South Carolina Revolutionary Battle Highway Journey: Half 10 – Santee Cooper Nation

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Revolutionary Battle Customer Middle

The Revolutionary Battle Customer Middle is one of the best place to find out about Nice Britain’s Southern Technique and the American Revolution historic websites in South Carolina. “That is the customer middle for the Southern Marketing campaign of the Revolutionary Battle,” Rickie Good, museum supervisor, defined.

READ MORE: A South Carolina Revolutionary Battle Highway Journey: Half 1 – The Olde English District

Opened in 2021, the customer middle is a small advanced of buildings in Camden, South Carolina. Through the Revolutionary Battle, Camden was rapidly captured after the Fall of Charleston in 1780. The very important inland city remained in British arms for nearly a yr.

Discover the timeline of the Revolutionary Battle, learn concerning the pivotal individuals who stored the warfare going after Charleston was captured, and see lifelike mannequins dressed as British Regulars, American Continentals, and Patriot militia assist deliver it to life.

Basic Thomas Sumter Gravesite

Thomas Sumter was born close to Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1734. After operating afoul of unpaid money owed, he fled to South Carolina. He established a small however thriving plantation and settled into the lifetime of a planter. In 1776, he was appointed a lieutenant colonel within the 2nd Regiment of South Carolina. However after years of inactivity, he resigned and returned to his plantation.

After the Fall of Charleston in Could 1780, British Basic Lord Cornwallis unleashed Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton within the South Carolina backcountry. Tarleton’s mission was to subdue any additional rebel and enlist Loyalists. To attain the primary objective, he ceaselessly burned the properties and plantations of Patriots, like Sumter’s plantation.

Sumter returned to lively obligation as a brigadier common within the South Carolina militia. He stored the British on guard via raids and engagements for the subsequent two years, incomes the nickname “Gamecock” due to his fierce combating ways.

When Sumter died in 1832 at 97, he was the oldest residing Revolutionary Battle common. He’s buried at Basic Thomas Sumter Household Park and Cemetery, an fascinating amalgamation of public park and gravesite. The route is well-marked with street indicators resulting in a gated entrance to the wooded park. Sumter’s spouse, son, and daughter-in-law are buried within the cemetery with him.

Excessive Hills Baptist Church

Organized in 1770, Excessive Hills Baptist Church is the second-oldest Baptist congregation in South Carolina. On the time, it was a uncommon instance of a non-Presbyterian denomination within the South Carolina backcountry. The present Greek Revival-style church was constructed on land donated by Thomas Sumter.

In 1774, Richard Furman was ordained because the pastor of the church. Though he volunteered to hitch the South Carolina regiment firstly of the Revolutionary Battle, he was satisfied as an alternative to make use of his public talking skills to achieve help for independence from the general public. After capturing Charleston in 1780, British Basic Lord Cornwallis positioned a large bounty on Furman, forcing him to flee to Virginia.

After the warfare, Furman returned to South Carolina and helped manage the South Carolina State Baptist Conference. When the South’s first Baptist school was based in 1826, it was named Furman College in his honor.

Sumter, SC

After the Revolutionary Battle, Senator John Lewis Gervais from Ninety Six launched a invoice to maneuver the state’s capital from Charleston to a brand new location. A number of websites have been proposed, together with Statesville, close to Thomas Sumter’s plantation and ten minutes from Sumter.

Sumterville, named after the native Revolutionary Battle hero, was established in 1845 and renamed Sumter a decade later. The city’s central location – which might have made it a great place for a capital – made it excellent for a railroad hub. The city prospered as a serious industrial middle into the twentieth century.

In 1941, Shaw Subject was constructed as a U.S. Military Air Corps coaching middle. After the USA Air Power was created in 1947, the airfield was renamed Shaw Air Power Base. The lively army base is dwelling to the twentieth Fighter Wing – you’ll doubtless hear the plane over the skies whereas visiting Sumter.

Downtown Sumter stretches a number of blocks alongside Most important Road. Plentiful parallel parking and huge sidewalks make it simple to discover the world. Search for fantastic boutique outlets and vintage shops whereas discovering a spot to eat.

J O’Grady’s appears like another sports activities bar, however the meals is a few of the greatest on the town. Appetizers are sufficient to function a meal. Should you can’t determine the way to order your burger from the choices, let the employees assist – they know what works greatest collectively. Remember to ask for silverware since you’ll want it to complete any burgers and sandwiches.

