Touring South Carolina's Revolutionary War Sites by Daniel W. Barefoot

Author:Daniel W. Barefoot
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History & Travel
ISBN: 9780895874795
Publisher: John F. Blair, Publisher
Published: 1998-03-03T16:00:00+00:00

Turn left on S.C. 215 and drive northeast for 4.1 miles to S.C. 296. Turn left and proceed 2.7 miles to Nazareth Church Road, where a state historical marker commemorates the venerable church and its cemetery.

Turn right on Nazareth Church Road and proceed 0.4 mile to the historic Presbyterian church. Organized in the late 1760s by Scots-Irish settlers, the congregation has long been influential in the region. Many early members of the church fought in the Revolution. Their well-marked graves can be found in the sprawling burial ground adjacent to the church.

Return to the junction with S.C. 296. Turn left, go west for 2.1 miles to S.C. 290, turn right, and drive northwest for 3.1 miles to 1-85. Merge right on to 1-85 and drive 6.5 miles northeast to Exit 69; leave 1-85 here at S.R. 42-41 (Blackstock Road). Proceed 0.8 mile northwest on S.R. 42-41 to S.R. 42-123 (Mount Zion Road). Turn left and proceed to Fort Prince Road.

Two colonial forts—Gowen’s Fort and Wood’s Fort—were located several miles from here. They were established near the Cherokee boundary to protect white settlers from Indian attacks. Both forts saw action between Patriots and Indians and Tories during the Revolution. Nothing remains at the site of either fort.

Anthony Hampton, a flax broker, settled near Wood’s Fort with his wife, his daughter, and his numerous sons in 1774. As tensions mounted between the colonies and Great Britain, two of Hampton’s sons, Edward and Preston, were sent to enlist the aid of the Cherokee Indians in the fight for independence. Upon their arrival at the Indian village, the two Hamptons were dismayed to discover that British agent Cameron was already at work arming the Cherokees and inciting them to fight the colonies. Cameron promptly imprisoned the brothers and gave their horses and guns to the Indians.

Several days later, Anthony Hampton, unaware of the incident involving his sons and of the growing crisis with the Indians, extended his hand to greet a Cherokee chief, only to be killed in return. His wife, a son, and a grandson were then summarily slaughtered. Another grandson was taken away by the Indians, who held him for many years. Before departing the bloody scene, the warriors burned the Hampton estate.

Sometime after the so-called Hampton Massacre, Colonel Andrew Williamson embarked upon his campaign against the Indians. One of his captains was Henry Hampton, who later killed a Cherokee brave wearing the coat of one of his slain brothers.

Five Hampton brothers served as Patriot officers. One of them, Edward, was killed by Bloody Bill Cunningham.

Turn left on Fort Prince Road and drive 0.3 mile south to Fort Prince Boulevard. Located near the junction are Fort Prince Memorial Gardens and a D.A.R. marker for the colonial fort that served as a British outpost during the Revolutionary War.

Fort Prince was the scene of some spirited action in July 1780. That month, a Tory force from the British stronghold at Ninety Six moved north into Spartanburg County, where it suffered a series of stinging defeats, the first occurring on July 12 at Cedar Spring (visited later in this tour).

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