Laurens County Revolutionary War Battlefield permanently protected, added to the Liberty Trail

The Hammond’s Store Battlefield most recent addition to statewide driving tour

The South Carolina Battleground Trust announced the acquisition of the Hammond’s Store Battlefield near Clinton in Laurens County, South Carolina. These 30 acres associated with the December 30, 1780, engagement will be incorporated into the Liberty Trail initiative, augmented with trails and interpretation to tell the story of the Revolutionary War in South Carolina. The Liberty Trail, a partnership of the South Carolina Battleground Trust and the American Battlefield Trust, is a driving trail of Revolutionary War battlefields throughout South Carolina.

“During the time between the well-known battles of Camden and Cowpens, battles and skirmishes waged on in South Carolina’s backcountry pitting neighbor against neighbor as Patriots and Loyalists both sought to gain ground,” commented Doug Bostick, CEO, South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust. “The Battle of Hammond’s Store was a victory that resulted in no loss of life for the Patriots and laid the foundation was an important precursor to the Battle of Cowpens.”

Hammonds store dirt road

In December 1780, Patriot Brigadier General Daniel Morgan camped on the Pacolet River where he received intelligence that Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Waters had assembled Loyalist troops at Fair Forest. These Loyalists were attacking settlements of Patriot families between the backcountry villages of Winnsborough and Ninety Six. Morgan dispatched Lieutenant Colonel William Washington’s dragoons and mounted militia to harass and antagonize the Loyalists. Waters fell back 40 miles when he learned of Washington’s advance. Washington pursued Walters for many miles behind enemy lines until, on December 30, Washington’s Continental Light dragoons and 200 South Carolina mounted state troops overtook the 250-person Loyalist militia unit under Waters along the road leading to Hammond’s Store, only 25 miles from the British post at Ninety Six.

After placing militia riflemen on his flanks, Washington’s cavalry directly charged down, across the stream, the headwaters of the Bush River, and up the slope. Thomas Young, a Patriot with Washington, wrote, “When we came in sight, we perceived that the Tories had formed in a line on the brow of the hill opposite to us. We had a long hill to descend and another to rise. Col. Washington and his dragoons gave a shout, drew swords, and charged down the hill like madmen. The Tories flew in every direction without firing a gun. We took great many prisoners and killed a few.” The Loyalist losses were more than 100 men killed or injured beyond recovery. The Patriots took 40 prisoners and captured 50 horses, without loss.

The next day, Washington detached the Little River Regiment mounted troops under Colonel Joseph Hayes and a small Continental Light Dragoons detachment under Cornet James Simons to flush out Loyalist Brigadier General Robert Cunningham and Major Patrick Cunningham occupying Williams’ fort, a wooden palisaded farmhouse. Cunningham’s men chose to abandon the fort and slipped away deep inside British controlled territory. Washington’s men returned to Morgan’s camp and engaged in the Battle of Cowpens on January 17.

“The Battle of Hammond’s Store expands the narrative of The Liberty Trail by shedding light on the conflicts in the South Carolina backcountry,” commented David Duncan, president, American Battlefield Trust. “We look forward to adding this location to the growing number of publicly accessible, interpreted sites along the trail.”

Two archaeological studies of the battlefield site have been completed and a more intensive study is now underway. “The colonial roadbed has been located,” added Bostick. “Over the coming year, we anticipate completing trails and interpretive signage for battlefield visitors.”

The acquisition of the Hammond’s Store Battlefield was made possible by a grants from the South Carolina Conservation Bank, the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission, and the Laurens County 250th Commission.

About The Liberty Trail

The Liberty Trail is a joint effort of the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust and the American Battlefield Trust, assisted by numerous partners at the local, state, and federal levels. The statewide driving tour functions as a one-of-a-kind educational and heritage tourism resource through which key battlefields of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution will be preserved, interpreted, and promoted. For more information on The Liberty Trail initiative, including historic background and a list of those sites that are part of the Initial Phase of the project, visit www.thelibertytrail.org. As The Liberty Trail takes shape, partners, friends, and history enthusiasts are invited to follow its progress on social media using the hashtag #TheLibertyTrail.