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Christine Swager, Santee historian
As we focus on Independence Day, it would be well to remember the men who fought at Eutaw Springs on September 8, 1781. Without their sacrifices, we would not be celebrating this holiday.
At this time 225 years ago, Lord Cornwallis was approaching Yorktown, determined that he would prevail against the Americans in Virginia, and confident that the conquered south was firmly under British control. Nothing was further from the truth.
After the British victory at Guilford Court House, Major General Nathanael Greene, commander of the Continental Army in the south, realized that the British could not continue to sustain the losses inflicted on them and would have to discontinue the war. When they did, they would keep all the territory they held. That was international law at the time. If that were allowed to happen, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina would remain part of the British Empire.
General Greene turned to the south and, in a series of contested battles, pushed the British out of Camden, Augusta and Ninety Six. Now the only territory the British held was from an area close to Fort Motte along the Santee River to Charleston.
On the morning of September 8, Greene led his ragtag army in an attack on the British encampment at Eutaw Springs. The first encounter occurred at about the location of St. Julian Plantation when the Americans surprised a party of British soldiers on a rooting party, digging for sweet potatoes. The British commander, Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart, quickly formed a battle line and the battle began in earnest.
Greene's first line consisted of militia, about 750, commanded by Francis Marion. After pushing forward about a half a mile, they were forced by the British bayonets to move aside to allow Continental soldiers to push the British back. The battle raged for about four hours and was the bloodiest battle of The Revolution. Firsthand accounts report that soldiers waded in puddles of blood on the battlefield and men were dead, standing, impaled on each others' bayonets.
The casualties were heavy on both sides, and who won is a matter of opinion. Greene left the field to care for his wounded. The British held part of the field but never recovered all the field. When Greene returned the following day, intending to resume the conflict, the British were retreating. Within days, the British were confined to Charleston Neck and the Americans controlled the rest of the colony.
When Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown five weeks later, the British had no claim to Georgia and the Carolinas because General Greene with his Continental Army, aided by local militia, had taken back all the territory. Without Greene's successful campaign, there would have only been ten original colonies, not thirteen. The Battle at Eutaw Springs was a significant battle.
The men who fought at Eutaw Springs included some of the most important men of The Revolution. Accompanying Major General Nathanael Greene were Lt. Col. Otho Williams and Lt. Col. John Eager Howard of Maryland; Lt. Col. Henry (Light Horse Harry) Lee and Lt. Col. William Washington, who commanded cavalry from Virginia; Capt. Robert Kirkwood of Delaware; Lt. Col. Richard Campbell of Virginia who died on the field; and General Jethro Sumner of North Carolina. These are names which dominate the history of the war.
Also on the field were men whose roots were in South Carolina. Lt. Col. William Henderson and Lt. Col. Wade Hampton commanded state troops in actions which can only be described as heroic. Militia Brigadier General Andrew Pickens and Brigadier General Francis Marion commanded men who had fought in the backcountry and swamps throughout the British occupation.