discovery Center
The Edgefield County Historical Society was based in 1939 to protect the historical past of the county generally known as the birthplace of ten South Carolina governors. In 2004, an 1840 plantation home was moved to so much on Main Street and opened because the Joanne T. Rainsford Discovery Center.
Visitors can discover displays concerning the county’s historical past, agriculture, and cultural heritage. A small exhibit showcases the skirmishes and battles of the Revolutionary War. The William Miller Bouknight Theatre options theatrical and musical performances all year long.
405 Main Street, Edgefield, SC | 803-637-3833 | www.historicedgefield.com/museums
No. 3
Horn’s Creek Baptist Church
In the a long time earlier than the American Revolution, the Ninety Six District was a contentious frontier of criminals, equally prison vigilantes, and courageous settlers. When the Revolutionary War started, the district was divided between Loyalists and Patriots. And they sought any alternative to assault the opposite.
In 1781, Patriot Captain Thomas Key attacked a British outpost on Horn’s Creek manned by a Loyalist militia. Captain John Clark was killed through the assault, and three Loyalists had been captured. Later that very same yr, Loyalists attacked a Patriot blockhouse in retribution.
Horn’s Creek Baptist Church was based in 1768. The church was inbuilt 1784 close to a number of skirmishes between the Patriots and Loyalists. The Edgefield County Historical Society preserves the church as a gathering house and museum. Tours should be scheduled prematurely for the distant church on a gravel street. Interpretive indicators clarify the Revolutionary War battles, the historical past of the Regulators within the Ninety Six District, and the church’s founding.
Destination
Edgefield, SC
Since its founding, Edgefield has been the center of an agricultural trade all through the county. Known as the house of ten South Carolina governors, the city was additionally the house of Strom Thurmond, a United States senator, for nearly fifty years. A statue within the city sq. devoted to Thurmond overlooks the small city.
Park anyplace across the sq. – visitors is usually gentle, and it takes lower than ten minutes to stroll to all of the outlets and eating places. Visit the Carolina Moon Distillery to pattern their craft spirits. Across the road, the D.A. Tomkins Library serves because the city’s customer heart with journey guides and an intriguing county timeline.
Get one thing to eat at Mario’s Pizzeria, the latest restaurant on the town. At Christine’s Farm to Fork, you’ll be able to browse a menu of appetizers, entrees, and steaks made with native components. The Old Edgefield Grill is essentially the most fascinating place to dine on the town, positioned inside a transformed home. Get a desk on the lined entrance porch or inside one of many rooms with views by means of towering home windows.
Destination
Greenwood, SC
In the late 1800s, Greenwood developed as an necessary railroad hub for passenger and freight trains crisscrossing the East Coast. Today, the town is among the most enjoyable off-the-beaten-path locations in South Carolina.
The Inn on the Square is the premiere downtown lodging. The boutique resort options comfy rooms, the Fox & Hound Lounge, and complimentary scorching breakfast for friends.
Main Street and Maxwell Avenue are the center of downtown Greenwood. At Main & Maxwell, browse a bevy of native artisans’ work. The Greenwood Museum interprets the town’s historical past with full-size recreations of a basic retailer and gown store.
Start the day with breakfast at West End Café, a small native restaurant with made-to-order meals. Later within the day, get one thing to eat at Montague’s or Fat Daddy’s BBQ. For the most effective night in Greenwood, begin with dinner at Mill House Pizza, proceed with drinks at Good Times Brewing, after which hurl axes at a picket goal at Maxwell Axe Company.
Enjoy a special form of night with a uncommon alternative to look at a film beneath the celebs. The Highway 25 Auto Drive-In is one in every of solely three drive in film theaters remaining in South Carolina. You can watch a double characteristic on three screens for a single admission worth per individual. But first, get one thing to eat on the concession stand operated by restauranteurs Tommy and Carolyn McCutcheon.
