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12-2005

Military Sites Program Follows in the Footsteps of Lieutenant Anthony Allaire

Steven D. Smith University of South Carolina - Columbia, [email protected]

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Publication Info Published in Legacy, Volume 9, Issue 3, 2005, pages 15-17. © Legacy 2005, University of South Carolina--South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology.

This Article is brought to you by the Anthropology, Department of at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. APPLIED RESEARCH DIVISION Military Sites Program Follows in the Footsteps of Lieutenant Anthony Allaire By Steven D. Smith

Anthony Allaire was a lieutenant in associated with the two sites, thereby was the likely location of the initial the and confirming their precise physical British skirmish line. Civil War attached to Major Patrick Ferguson’s location. artifacts and a 19th century house site Corps during the American The Battle of Cooswahatchie was were found, but nothing from the Revolution. Allaire kept a diary of fought on May 3, 1779. With the Revolutionary War. his march with the Corps through continuing stalemate in the north, the The effort to find Fort Balfour South Carolina to Kings Mountain, British decided to turn to the was more successful. The exact where Ferguson was killed and southern colonies in hopes that construction date of Fort Balfour has Allaire was captured. Through a loyalists there would support the not been determined, but it was series of unrelated contracts and effort to suppress the revolution. In probably after British Lord Balfour grants in 2004, James Legg and December 1778, the British entered became commandant at Charleston myself of the Institute’s Military Sites Georgia and fought a number of in the fall of 1780. In April of 1781, Program have found ourselves along battles there. In early 1779, the Colonel William Harden was following Allaire’s route, conducting Americans under General Benjamin detached by Francis Marion with archaeological research into Lincoln advanced against Augusta, about 70 or 80 men to operate against Revolutionary War battlefields and leaving British Major General the British south of Charleston. They camps. Augustine Prevost an opening to captured a post at Red Hill near the Ferguson’s Corps marched out move against Charleston by crossing present day Saltketcher Bridge on of Savannah on Sunday, March 5, the Savannah River. Opposing him Highway 17. They then proceeded 1780. On Monday, the 13th, Allaire was General William Moultrie with south to the bridge where they wrote that “We took up our ground two Continental Regiments. skirmished against British cavalry. at dusk, at Coosawhatchie Bridge, Moultrie was camped at Tullifinny On April 14, they pressed south where the Rebels opposed our troops Hill in present day Jasper County, along or near present day U.S. 17 to last May and got defeated.” In the with Colonel John Laurens at Pocataligo, where Fort Balfour was fall of 2004, the Lowcountry Council Coosawhatchie––the same location as located. Harden was able to of Governments (LCOG), Yemassee, modern day Coosawhatchie. convince the fort’s occupants that he South Carolina, provided funds to Laurens, against orders, crossed the had enough men to take the fort, and the Military Sites Program for river and skirmished with the loyalists inside the fort surrendered. locating the Coosawhatchie advancing British, numbering some Two British officers had been battlefield, at Coosawhatchie, and 2,400 men. He was quickly forced captured at a nearby tavern a short Revolutionary War Fort Balfour at back across the river and back to time before. Pocataligo. This effort was in Tullifiny Hill. After the battle, Primary sources and maps support of the LCOG’s on-going morale was so low General Moultrie related to Fort Balfour narrowed the development of a “Lowcountry decided to retreat toward Charleston. search region to the one square-mile Revolutionary War Trail,” a 22.5 mile Our efforts to find the battlefield area around the modern location scenic and historic trail through were not successful. Several days of known as Pocataligo. This area can Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and metal detecting determined that be defined as from Pocataligo Creek Jasper counties, highlighting events development of the town after the Bridge east to the intersection of U.S. and sites associated with the battle and fill along the banks have 21 and U.S. 17, and on both sides of American Revolution. The specific obliterated the battlefield. The that road. Today, the road is a four goal of the project was to conduct an closest the team came to finding lane highway, and it is obvious that archaeological survey to locate anything was at a two-acre field this modern road has taken out many artifacts or features that were along a ridge line in the town that historic features. Based on the

Legacy, Vol. 9, No. 3, December 2005 15 historic accounts, the location with metal detecting survey, a number of strongly points to this area being the the greatest potential was near the Civil War period minie balls and location of the fort. The musket balls Pocataligo River. There the fort other artifacts were recovered. The and English half penny were very could have covered the river, the Civil War military artifacts were likely to have been lost or fired road, and the intersection. A Family quite interesting to the survey team, during the fort’s occupation by the Worship Center is located there but were not the goal of the project. British. Most likely, the exact today. However, beside the center However, the team also found two location of the fort is the church was a wooded area of about one acre. unfired musket balls used in the property or underneath the modern This area has had not only modern British Brown Bess musket, two four-lane highway. If so, it must be disturbances, including abandoned smaller balls (one unfired, one fired) said that modern development cars, but was also greatly disturbed either for an 18th century pistol or cannot be totally blamed for the fort’s by Civil War activities. The rifle, a carved musket ball of loss, as the extensive Confederate Confederate Army constructed an unknown caliber, and an English earthworks probably destroyed the extensive network of batteries and King George (either II or III) half- archaeological remains of the fort lines in the area to protect the penny. While the recovery of these long before modern construction. Charleston to Savannah Railroad. Revolutionary War artifacts is not Back in March 1780, Lieut. Today, remnants of these lines still 100% proof that we have found Fort Allaire and Ferguson’s Corps left exist on both sides of the modern Balfour, the combined historical, Coosawatchie and marched for highway. As a result of a thorough map, and archaeological evidence Charleston. They marched to the

