Crucible of freedom

Blink and you'll miss most of South Carolina's Revolutionary War historic sites. They are distinguished only by faded roadside historical-society markers. Many RVers zoom by the markers, seeing nothing but the titles: Buford's Massacre, Blue Savannah, Black Mingo Creek, Fishdam Ford.

The strange litany on dozens of signs marks skirmishes and ambushes between American Colonists, patriots and Loyalists in a long, vicious war on what was then the American frontier. That civil strife and the British invasion of 1780 give South Carolina claim to hundreds of Revolutionary War battlefields, and some of them have been preserved as parks.

To begin your tour, head to Camden. That's exactly what the British General Charles Cornwallis did in 1780. Cornwallis was executing the second phase of a British plan to destroy the Continental Army; suppress the "seditious" activities of southern Whigs and rally loyal Tories. The first phase of the British southern strategy enjoyed remarkable success. Georgia fell quickly; Charleston surrendered after a long siege, and the American garrison abandoned Camden, then the largest village in the South Carolina interior.

Contemporary Camden is a sleepy small town off Interstate 20 between Florence and Columbia. The 7,000 or so residents of this community live in a place where the concerns of late 20th-century life take a backseat to preserving the past. Camden's streets are lined with Civil War-era homes, colonial battle sites and 150-year-old churches. In Camden, almost every old building has a story.

But the best stories are told just outside town at the Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site. Take exit 98 from I-20 and drive north for 1.4 miles. Upon arriving, pull your rig into the ample parking lot and head for the visitor center Inside the center, you can talk to volunteers, pick up brochures and sign up for a $4.50 ($4 with senior discount) tour of the 92-acre site.

Don't come to Historic Camden expecting Colonial Williamsburg or you will be sorely disappointed. Camden was a frontier outpost, not a colonial capital. Even in its heyday, there were fewer than 200 homes on the Historic Camden site. Also, thanks to the vagaries of two wars, none of the buildings here is original. All that aside, however, Historic Camden is a fascinating place.

The star of this show is the Kershaw-Cornwallis mansion, a replica of the Georgian-style house that was once home to Joseph Kershaw, a Whig firebrand and the town's leading citizen. When the British occupied Camden in 1780, Kershaw was deported to Bermuda, and his mansion, which sat on a small rise overlooking the town, was confiscated. General Cornwallis transformed the house into his headquarters and had it fortified.

Fittingly, Historic Camden presents the palatial mansion as it must have looked during the British occupation, complete with stockade fence. Inside, a docent explains how the Kershaws built their home, discusses the period furnishings and recites the history of the original mansion, which survived the Revolution but not the Civil War.

Another highlight of Historic Camden is the museum housed inside two period log cabins near the visitor center. These interpretive exhibits vividly depict Camden's 250-year history as South Carolina's oldest inland community. The museum features tools from colonial Camden and weapons from two Revolutionary War battles fought nearby.

The Battle of Camden, on August 17, 1780-one of the largest engagements of the war-took place nine miles north of town and was nothing short of an American disaster. Perhaps that's why the site of this crushing patriot defeat is not honored by a national or state park, just a fading historic marker and a small granite monument on the edge of a pine forest. The second battle, on Hobkirk Hill, April 25, 1781, was also technically an American defeat, but it so bloodied the Redcoat garrison in Camden that they decided to abandon the area. Unfortunately, they also set fire to the town. A state historic marker, located on the left as you drive north out of the city, commemorates the battle.

RV travelers wishing to stay a few nights in the Camden area have a variety of camping options. Fullhookup RV sites can be found at Wateree Lake Campground in Liberty Hill and Lake Wateree State Park in Winnsboro. Both offer boat ramps and lake fishing. Check your Trailer Life Campground/RV Park Services Directory for accommodations in Columbia and Florence.

Leaving the Camden area, take U.S. Highway 601 from Camden to Charlotte and Interstate 85 south toward Atlanta. This route is similar to the one used by Cornwallis when he marched on Charlotte and later retreated from the town, calling it a "hornet's nest of rebellion." Cornwallis was in Charlotte when he heard about the battle of Kings Mountain, an event many historians consider to be the turning point in the American Revolution.

In September 1780, Cornwallis ordered Major Patrick Ferguson to take his Loyalist militia into western North Carolina and force the Blue Ridge Mountain folks to yield to the King's authority. Ferguson sent a message to the patriots in what was then Sullivan County, North Carolina (now Tennessee), telling them to surrender or his troops would "lay waste to their lands with fire and sword." In answer more than 1,000 furious frontiersmen came out of the mountains, hot for the major's hide. On October 7, "the backwater plunderers," as Ferguson referred to his pursuers, trapped their quarry on top of Kings Mountain, killed him and destroyed his command.

