Fort Motte (Fort Motte Station) was developed first as Mt. Joseph Plantation; it was commandeered in 1780 by the British and fortified as a temporary military outpost in what is now

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. It was significant for its military use as a depot for their convoys between Camden and Charleston, which they occupied. Located along the

Congaree River The Congaree River is a short but wide river in South Carolina in the United States; It flows for approximately 53 miles (85 km). The river serves an important role as the final outlet channel for the entire Lower Saluda and Lower Broad wa ...

, it is roughly 90–95 miles from Charleston by 21st-century roadways.Distance between Fort Motte and Charleston, SC
Google; accessed 29 December 2016 The British fortified the big house and surrounds, and it became known as Fort Motte, after Rebecca Brewton Motte, who had been occupying it with her family. During the Patriot Siege of Fort Motte, the plantation mansion was set on fire. The British surrendered at this site. After the war, this site was considered for the capital of the newly formed state of South Carolina, before Columbia was chosen. Fort Motte is now an unincorporated village at the nearby crossroads of SH 419 and State Road S-9-13. The former area of the plantation house and grounds is known as the Fort Motte Battlefield Site. Privately owned, it was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1972. The Lang Sune Plantation was in the area and is the site of one of the African American burial grounds in Fort Motte. Political leaders Samuel L. Duncan and Edward Israel Cain were both from Fort Motte and went on to serve in the state legislature.

History

The

Cherokee Path The Cherokee Path (or Keowee path) was the primary route of English and Scots traders from Charleston to Columbia, South Carolina in Colonial America. It was the way they reached Cherokee towns and territories along the upper Keowee River and its ...

is nearby, long used by

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

s for trading and travel. The first Anglo-European colonists in the area were Scots and English traders, who established trading posts with the Cherokee and other regional Native American tribes. Some posts were fortified as early forts in the colonial period. Amelia Town was established in this area about 1735. Mt. Joseph Plantation was built in 1767 as an up-country estate by Miles Brewton of Charleston, near the confluence of the Congaree and Wateree rivers. A slave trader, he owned several ships and plantations. He became one of the wealthiest men in the province before he and his family died when lost at sea in 1775 on their way to Philadelphia for him to serve as a delegate at the Second Continental Congress."Col. Miles Brewton and Some of His Descendents," ''South Carolina Historical Magazine'' (II). 1901. pp. 130-131, 142-144, 148-150. His sister Rebecca Brewton Motte (1737-1815) inherited some of his property, including Mt. Joseph. She was widowed in 1780, when her husband Jacob died of illness. After the British appropriated the Miles Brewton House for their headquarters in Charleston, Motte left the city and moved to the relative safety of Mt. Joseph Plantation, 95 miles away. They were living there when the British took over this property.Lossing, Benson John ''The Pictorial Field-book of the Revolution,'' Harper Brothers, 1860 After the military took over the mansion, the Motte family moved to the overseer's house. The British fortified the big house and its grounds. A

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

garrison of regular, Hessian and Provincial forces occupied the plantation, using it as a depot for their convoys running between Camden and Charleston. Waterways were still the key as transportation routes. Mt. Joseph plantation was near a strategic river crossing of the

, which gave the British access to an important chain of transport from Charleston to points north and west.''Obstinate and Strong: The History and Archeology of the Siege of Fort Motte''. Steven D. Smith, et al., SC Institute of Archeology and Anthropology, U. of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. 2007. p. 18 By May 1781 the British had constructed wood and earth fortifications at Mt. Joseph: palisades (9' tall) and ramparts (10-11' wide), were faced with a 6' deep ditch in front. 20-30' from the ditch was a row of

abatis An abatis, abattis, or abbattis is a field fortification consisting of an obstacle formed (in the modern era) of the branches of trees laid in a row, with the sharpened tops directed outwards, towards the enemy. The trees are usually interlaced ...

. Defending the fortified mansion were 184 British regulars, Hessians, and Provincials under the command of Capt. Lt. Donald McPherson. It became known as Fort Motte, after Rebecca Brewton Motte. General Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion and Colonel Henry Lee laid siege to the fortified site. Rebecca Motte became known for giving him arrows from East India which would ignite on impact. His forces shot flaming arrows into the roof to set it on fire and drove the British from it, and shot artillery to prevent soldiers from putting out the fire. Captain Lt. McPherson surrendered. "The British surrender of the fort alarmed Lord Rawdon and hastened his retreat from Camden to Charleston." The South Carolina Department of Archives and History, the South Carolina Library, and the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

have the earliest extant maps for this area. When cultivation of short-staple cotton became profitable at the turn of the nineteenth century, after the invention of the

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); ...

, this upland area was developed for cotton as a commodity crop. The battlefield site is listed on the

, considered important because of the military and other history from 1750-1799. Samuel L. Duncan was born in Fort Motte. Edward I. Cain represented the area and surrounding Orangeburg County in the state legislature was buried in Fort Motte. Memorials to them were erected at the Lang Syne Cemetery to honor them and

Darrell Jackson Darrell Lamont Jackson (born December 6, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 2000s. Jackson played college football for the Florid ...

helped pass a resolution honoring them in the South Carolina General Assembly February 8,2023.https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess125_2023-2024/bills/498.htm

References

External links

"Fort Motte Battle Site, Calhoun County (Address Restricted)"
South Carolina Department of Archives and History
''The Siege of Fort Motte''
{{Authority control Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina

Motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortificati ...

Buildings and structures in Calhoun County, South Carolina

National Register of Historic Places in Calhoun County, South Carolina

American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places