Sumter Unique Brewery is the city’s first, opened in 2022 by Gary Shuler. The 35,000-square-foot, three-story constructing additionally options the city’s solely rooftop seating. Benefit from the sport room and chilly drinks whereas having fun with a spectacular view.

St. Louis chef Kyle Rhodes opened Sidebar in 2015 to serve Texas-style barbecue. Meats are smoked day by day, and the edges are do-it-yourself. Browse the bourbon menu to search out one thing to associate with the savory meal.

Jeffrey Lampkin’s Nation Boy Kitchen serves soul meals with massive parts and recent components. It’s an area favourite, however there’s loads of seating inside the straightforward restaurant.

Take pleasure in a nice eating expertise in Sumter at Hamptons. Hardwood flooring and beautiful chandeliers set the temper. The menu adjustments ceaselessly, generally day by day, to maintain up with the recent seasonal market.

The place to Keep in Sumter, SC

You’ll discover loads of motels in Sumter alongside U.S. Freeway 378 close to Shaw Air Power Base. However for one of the best expertise, e-book a room in one in every of these downtown lodges.

Hyatt Place opened a stunning resort on Most important Road in 2022. It’s inside strolling distance of all of the downtown eateries, and you’ll chill out by the swimming pool whenever you return to the comfy visitor rooms. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com

1912 Mattress and Breakfast is a spectacular brick mansion from fantastic hosts Tracey and Tommy McLaughlin. Expertise luxurious with ten-foot ceilings and impeccable furnishings on the peaceable property simply minutes from downtown. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com

Swan Lake Iris Gardens

The Swan Lake Iris Gardens is the one public park within the nation the place guests can see all eight species of swans. The 150-acre park began in 1927 when Hamilton Carr Bland couldn’t develop Japanese iris bulbs. A yr after chucking them into the close by swamp, Bland observed the attractive flowers rising. From 1938 till 1949, Bland and A.T. Heath Sr. donated the swampy land and lake to town.

The park is free to go to. Park on the Swan Lake Customer Middle – town’s journey and tourism info middle. Stroll the paths across the lake to view the swans and flower gardens. Use the McDuffie Crosswalk over Liberty Road to stroll the Cypress Boardwalk across the swamp.

Restoration was unveiled in 2010 on the lake’s edge. Designed and constructed by sculptor Grainger McKoy, the 14-foot-tall steel sculpture depicts a duck’s wing in flight.

Sumter County Museum

The Sumter County Museum is sort of hidden inside a stunning 1900s brick home. The grand staircase resulting in the coated veranda wrapping round the home tips you into pondering it’s something however a museum. However it’s one of the best place to go to in Sumter to study concerning the city’s namesake.

The museum’s reveals are unfold all through the parlor and former bedrooms. A room on the primary ground is devoted to Thomas Sumter’s historical past. Examine his Revolutionary Battle exploits and see a listing of battles he led.

Manning, SC

The state fee chosen a sight for a brand new city when Clarendon County was created from the southern portion of Claremont County in 1855. Manning was named after the earlier governor, John Lawrence Manning. The younger city was burned throughout the Civil Battle just a few days earlier than Basic Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse.

However, the city rebounded as a railroad, timber, and agriculture hub. When Interstate 95 was constructed within the Sixties and Seventies, it turned a well-liked cease for motorists between New York and Florida.

Get one thing to eat at The Orchard Café or Mill Road Grill. Discover the outlets across the courthouse sq.. It’s a stunning, small city to discover.

Swamp Fox Murals Path

The Swamp Fox Murals Path is an enchanting assortment of over 30 murals depicting Francis Marion’s – a.okay.a. Swamp Fox – exploits within the Revolutionary Battle. The murals span from ten ft to a whopping 100 ft on the edges of buildings in Turbeville, Paxville, Summerton, and Manning.

You’ll wish to discover a place to park and research the unimaginable particulars of the murals. Be taught concerning the scenes depicted and the artists at Clarendon Murals.

Santee Indian Mound and Fort Watson

After the Fall of Charleston in Could 1780 and the disastrous Battle of Camden in August, the British secured South Carolina. They constructed a sequence of strategic outposts between Charleston and Camden for communications and provides.