No. 4
Ninety Six National Historic Site
At the start of the American Revolution, Patriot leaders in Charleston rushed to safe Cherokee neutrality. The South Carolina Council of Safety – the defacto authorities on the time – despatched a cargo of gunpowder and lead on the Cherokee Path by means of the Ninety Six District. The load was meant for the Cherokees to proceed searching deer for meals and skins to commerce.
But the load was captured by Loyalists beneath the command of Patrick Cunninghman just some miles north of Ninety Six. The Council of Safety instantly dispatched Colonel Andrew Williamson to seize Cunningham. When he arrived in Ninety Six with some 550 militiamen, they constructed a brief stockade fort across the city’s new courthouse. Shortly after, Cunningham got here with 2,000 Loyalists and surrounded the fort for 2 days.
The Battle of Ninety Six from November 19-21, 1775, was South Carolina’s first vital engagement of the Revolutionary War. Although it led to a truce with all events retreating, it produced the state’s first casualty of the struggle.
Did You Know? Ninety Six National Historic Site preserves one of the fascinating American Revolution websites within the nation. It is the one remaining earthen star-shaped fort within the nation, website of the longest siege of the Revolutionary War, and incorporates the one remaining Revolutionary-era tunnels – though the tunnels are sealed.
After nearly 5 years of relative peace, the struggle returned to the Ninety Six District in 1780. After the Fall of Charleston, the British rushed to safe necessary inland cities and buying and selling routes. Lieutenant Colonel John Harris Cruger was despatched to Ninety Six with orders to construct a fort and defend the city. Arriving in late August, he supervised the development of the Star Fort.
On May 22, 1781, General Nathanael Greene arrived in Ninety Six with a recent pressure of Continental troopers. He laid siege to the Star Fort and close by stockade fort that lasted 37 days – essentially the most extended siege of the Revolutionary War. Despite his efforts, Greene by no means captured the fort and eventually retreated into North Carolina. But a couple of days later, Cruger was ordered to desert the fort and retreat to Charleston.
Today, Ninety Six National Historic Site preserves these battlefields and the remarkably intact Star Fort. A self-guided, paved path weaves by means of the park to a recreation of the 1775 stockade fort, by means of the location of the unique city, and previous the Star Fort. The customer heart incorporates a high-quality historic movie that brings this historical past to life on the small display.
1103 SC-248, Ninety Six, SC | 864-543-4068 | www.nps.gov/nisi
Destination
Clinton, SC
Clinton is a small city close to the intersection of Interstates 26 and 385. The city’s largest attraction is Presbyterian College. Founded in 1880 by Dr. William Plumer Jacobs, the faculty was his reply to the issue of offering good schooling to orphans within the area. Today, the four-year faculty incorporates a attractive campus value a drive by means of on the very least.
Head into the one-block downtown and park anyplace alongside Musgrove Street. Get one thing to eat at Steamer’s Restaurant or House of Pizza. Then, get some freshly baked donuts to go at Laila’s Place.
No. 5
Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site
After Cornwallis pummeled Gates on the Battle of Camden in mid-1780, the British shortly crossed the backcountry unchallenged. So, when a unit of British regulars camped at Edward Musgrove’s mill on the Enoree River, Lieutenant Colonels Isaac Shelby, Elijah Clarke, and James Williams knew that they had an opportunity for a much-needed Patriot victory.
On the morning of August 19, Captain Shadrack Inman took 25 males throughout the Enoree River and feigned shock at bumping right into a British encampment. The British gave chase, crossed the river, and bumped into the Patriot’s ambush. By the tip of the battle, the British commander was lifeless, 150 extra had been lifeless or wounded, and 70 had been captured.
The Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site preserves the location of the British encampment on the Enoree River, although nothing stays of Musgrove’s mill immediately. Hike the quick path to the river and browse the interpretive indicators alongside the best way. Then, drive throughout the river and park close to the battlefield for one more path and interpretive indicators.
398 State Park Road, Clinton, SC | 864-938-0100 | https://southcarolinaparks.com/musgrove-mill