‘Clash of steel on steel’: Event commemorates Orangeburg County battle

The commemoration is a fitting time to remember, honor, and celebrate “those who brought liberty to our great nation,” said Rick Wise, the interim executive director of the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust.

The military historian was the featured speaker during the annual patriotic service on Saturday, Aug. 31, in the Historic Church of the Epiphany in Eutawville, a few miles west of the battle site.

“We can’t imagine some of the things that these guys went through,” Wise said. “The fact they were still in the ranks says something about the character of those people.”

Wise said a commander from Delaware during the American Revolutionary War wrote in his memoirs that his men wore “threadbare” uniforms and worn-out shoes and boots as they hiked for miles each day.

The commander wrote that his men “had rice as a substitute for bread.” For meat, “there was a plenitude of frogs, sometimes with the addition of alligator.”

“The Revolutionary War from 1780 to 1782 was fought predominantly here in South Carolina and I am a firm proponent that the war was won here in this state,” Wise said.

A string of Patriot victories culminated in the Battle of Eutaw Springs on Sept. 8, 1781. A British force was camped there, unaware that the Patriots were just 7 miles away and plotting a surprise attack.

Two deserters showed up in the British camp and warned them of the Patriots’ plans. The British commander did not believe them, but he sent a scouting party to check out the situation.

The Patriots captured the scouting party, along with 300 to 400 unarmed British troops who were foraging fields for sweet potatoes to eat.

Then came the battle – an epic, hours-long “clash of steel on steel” involving muskets, bayonets, and cannons, Wise said.

The British did not expect the Patriots to attack their encampment directly.

Nor did they expect the first wave of attackers to consist primarily of militiamen – “much disparaged” part-time volunteers.

And the British certainly did not expect the militia – who had a reputation for firing three shots and then quickly retreating – to stick around and fight.

At Eutaw Springs, the militia members averaged 17 shots. They stopped only when they ran out of ammunition, he said.

The British didn’t know that Gen. Francis Marion – the “Swamp Fox” – had transformed the ragtag militia into a well-trained, organized, and highly motivated fighting force, Wise said.

“The British were pushed back all the way to their camp,” Wise said. The Patriots captured two British cannons but the British retook them.

The fighting raged for several hours – far longer than the typical Revolutionary War battle that lasted less than an hour.

Finally, the parched Patriots retreated to a source of water, while the British retreated all the way to Charleston, and shortly thereafter they left South Carolina entirely, and then surrendered at Yorktown.

“History is about people, and when you look at those people, it really makes you understand they’re like you and me but in unique circumstances,” Wise said.

“It makes us question ourselves: Would we be able to do the same things that those folks did? I believe we could, but we have to honor and respect the fact that they did, without a doubt.”

Wise said respect should be extended to the British forces too for their fighting prowess and their sacrifices. “You do what the government tells you to do,” he said. “Warfare is an extension of politics.”

“We need to remember the fallen. They say no one is truly dead until nobody remembers them. You all here are keeping the memories of these men alive. This is hallowed ground. There are over 300 shallow graves somewhere out here on this land; we don’t know where. They deserve our honor and our thoughts.”

Wise said Eutaw Springs is an integral part of the Liberty Trail, which will soon be enhanced with interpretive illustrations by the talented artist Dale Watson, smartphone-scannable QR codes for getting more information, and even “augmented reality” experiences.

This year’s battle commemoration events spanned three days, beginning with a reception in Santee on Thursday, Aug. 29.

The next morning, 15 people in a bus and others in nine private vehicles took a narrated tour of the Fort Motte battle site in Calhoun County with archaeologist Jim Legg.

The entourage then visited the Fort Motte battle site in North Santee (Clarendon County) and the Eutaw Springs battle site in Orangeburg County with narration by David Reuwer.

That evening, 71 people gathered for dinner in Santee. Steven D. Smith, PhD, a University of South Carolina research professor and archaeologist and book author, spoke about the artifacts that have been discovered at Fort Motte.

On Saturday, Aug. 31, following the church program, more than 130 people gathered at the Eutaw Springs Battle Monument Park on Old Number Six Highway.

The participants included 25 members of the Washington Light Infantry from Charleston, who chartered a bus to come and present the colors (flags) at the wreath ceremony. A total of 23 wreaths were presented.

Members of the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust 5th Company, 4th S.C. Regiment (Artillery) brought and fired two cannons.

Musket volleys were fired by members of the South Carolina Society, Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard, under the command of National SAR Color Guard Commander Scott Collins.

The concluding event was a wreath ceremony with the firing of cannons and muskets at the tomb of Gen. Francis Marion near Pineville in Berkeley County. About 25 people attended.

The events are organized annually by the Battle of Eutaw Springs Chapter of the South Carolina Society, Sons of the American Revolution.