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Gaffney in Cherokee County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Road to the Revolution

Cowpens National Battlefield

 
 
Road to the Revolution Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Shane Oliver, September 2, 2017
1. Road to the Revolution Marker
Inscription. The Green River Road, which evolved from an Indian trail to a colonial trade route, played a fundamental role in the Revolutionary War battles that led to America's victory at Yorktown, Virginia.

On the evening of October 6, 1780, while on their way to fight British Major Patrick Ferguson, patriot militia from five colonies met along the Green River Road at the Cow Pens, a well-known pasturing ground. Three months later, 1100 British troops under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton followed Brigadier General Daniel Morgan's Flying Army along the Green River Road from the banks of the Pacolet River north to the Cow Pens. Deployed in three defensive lines along this road, Morgan's patriots soundly defeated the British Army at daybreak on January 17, 1781.

Today, the National Park Service preserves a 2-mile remnant of this historic road that laid the foundation for America's independence.

(captions)
The Green River Road or Mills Gap Road followed the high ground from below the Pacolet River in South Carolina to beyond the Green River and Mills Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

Rather than retreat across the Broad River, six miles to the north, Morgan set a trap for the British using the wetlands, canebrakes, and sloping terrain along the Green River Road to his advantage.

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1972, when Congress established Cowpens National Battlefield, the Green River Road had become a route for local traffic.
 
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & VehiclesWar, US Revolutionary. A significant historical date for this entry is October 6, 1780.
 
Location. 35° 7.906′ N, 81° 48.019′ W. Marker is in Gaffney, South Carolina, in Cherokee County. Marker is on Battlefield Tour Road, 0.1 miles east of State Highway S-11-22, on the right when traveling north. Marker can be reached from hiking the Green River Road trace from the Scruggs House Parking area off the Battlefield Tour Road, or from hiking the Road Trace from the Trailhead Access Point off Chesnee Highway (State Route 11). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Battlefield Tour Road, Gaffney, SC 29341, Gaffney SC 29341, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Battle of Cowpens (approx. 0.2 miles away); Welcome to Cowpens National Battlefield (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); "...A Most Dreary Appearance" (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Robert Scruggs House (approx. ¼ mile away); From Pasture to Park
Overgrown and Unmaintained Portion of the Green River Road Trace/ image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Shane Oliver, September 2, 2017
2. Overgrown and Unmaintained Portion of the Green River Road Trace/
(approx. ¼ mile away); January 17, 1781 (approx. half a mile away); The British Army (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gaffney.
 
Also see . . .  Cowpens National Battlefield, National Park Service. (Submitted on August 30, 2019.)
 
Green River Road Access Point from Scruggs House Parking Lot. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Shane Oliver, September 2, 2017
3. Green River Road Access Point from Scruggs House Parking Lot.
Green River Road Access Point from Cherokee Highway Parking Lot. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Shane Oliver, September 2, 2017
4. Green River Road Access Point from Cherokee Highway Parking Lot.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 13, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 24, 2017, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 389 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 24, 2017, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024