Colonel John Watson supervised the development of a fort atop a 1,000-year-old Santee Indian Mound neglected the Santee River. It was a formidable location with clear sightlines 40 ft above the encompassing landscaping.

In February 1781, Basic Thomas Sumter unsuccessfully tried to seize Fort Watson. A couple of months later, Basic Francis Marion started a chronic siege. Main Hezekiah Maham developed a novel concept to counter the sturdy British location. He constructed a wood tower close to the fort, giving his troopers the next elevation.

Marion captured Fort Watson on April 23, 1781. It was the primary necessary British garrison captured in South Carolina. However it will not be the final.

The Fort Watson web site is in Santee Nationwide Wildlife Refuge, a couple of ten-minute drive from Interstate 95. Nothing stays of the fort. However happily, the Santee Indian Mound stays. It’s a five-minute stroll from parking areas within the refuge. You’ll be able to climb a wood staircase to the highest of the mound for a sweeping view of Lake Marion.

Santee, SC

Santee developed right into a city when U.S. Freeway 301 was in-built 1932. By the late Nineteen Forties, the freeway related Baltimore to Tampa, changing into the first route between New York and Florida. A two-lane bridge was constructed throughout Lake Marion when it was impounded in 1939.

Interstate 95 was constructed on this space from 1962 till 1968. The ultimate piece was the multi-lane bridge throughout Lake Marion parallel to the unique two-lane bridge. As soon as accomplished, Santee turned a well-liked in a single day vacationer cease between New York and Florida.

At the moment, Santee is a typical interstate wayside with chain motels, quick meals eateries, and fuel stations. The Coast Exxon Station is the must-visit place on the town. Store over 40 flavors of recent fudge made day by day, together with typical comfort retailer objects.

The place to Keep in Santee, SC

Santee has been an in a single day cease alongside I-95 because it was constructed within the Sixties. You’ll discover loads of motels, however there may be one place each road-tripper wants to remain at the least as soon as.

Clark’s Inn and Restaurant began in 1946 when WWII veteran William Clark purchased the outdated bus station. In 1971, the present restaurant was constructed shortly after I-95 was accomplished via Santee. Over the subsequent few years, he added 75 visitor rooms in a roadside motel fashion.

However it’s a classy roadside motel. Visitor rooms function boutique hotel-style furnishings. There’s an out of doors swimming pool. And you’ll sit on the coated patio or benches on the garden and share tales together with your neighbors.

Clark’s Inn and Restaurant is now operated by Winfield and Edward Clark, the founder’s sons. The resort and restaurant are managed by long-time household good friend Kittie Collier.

E-book a room at https://clarksinnandrestaurant.com

Eutaw Spring Battlefield

By the top of 1780, the British managed Charleston, Camden, and a string of strategic outposts in between. However lower than a yr later, nearly all these outposts have been deserted or captured. Basic Francis Marion captured Fort Watson in April 1781, and the British evacuated Ninety Six in June after Basic Nathaniel Greene’s siege.

The remnants of the British forces exterior Charleston – about 2,000 Regulars and Loyalists – encamped at Wantoot Plantation close to Eutaw Springs.

Greene caught up with them on September 8, 1781. The Battle of Eutaw Springs was chaotic and disorganized. Ravenous and weary, Greene’s military chased the British from their camp and instantly turned to looting all the pieces left behind – together with the rum. Recovering from their retreat, the British troopers started selecting off the Patriots one by one.

Though Greene gained a tactical victory, it was one other blow to his beleaguered military. It was the final main battle of the Revolutionary Battle in South Carolina.

Stroll via the small battlefield and skim the interpretive indicators to study extra concerning the battle. Many of the battlefield was misplaced when Lake Marion was impounded in 1939. A brief path results in the lake’s edge, the place you may see the place Wantoot Plantation as soon as stood.

Probably the most fascinating factor to see within the park is Main John Majoribanks’ gravesite. The British soldier was killed throughout the Battle of Eutaw Springs and buried on the battlefield. When Lake Marion was constructed, his gravesite was moved to the present location.

Francis Marion Tomb

Francis Marion was born in 1732. He was the son of French Huguenot immigrants who traveled to the South Carolina Colony round 1700. His first army expertise got here in 1761 throughout the French and Indian Battle when he served within the South Carolina Militia combating for Nice Britain.

However when the Revolutionary Battle began, he was commissioned as a captain within the Continental Military’s 2nd South Carolina Regiment, collaborating within the Battle of Sullivan’s Island.

Marion averted seize on the Fall of Charleston in 1780. When the disastrous Battle of Camden left no Continental Military troopers within the state, Marion started recruiting militiamen. Over the subsequent two years, he earned his moniker “The Swamp Fox” for his uncanny skill to ambush British items and rapidly disappear into the swamps.

After the American Revolution, Marion left politics and army service behind, returning to his plantation at Pond Bluff. When he died in 1795, he was buried in a household cemetery at close by Belle Isle Plantation.

The cemetery is open to the general public. It’s situated on the finish of a half-mile paved street close to St. Stephen.

Biggin Church

The primary brick church was accomplished on this web site in 1715, about thirty years after a settlement developed by French Huguenot immigrants. The church was destroyed by a forest fireplace in 1755. In 1767, a stuccoed brick church was constructed.

British forces captured Moncks Nook throughout the Siege of Charleston. A everlasting garrison was established on the earthen Fort Truthful Garden and Colleton Mansion. Biggin Church was garrisoned and used as a provide depot.

Lieutenant Colonel James Coates commanded the British outposts in Moncks Nook. In July 1781, Basic Thomas Sumter, bolstered by Henry Lee and Francis Marion, launched an assault. Coates deserted the fort and retreated to Biggin Church. In the midst of the evening, Coates set fireplace to the church to forestall the Patriots from capturing provides and escaped seize.

The ruins you see whenever you go to right now are from the third brick church on the positioning. Constructed after the Revolutionary Battle, it was destroyed by a forest fireplace within the Eighteen Eighties.

Moncks Nook, SC

French Huguenots settled on this space after immigrating via Charleston within the 1680s. It turned an necessary buying and selling hub because the final navigable level on the Cooper River and a crossroads of inland buying and selling routes.

When the city was established in 1728, it was named after native landowner Thomas Monck. By the point of the Revolutionary Battle, Moncks Nook was nothing greater than a set of buying and selling posts and taverns. However it was a significant hyperlink between Charleston and inland cities.

And that made it a significant goal when the British arrived in 1780.

Patriot Basic Isaac Huger was ordered to guard Moncks Nook with 500 troopers. After British Basic Sir Henry Clinton laid siege to Charleston, communications and reinforcements continued to reach on the Cooper River through Moncks Nook.

Clinton despatched Lieutenant Colonel James Webster with 1,400 males and a detachment of Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton’s dragoons to seize the commerce city. On April 14, 1780, the Battle of Moncks Nook was an easy British victory. Catching Huger off guard, the British seized 185 horses, wagon a great deal of arms and gunpowder, and secured Moncks Nook.

Get one thing to eat at The Barony Home, an area favourite that just lately modified possession. When Michelle Hopkins purchased the restaurant from Van Excessive, she added a ardour for pastries to the nation meals menu. The most well-liked menu merchandise is a meat and three – a meat of the day and three sides like collards, mac and cheese, and recent greens. However save room for dessert since you’ll wish to strive a slice of Michelle’s scrumptious truffles and pies.

Breck’s Station opened in North Charleston in 1961 after which opened a brand new location in Moncks Nook in 2016. The locally-owned restaurant is thought for its large steaks, however it’s also possible to order Lowcountry seafood, burgers, and sandwiches. Should you’re feeling peckish whenever you arrive, order a few of their do-it-yourself onion rings with a thick slice of onion and crunchy breading.

The place to Keep in Moncks Nook, SC

Moncks Nook lacks choices for in a single day lodging. Thankfully, Moncks Nook Inn is a surprisingly good resort.

The massive out of doors swimming pool has a peaceable forested backdrop in a nook of the car parking zone. The clear, spacious rooms featured first rate furnishings. It’s an awesome place to spend the evening on the finish of an extended street journey. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com

Berkeley County Museum

In 1786, the South Carolina Basic Meeting chartered an organization to construct an inland canal between the Cooper River and Santee River, connecting Charleston to Columbia by water. The canal was constructed from 1793 till 1800. It operated for almost fifty years. However poor design, drought, and the railroad ended the state’s constitution, and by 1865, the canal was deserted.

Outdated Santee Canal Park was established to protect one of many earliest canals in-built America. The Interpretive Middle options reveals and an enchanting mannequin depicting the canal’s building.

However you’ll want to go over to the Berkeley County Museum for Revolutionary Battle historical past. The museum options the world’s common historical past, together with colonial occasions, the American Revolution, and the constructing of the canals. The museum focuses on Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, and the native battles of the warfare for independence.

Fort Truthful Garden

Sir John Colleton – one of many Lords Proprietors of the Carolina Colony – was given a 12,000-acre barony by King George II. From 1730 till 1740, John Colleton, the great-grandson of the unique proprietor, constructed a big brick mansion on a portion of the barony alongside the Cooper River.

When Colleton died in 1777, the barony was left to his spouse, Jane. After the British captured Moncks Nook and Charleston in 1780, she fled to England for defense. The British seized the deserted mansion, turned it right into a subject hospital, and constructed an earthen fort on the property named after the home – Fort Truthful Garden.

Doug Bostick, CEO of the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Belief, described Fort Truthful Garden as “a serious hub, just like the Atlanta airport.” It was crucial British outpost between Charleston and Camden, defending a significant hyperlink for communications and provides on the Cooper River.

All through 1781, the tide of the warfare turned in opposition to the British.

After retreating from Ninety Six and Camden, Fort Truthful Garden remained one of many few British strongholds in South Carolina exterior of Charleston. Basic Francis Marion ordered Colonels Hezekiah Maham and Isaac Shelby to assault the fort.

However Maham thought-about the fort too daunting to seize. As a substitute, they shifted their assault to the Colleton mansion. They took 76 prisoners, paroled the medical employees, and took over 300 stands of arms. Mysteriously, the mansion was burned.

A month later, the British deserted Fort Truthful Garden. It was by no means captured in battle.

In 2022, the South Carolina Battlefield Preservation Belief unveiled Fort Truthful Garden – one in every of solely two extant Revolutionary Battle redoubts in South Carolina. Guests park at Outdated Santee Canal Park and hike 1.1 miles alongside a crushed gravel path to the fort’s forested location.

Fort Truthful Garden is extra preserved than restored. Towering bushes develop inside and across the fort’s light earthen partitions. A small wood bridge crosses the two-foot-deep trench surrounding the fort. It’s an enchanting place to go to and stroll in historical past’s footsteps.

Mepkin Abbey

Within the late 1700s, Henry Laurens was one of many wealthiest males in South Carolina. In 1777, the diplomat was despatched on a significant mission to Holland to safe a wartime mortgage for the fledgling American authorities. He was captured by a British ship close to Newfoundland, charged with treason, and imprisoned on the Tower of London – the one American ever held within the well-known jail.

After almost three years of languishing captivity, Laurens was exchanged for Lord Charles Cornwallis, the British common who surrendered on the Siege of Yorktown and successfully ended the Revolutionary Battle. Laurens lastly accomplished his journey to Amsterdam, secured much-needed funds, after which traveled to Paris to assist negotiate the Treaty of Paris.

Lastly, in 1784, Laurens returned to Mepkin Abbey. The British burned his dwelling throughout the warfare. His solely son was killed in a minor skirmish in 1782. Laurens remained at his plantation till he died in 1792.

In 1936, Henry and Clare Boothe Luce, publishers of Time and Life magazines, purchased the plantation. They later donated the property to the Roman Catholic Church, and in 1949, the monks of Gethsemani in Kentucky established a Trappist monastery on the web site.

Guided excursions are given each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at Mepkin Abbey. The excursions focus extra on the historical past of the property because the Nineteen Forties. The one remnant of Laurens’ unique plantation is the household cemetery. It’s a ten-minute stroll from the car parking zone, the place you may see the ultimate resting place of Henry and John Laurens.

Cypress Gardens

In 1909, Benjamin Kittredge rebuilt the rice subject dikes on the defunct Dean Corridor Plantation. He planted bushes, shrubs, and flowers. After over twenty years of labor, he opened Cypress Gardens to the general public in 1932.

You gained’t study something concerning the Revolutionary Battle at Cypress Gardens. However you may see the place scenes from The Patriot have been filmed. It’s additionally an awesome alternative to discover a swampy botanical backyard and learn the way Marion should have felt.

Stroll across the 170-acre botanical backyard on trails that loop across the swamps and cross over attractive wood bridges. Take a guided boat tour to see the wildlife, or hire a kayak to discover by yourself.