Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Horn Work on Marion Square

The Liberty Trail

— Charleston Horn Work —

The Horn Work on Marion Square Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. The Horn Work on Marion Square Marker

Inscription.

The Horn Work on Marion Square. The Liberty Trail. Marion Square was once home to an extensive fortress that covered these public grounds and the surrounding area. Called the Horn Work, the name of the structure derived from its shape. Flanking the gateway on King Street were two half-bastions, or angled projections, which resembled the horns of a bull. It was a crucial component of the city's defenses in wartime. , , Built to defend the port city during the French and Indian War, the Horn Work was left unfinished after threats from that conflict passed. More than 10 years later, when the Revolutionary War came to Charleston in 1775, construction on the Horn Work resumed and the fortification served as the tactical center of the Patriot defenses. , , From April 1 through early May 1780, British troops - 12,500 men commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton , laid siege to the port city. Under the direction of French engineers, Charleston laborers, including many enslaved people, hurriedly erected earthworks to enclose the exposed south side of the Horn Work. Eighteen large cannons were positioned on elevated platforms in the Horn Work's northern wall. , , After the war, in 1784, the City of Charleston began demolition of the Horn Work to allow for the development of the growing city. Nearly 100 years later, in 1882, the city named this park for Revolutionary War hero Brigadier General Francis Marion. Bronze markers in the square now indicate the location of the long-buried Horn Work's tabby walls and commemorate its important role in Charleston’s history. , , (captions) , Defending Charleston , By May 11, 1780, Major General Benjamin Lincoln knew surrender of his American forces was inevitable. Brigadier General William Moultrie recalled the Patriots' last efforts to defend the city: "We fired the first gun, and immediately followed a tremendous cannonade... it was a glorious sight, to see them like meteors crossing each other, and bursting in the air." - Illustration by Dale Watson , , History Underground , In 2020, researchers conducted an archaeological survey in front of the Old Citadel on Marion Square. Their efforts located the buried footprint of the Horn Work, the heart of Charleston's defenses during the Revolutionary War. - Photo by Sarah Hall Blackwell

Marion Square was once home to an extensive fortress that covered these public grounds and the surrounding area. Called the Horn Work, the name of the structure derived from its shape. Flanking the gateway on King Street were two half-bastions, or angled projections, which resembled the horns of a bull. It was a crucial component of the city's defenses in wartime.

Built to defend the port city during the French and Indian War, the Horn Work was left unfinished after threats from that conflict passed. More than 10 years later, when the Revolutionary War came to Charleston in 1775, construction on the Horn Work resumed and the fortification served as the tactical center of the Patriot defenses.

From April 1 through early May 1780, British troops - 12,500 men commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton — laid siege to the port city. Under the direction of French engineers, Charleston laborers, including many enslaved people, hurriedly erected earthworks to enclose the exposed south side of the Horn Work. Eighteen large cannons were positioned on elevated platforms in the Horn Work's northern wall.

After

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the war, in 1784, the City of Charleston began demolition of the Horn Work to allow for the development of the growing city. Nearly 100 years later, in 1882, the city named this park for Revolutionary War hero Brigadier General Francis Marion. Bronze markers in the square now indicate the location of the long-buried Horn Work's tabby walls and commemorate its important role in Charleston’s history.

(captions)
Defending Charleston
By May 11, 1780, Major General Benjamin Lincoln knew surrender of his American forces was inevitable. Brigadier General William Moultrie recalled the Patriots' last efforts to defend the city: "We fired the first gun, and immediately followed a tremendous cannonade... it was a glorious sight, to see them like meteors crossing each other, and bursting in the air." - Illustration by Dale Watson

History Underground
In 2020, researchers conducted an archaeological survey in front of the Old Citadel on Marion Square. Their efforts located the buried footprint of the Horn Work, the heart of Charleston's defenses during the Revolutionary War. - Photo by Sarah Hall Blackwell

Erected by The

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. The Horn Work on Marion Square Marker

Liberty Trail, American Battlefield Trust, South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust and the Board of Field Officers of the Fourth Brigade.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical year for this entry is 1775.

Location. 32° 47.206′ N, 79° 56.102′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It is on Meeting Street 0.1 miles west of Charlotte Street, on the left when traveling east. The marker is located within Charleston’s Marion Square. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 329 Meeting Street, Charleston SC 29403, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Historic Charleston

and in the Lowcountry.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of

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America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Holocaust Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); A Tabby Defense (within shouting distance of this marker); Reclaiming Charleston’s History (within shouting distance of this marker); Calhoun (within shouting distance of this marker); Marion Square (within shouting distance of this marker); Wade Hampton Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Surrender, then Victory (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Charleston Public Water System (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.

Also see . . .
1. A Brief History of Marion Square. (Submitted on March 6, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. The Horn Work: Marion’s Square’s Tabby Fortress. (Submitted on March 6, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
3. The Liberty Trail - Marion Square (battlefields.org). Scanning the QR code on the marker leads to this page, a history of Marion Square, with additional information about “tabby”, plus 3 short audio files. (Submitted on March 7, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 6, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 490 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 6, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.