Challenging the Rebellion

Challenging the Rebellion. . , By August of 1780, British garrisons had been stationed at Camden, Orangeburg, and Ninety-Six. Lieutenant General Charles, Lord Cornwallis (image below) and the British forces under his command had defeated the patriot forces in Charleston and Camden. In light of these victories, crushing the remaining rebel resistance in South Carolina seemed like a simple task. Additionally, fortified outposts were established near major ferry crossings along the Congree, Wateree, and Santee Rivers. Through these posts, the British expected to secure supply and communication lines and deny the American rebels access to these strategic crossings. By occupying key strategic points in the South Carolina backcountry, the British hoped to quickly put an/end to the rebellion once and for all., Fierce resistance to the British occupation continued as small units of mounted, highly mobile militia carried out a guerrilla war. Led by such skilled military commanders as Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter, the patriot forces ambushed supply trains, killed or captured messengers, and did all they could to make the British occupation of the backcountry as difficult as possible until Continental Army reinforcements arrived. Cornwallis and his soldiers soon came to the realization that crushing the rebellion would not be such a simple task after all., Patriot victories at Kings Mountain and Cowpens proved not only that it was possible to defeat the British, but that it could be accomplished without a professional army. After the bloody battle at Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina, Cornwallis and his army, though victorious, were battered and worn out. Cornwallis led his weary soldiers towards Wilmington, with the Continental forces of General Nathanael Greene in close pursuit. Arriving at Wilmington, Cornwallis made the decision to turn his army north for Virginia, not realizing that Greene had stopped following him. With Cornwallis no longer a threat, Greene could now focus on pushing the remaining British forces out of South Carolina, beginning what he called the "War of Posts."

"I have kept up a constant correspondence with the frontiers and the interior parts... where the aspect of affairs is not so peaceable... many of the disaffected South Carolinians from the Waxhaws and other settlements on the frontier... have joined General Sumter." - Lieutenant General Charles, Lord Cornwallis

(caption) , Key towns like Camden, Orangeburg, and Ninety-Six were occupied by British troops. These remote posts relied on the road and ferry network for their lines of supply and communication. Three outposts, Fort Watson (Nelson's Ferry), Fort Motte (McCord's Ferry), and Fort Granby (Friday's Ferry) served to keep these lines open by guarding the vital river crossings.