Fig. 1: James Legg drawing profile of Fort Motte ditch. (SCIAA photo by Steven D. Smith)

16 Legacy, Vol. 9, No. 3, December 2005 Saltketcher, and most likely passed deep ditch and parapet. Americans several days in late September. by where Fort Balfour would be under the command of Brigadier While sending out patrols through built. Once on the outskirts of General Francis Marion, the Swamp the surrounding area, Major Charleston they participated in its Fox, and Lieutenant Colonel Henry Ferguson proclaimed to the capture in May 1780. In early June, Lee lay siege to the fort from May 6, that if they did they started north into the 1781 until May 12 when the fort was not come in to surrender, he would backcountry. For four days they captured. The site is famous for its march over the mountains and hang camped at Colonel William history and legends, including stories them. This did not sit well with the Thompson’s plantation, called of the gallantry of Mrs. Motte, who Overmountain men, who gathered at Belleville, near the strategic ferry supposedly provided the arrows to and, crossing the crossing at McCord’s Ferry on the set fire to the house in order to get mountains themselves, came after Congaree. Thompson’s Belleville the British to surrender. The siege Ferguson. Eventually, the Corps was plantation house was later fortified was significant as part of the summer surrounded at Kings Mountain, by the British and in February of of 1781 American offensive that South Carolina, and suffered a major 1781, Colonel Thomas Sumter, the broke the British hold on the defeat; Patrick Ferguson was killed. Gamecock, attempted to capture the backcountry. Allaire was captured but, after being fort. He failed, but only a month The archaeological work marched to Gilbert Town again, he later, the British abandoned Belleville included a systematic metal detector later escaped to make his way to and moved their post about a mile survey to locate the camps and Charleston. north to Rebecca Motte’s house, and plantation features. The survey During the summer of 2004, the built Fort Motte. discovered many musket and rifle Military Sites Program was awarded The Military Sites Program has balls indicating the firing positions of another ABPP grant to assist conducted investigations at both both sides. The entire fort was also Thomason and Associates, Inc. in an sites. In August of 2002, I conducted found and recorded. A series of archaeological survey to prepare a a site visit and documentation of trenches were excavated across the National Register nomination for Belleville for the American Battlefield fort site that revealed the seven-foot Gilbert town. With the help of a local Protection Program’s (ABPP) deep ditch that surrounded the relic collector, Mr. Dale Williams, the Revolutionary War Study. The exact house. James Legg excavated a 1.5 team was able to locate several location of the fort is not known but meter-wide trench across the ditch to archaeological sites associated with two artifact scatters provide some draw a profile (Fig. 1). There were Gilbert Town including the probable evidence of its general location. numerous other features inside the site of the tavern, a cemetery, and Meanwhile, in the fall of 2004, James fort ditch that promise exciting future several outbuildings. But certainly Legg and I conducted a metal excavations. Beyond the fort, the the most exciting site found was detecting survey and excavations at metal detector survey discovered Ferguson’s camp. The camp was not Fort Motte, again funded by the several sites that appear to be the located where one would first ABPP. firing positions of American soldiers believe. Interestingly, the camp was Fort Motte was the plantation and possibly Colonel Henry Lee’s located on the hill side opposite hill home of Mrs. Rebecca Motte, camp. The site is a treasure of to Gilbert Town, and on a fairly steep fortified by the British in the spring information, and it is hoped that I slope, reminiscent of the topography of 1781 after they abandoned will be able to return. at Kings Mountain. It would appear Belleville. Forts Balfour, Belleville, During those June days in 1780 that Ferguson chose hillsides as his and Motte were in fact, all plantation when Ferguson’s Corps camped at campsite of choice, which may have homes, fortified as British posts. Belleville, no one knew that so much offered protection from enemies and Located on a high prominence warfare would occur there only a if we may be permitted, perhaps was overlooking the Congaree River, Fort year later. The Corps continued to reminiscent of his Scottish homeland. Motte served, like Belleville, as a march north up to Congaree Stores While there was no intention of depot for British supply convoys (West Columbia), and Ninety Six. following in the footsteps of between Charleston and Ninety Six Eventually, the Corps would march Lieutenant Anthony Allaire over the or Camden. Fort Motte consisted of into and camp at last year, the Military Sites Program Mrs. Motte’s home, surrounded by a Gilbert Town (near Rutherfordton for hopes that future opportunities will allow us to, again, cross his path.

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