American Revolution

“P” is for Pickens, Andrew (1739-1817). Soldier, legislator, congressman. During the Revolutionary War Pickens became one of the most significant leaders of patriot forces in the backcountry.

“E” is for Eutaw Springs, Battle of (September 8, 1781). The Battle of Eutaw Springs was the last major engagement in South Carolina between American and British forces during the Revolutionary War.

“E” is for Eutaw Springs, Battle of (September 8, 1781). The Battle of Eutaw Springs was the last major engagement in South Carolina between American and British forces during the Revolutionary War.

“F’ is for Fort Watson. Fort Watson, named for Colonel John Watson, was one of a series of supply depots between Charleston and Camden during the Revolutionary War.

“F’ is for Fort Watson. Fort Watson, named for Colonel John Watson, was one of a series of supply depots between Charleston and Camden during the Revolutionary War.

In this episode Ben Zeigler and Stephen Motte from the Florence County Museum in Florence, SC, talk with us about the legend of Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion. The current exhibition at the museum, Legend: Francis Marion in the Pee Dee, examines the early decades of American Independence, when poets and painters turned General Francis Marion into a mythical figure; part fact, part folk legend. Those efforts were so effective that the cultural impact of their words and images lingers today.

“F’ is for Fort Watson. Fort Watson, named for Colonel John Watson, was one of a series of supply depots between Charleston and Camden during the Revolutionary War.

“F’ is for Fort Watson. Fort Watson, named for Colonel John Watson, was one of a series of supply depots between Charleston and Camden during the Revolutionary War.

In his book, Revolutionary Roads: Searching for the War That Made America Independent...and All the Places It Could Have Gone Terribly Wrong (2022, Hachette), retired journalist Bob Thompson takes readers along, walking history-shaping battlefields of the American Revolution, from Georgia to Quebec; and hanging out with passionate lovers of revolutionary.In this episode of Walter Edgar’s Journal, Bob talks about one of his favorite battles in New England (Saratoga) and then explores some of the decisive battles that decided the outcome of the Revolution – battles that took place in the Carolinas. And he spotlights how the outcome a major South Carolina battle may have hinged on a tiny, fraught tipping point – a misunderstood order that could have altered the course of the war.

Historians and archeologists in South Carolina are preparing to rebury 12 unknown U.S. Revolutionary War soldiers who died in the 1780 battle at Camden. The ceremonies starting April 20 are the result of months of work to carefully excavate the bodies from shallow graves, take DNA samples and study them, and give them a proper burial where they fell on the now-protected battlefield. Several of the soldiers were teenagers. Historians say they should be honored as America's first heroes and that their sacrifice helped make the U.S. the country it is today. A similar project is studying a dozen German soldiers, called Hessians, who died fighting for the British at Red Bank, New Jersey.