Ferguson's grave is now part of Kings Mountain National Military Park, a beautifully preserved 3,950-acre historic property about 40 miles out of Charlotte off of 1-85. Adjacent to the national park is Kings Mountain State Park, featuring pull-through RV sites and a lake.

Once you see the movie and the battle relics in the visitor center, head for the historic trail. And take your time. Despite the violence that once occurred here, Kings Mountain is now a serene area that most people would call pretty. Mountain laurel blooms on the slopes; beech, poplar and oak trees provide a canopy of shade; and the undergrowth is punctuated by tall ferns. The 1.5mile historic path, which gradually climbs 200 feet to the top of the 1,000foot mountain, serves two purposes: nature trail and historic site.

Look between the trees to the ridge as you move along the trail. Imagine yourself a Whig frontiersman climbing this slope, Tory musket fire whizzing over your head, a squirrel rifle in your hands, as you move from tree to tree, shooting at the men on the ridge. When you get to the summit and the impressive white obelisk on the monument plaza, it's time for a role reversal. Imagine yourself as one of the conservative American Colonists who remained loyal to the king, trapped on a mountain in the South Carolina wilderness, scared, sweating; your musket and bayonet no match for the Whig rifles.

Pity those poor Loyalists. Many of them threw down their weapons and died anyway. On top of Kings Mountain you learn the horrible truth of this epic battle. It was the most terrible eruption in the South's feud between Whigs and Tories. Out of the nearly 2,000 combatants that October afternoon, only one, Major Ferguson, wasn't an American colonist. After years of partisan raiding parties roaming the countryside, burning homes, torturing, maiming and murdering, white flags meant little. Ferguson's Loyalist militia was not allowed to simply surrender They were butchered where they stood until the patriot leaders forced their men to stop.

Fewer than 50 miles away down I-85, the battle of Cowpens, South Carolina, was as much a duel between two charismatic military leaders as a fight between armies. British forces were led by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre "Bloody" Tarleton, a 27-year-old cavalry officer who made his reputation cutting down surrendering patriots near Charlotte. His American counterpart was Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, a 45-year-old frontier brawler who had once received 500 lashes for striking a British officer during the French and Indian War. Morgan hated British arrogance, something he saw personified in the cocky Tarleton. At Cowpens he exacted his pound of British flesh.

To get to the scene of Morgan's brilliant victory, drive down I-85 toward Spartanburg. Past Gaffney, take the Cowpens exit, and follow the brown signs to Cowpens National Battlefield. Turn right on State Highway 11 (the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway) and then left into the park entrance.

The vegetation is much thicker at Cowpens today than it was on the terribly cold dawn of January 17, 1781, but you can still get a feel for the terrain and follow the course of the battle.

Morgan's troops-cold, hungry and scared spitless-waited on either side of the Green River Road in three distinct lines of defense. Tarleton's cavalry, veteran Tory militia and Highlanders came marching toward them, bagpipes wailing, drums beating and bayonets flashing. Morgan knew his men and fought according to their strengths, and Tarleton made numerous mistakes. Militia and Continental soldiers miraculously outflanked and outmaneuvered the British, resulting in a stunning defeat for Tarleton.

After Cowpens, Cornwallis moved the bulk of his army into North Carolina and then into Virginia. However, strong British forces remained in South Carolina, and elements of the Continental Army and local militia fought them at Camden and Ninety Six. The American attack on Camden resulted in the previously mentioned battle of Hobkirk Hill and British withdrawal from the area. Ninety Six was a tougher nut to crack, requiring 28 days of siege and round-the-clock construction of trenches and fortifications.

The American siege works are now preserved and partially restored as part of Ninety Six National Historic Site. Visitors can walk a milelong trail and learn about the history of Ninety Six from its beginning as a remote outpost for trading with the Indians in 1753 to its destruction by retreating Loyalists in 1781. Elaborate British fortifications, including restored earthworks and a rebuilt stockade fort, are highlights of the trail.

Unfortunately, Ninety Six National Historic Site is still a bit remote. To get there from Cowpens, take 1-85 to Spartanburg, 1-26 toward Columbia, then State Highway 72 toward Greenwood, and follow the signs to the modem town of Ninety Six. The visitor center is located two miles south on State Route 248. Excellent camping and fishing sites are available at Lake Greenwood State Park.

Ninety Six is the last stop on this brief tour of Revolutionary War sites, but no matter where you travel in this area, look for the historic markers beside the highways. Sometimes they tell more about South Carolina's role in the American Revolution than all the monuments on the field at Cowpens.

Copyright T L Enterprises, Inc. Jul 1996
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved