Andrew Davis> A British officer's grave cairn... A star-shaped earthen fort... And an authentic hand-written letter from a legendary South Carolina general!

I'm Andrew Davis.

I'm a history enthusiast with passions for exploring and finding cool objects from the past.

But for me?

It's even cooler to find artifacts with remarkable historical ties.

The Palmetto State shares a rich culture and I'm here to tell its stories through the mementos left behind.

Join me on this journey as we uncover some of these historical stories.

This is Curiosity Trek!

Major Patrick Ferguson's cairn at Kings Mountain National Military Park is the first stop on our Revolutionary War journey.

The park, about a 2 hour drive from Columbia sits between Cherokee and York Counties.

Davis> In many respects, the American Revolution was also a civil conflict.

Not every North American colonist desired to sever ties with the British Crown.

Those who remained loyal to Great Britain were known as "Loyalists" or "Tories".

Neighbors took up arms against neighbors.

When the British strategy shifted southward in 1780, England hoped to take advantage of the perceived loyalist majority population.

For the loyalist militia in the south, their commanding officer was Major Patrick Ferguson.

The Battle of Kings Mountain took place on October 7, 1780.

Major Ferguson fell during the decisive Battle of Kings Mountain and his final resting place can be seen here at Kings Mountain National Military Park.

But why is there a massive pile of stones on top of it?

Ranger Robert Holmes will leave no stone unturned with the history surrounding this grave marker.

Holmes> My name is Robert Holmes.

I work for the National Park Service, as a park ranger right here at Kings Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina.

Davis> Now, could you give our audiences a brief overview of the Battle of Kings Mountain?

What was it all about?

Holmes> Of course.

So the Battle of Kings Mountain is fought on October 7th, 1780.

This battle is fought largely by militia groups of Patriots and Loyalists.

These militiamen came from all over the place.

The British have overrun South Carolina, and basically returned it to the fold as a colony and are preparing to invade North Carolina.

They've sent a force out along the North Carolina frontier, which has been forced to fall back here to Kings Mountain.

This force is commanded by Major Patrick Ferguson.

The Patriots are trying to catch up to him and defeat him before he reaches Charlotte, because that's where Lord Cornwallis, the commander of British forces in the Southern Theater is headquartered with the main British Army, and the Patriots know that if Ferguson were to reach Charlotte, there's not going to be any chance for them to catch him or defeat him.

The morning of October 7th, Ferguson is encamped at the top of King's Mountain.

The Patriots have ridden hard through the night.

They dismount from their horses and divide themselves into two columns.

They're going to make use of a classic Native American tactic known as the "Half Moon".

The first column is going to march up and initiate the battle.

They're going to form that sort of "C" shape for that half moon and start the battle off.

Once they've captured the attention of Ferguson's Loyalists, the second column will come up from their rear to complete the encirclement around the Loyalist position on King's Mountain cut them off so that they've got no way to escape.

The Patriots will then fight their way slowly to the top of King's Mountain over the course of an hour.

Once they've gained the peak of King's Mountain, the Loyalists are now taking fire from all sides as well as from above them.

There's no possibility for them to escape at this point.

Ferguson realized the danger so he made one final last ditch, to break out and save his men or to escape, potentially, depending on what you think of Ferguson the man.

He gathered his few mounted officers, about ten of them.

They drew their swords, got together on the back of their horses, and led a cavalry charge into the Patriot lines.

Patriot militiamen had traditionally not fared very well when they were faced down with cavalry forces.

In this instance, however, his charge was met by a hail of gunfire from the Patriots.

Nine men claimed to have taken shots at Patrick Ferguson.

He was knocked from his saddle, dragged a short distance by his horse before his body finally came to a rest.

When his body was inspected by the Patriots at the end of the battle, they found he had been hit seven times.

He was most likely dead before he hit the ground.

Davis> Despite Britain's grip on South Carolina, The Patriot victory at King's Mountain made people think: Perhaps the fight for independence is not lost after all!

For the Patriot rebels, Ferguson was the personification of British control.

Holmes> The Battle of Kings Mountain is the first real, large scale decisive Patriot victory since the fall of Charleston.

It's not so much in the defeat of the Loyalists here that this battle is so important in that it is a change of people's perceptions.

Prior to this point, most observers would think that the war in South Carolina was over, that the Patriots have lost, that South Carolina is now going to be a British colony.

After the Battle of Kings Mountain that perception begins to change.

The war in South Carolina was a partisan war.

It was very brutal.

And there were a number of figures who committed all sorts of atrocities during the war.

That wasn't Patrick Ferguson himself.

He didn't commit anything that could be considered a atrocity here in South Carolina.

However, as the inspector of militia, all of those Loyalist militiamen, they reported to him directly.

He was also a proud supporter of the Crown and strongly believed in the British cause of maintaining control of the American colonies.

So he was responsible for ensuring that the British policies were enforced here in South Carolina by his militiamen.

The reason why the Patriots didn't like him is because he really represented these Loyalists who were now fighting against them, their neighbors, the ones who were committing these atrocities.

So it wasn't really anything that he DID it was what he represented.

Davis> So Major Ferguson was originally buried in an unmarked grave... If he was so unliked in South Carolina, why would someone decide to erect a grave marker in his honor?

Holmes> Well, the grave marker that we have here in the park today dates from about 1930.

This is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain.

Things had changed very dramatically in terms of the relationship between the United States and Great Britain at that point.

If you look at the inscription on the gravestone itself, it tells us that this gravestone was a token of the appreciation of the bonds of friendship between the citizens of the United States and the people of the British Empire.

Just 15 years earlier, give or take the Americans and the British had fought together in France during World War I and about ten years after this they're going to do so again during World War II.. I also think it's important to note that Patrick Ferguson is probably the most important British officer killed in South Carolina during the course of the American Revolution.

As far as we can tell, he's also the only leader of an army who was killed in battle from the side of the British, who is still buried on the battlefield where he fell.

So I think it's sort of a recognition of those facts, as well as the fact that he's also the only British officer to fight in the Battle of Kings Mountain.

On his gravestone and in other places you'll see him referred to as Colonel Patrick Ferguson.

His promotion had to come over from Great Britain.

So he didn't have that in hand at the time of the Battle of Kings Mountain.

So at the time of the battle, he was still a Major.

When they put his gravestone in place, they decided to put Colonel on there instead of Major in recognition that his commission to the rank of Colonel had actually been approved, even though he didn't have it in hand.

Davis> Now, this massive pile of rocks behind this grave marker... When did this practice first start?

Holmes> So we're not entirely sure about that.

This massive pile of rocks is what's known as a "Cairn" there's a number of different pronunciations depending on which part of Scotland you're coming from.

But this is a Scottish practice and it's to commemorate the death of a loved one or a person of high status.

And according to some of those Scottish traditions, passers by will add rocks to the pile to bring a little bit of luck from that individual to themselves.

Now, here in South Carolina, local tradition also has it, that this pile of rocks is to make sure that he stays in the ground.

Davis> Ranger Holmes hopes that when visitors come to the King's Mountain battlefield and stop at Major Ferguson's grave, that they will view it not with feelings of contempt, but as a symbol of healing, which comes with the passage of time.

Holmes> I'd also like people to keep in mind the importance of being "gracious victors".

This gravesite was erected to the person who lost the battle and the people who fought under his command, those Loyalists?

They were Americans.

They were from South Carolina.

They were from North Carolina as well.

They knew people who were fighting on the side of the Patriots.

Once the war was over, they had to figure out how to live together again.

And I think it's very important that we remember those lessons about being gracious in victory.

Davis> Now that we know more about Patrick Ferguson and what his grave marker represents, we hope it maybe shifted your perspective to humanize Major Ferguson and his loyalist militia.

If you visit the park for yourself and wish to add a stone to the pile, perhaps this expose will encourage you to consider the marker's message beforehand.

Unlike the Battle of Kings Mountain, the next battle we're going to look at was a defeat for the Patriots.

Our next stop is the Ninety-Six National Historic Site in Greenwood, which boasts some well-preserved features from not one, but two engagements!

The Siege of Ninety-Six took place between May and June, 1781.

The British capture of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780 kicked off the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War.

However, the Palmetto State saw some action before the war officially started.

In the northwest area of South Carolina, Ninety-Six was the site of not one but two battles: one in November, 1775 and then the Siege of Ninety-Six.

Visitors to the Ninety-Six National Historic Site can observe some rather hard to miss features: A siege tower, an unusually shaped roped-off path and a massive star-shaped earthen mound.

These remnants not only serve as testaments to the valor of the Patriots and Loyalists who fought here, but also to a battle of wits between military engineers.

Ranger Adrian Stewart joins us to elaborate on the significance of this location's ties to the American Revolution.

Stewart> My name is Adrian Stewart, and I am a park ranger at Ninety-Six National Historic Site.

Davis> Thanks for joining us today, Adrian.

Stewart> Thanks for having me.

Davis> It's a beautiful day out here in Ninety-Six S.C.!

Stewart> It is!

A little windy.

Davis> So what is the significance of the name "Ninety-Six"?

Where did it come from?

Stewart> Yeah, a lot of people ask that.

We don't know for sure.

But the most accepted theory is that people thought it was 96 miles from the Cherokee town of Keowee, that they would have been traveling the trading routes, to get up there.

Davis> After guests pass by some markers commemorating the 1775 Battle of Ninety-Six, the park opens up to reveal the Star Fort, the roped-off path and siege tower, along with a few cannons.

This is where the 1781 siege occurred, one of the longest sieges of the American Revolution.

Around when was the star fort first built?

Stewart> So the Star Fort construction was started in December of 1780, and it was finished in early 1781.

It was designed by Colonel Henry Haldane who was an aide to Cornwallis.

It was built, however, by local enslaved African Americans.

Davis> Why did Colonel Haldane decide on a star-shaped fort instead of a more traditional square shaped one?

Stewart> He decided to go with the especially eight-pointed star shaped fort because it helps to cover larger areas.

and you get some crossfire that you don't get with square forts.

Especially here, you've got a very large area that you're trying to protect.

which really helps with attacks.

The fort was built primarily to protect the town of Ninety-Six as well as the water source, which was Spring Branch.

And then you also had the Island Ford Road, which is running just behind us.

And that is the road that a lot of troops would have taken.

So it provided protection on that road, and kept the enemy from approaching.

So it was only involved in one, we call a siege.

So it's multiple days about 28 days, but it is only one siege.

And then the final attack on June 18th.

In the fort of Ninety-Six on the loyalist side, you have Lieutenant Colonel John Harris Cruger from New York.

And then on the Patriot side, you have General Nathanael Greene from Rhode Island.

All total on the Loyalist side, you're looking at around 500, and then on General Greene's Patriot side when he first gets here, you're looking around a thousand, and then there's another about 500 that join in when Andrew Pickens and "Light Horse Harry" Lee come up from Augusta.

Davis> What factors led to General Nathanael Greene failing to take the fort in the 1781 siege?

Stewart> One of the largest factors is probably just lack of time.

He's really close to actually having a successful siege, but he just runs out of time.

Part of what plays into that is Marion and Sumter and their militias failed to slow down the reinforcements that are coming up from Charleston.

So because of that, Greene is, forced to move quicker.

Also when he first started the siege, he didn't cut off the water supply because he assumed that there was a well in the fort, when in fact, they were getting water from the Spring Branch.

So if he cut off that spring branch supply sooner, especially being May and June when it's hot in South Carolina, they may have had to give up the fort much quicker.

And then also, there's a lack of men.

There were supposed to be reinforcements coming down from Virginia, but Thomas Jefferson countermanded them and sent them elsewhere.

With those four things, it's really a tough spot that Greene is in, but really, I think the lack of time is probably the most critical.

Davis> The appearance of this oddly shaped, roped-off path may confuse some park visitors at first, but this is the location of Polish engineer Thaddeus Kosciuszko's tunnel.

Kosciuszko, General Nathanael Green's engineer devised a plan to blow up the Star Fort from underground.

Stewart> He's actually kind of the first foreign aid to come to America to help.

So he's all over the place making a name for himself as a military engineer.

General Greene relies on him heavily.

It was Kosciuszko's idea from the get-go, it was kind of his goal to dig a tunnel to the point where the chamber was under the walls of the star fort so that they could take gunpowder, pack it in there, seal it off and blow a giant hole in the walls of the fort.

All of Greene's men, at least the thousand that initially were here to start with, were working around the clock either to protect the men digging the trenches and the tunnel, or doing the digging themselves.

They're short of the fort by maybe like 50 yards, maybe not even that 30 yards.

Not extremely far from their goal.

Primarily, it had to do with time.

Always comes down to time.

If you don't have enough time to finish your work, you're not going to succeed.

But there's also a lack of men and supplies Even if he had managed to get to the walls, we're not sure that they would have had enough gunpowder to actually make it work.

But they never had the chance to find out because they never got that far.

Davis> When park guests view Ninety-Six National Historic Site's monuments and artifacts, Ranger Stewart encourages visitors to take to heart the bravery of the men on both sides who fought and died here.

Stewart> As far as the American Revolution part of the park goes definitely the Star Fort is one of the most important things that we have here.

It is, as far as we know, the only remaining star-shaped earthen fort from that time period.

And then, as far as we know, Kosciuszko's Tunnel is the only military tunnel from the American Revolution that I believe we ever know of actually being constructed, let alone actually still existing!

I hope they take away appreciation of the perseverance that the Patriots had.

Especially under the command of General Greene during the Southern Campaign.

They're not normally winning.

But the way Greene goes about conducting himself actually leads to winning in the end.

The end result to win, despite the battles themselves being losses.

On the Loyalist side, it's kind of the same thing.

They persevere.

They're surrounded by the enemy, yet they refuse to give up and hold out.

And they are successful at waiting out the siege.

So definitely perseverance on both sides.

Davis> As we can see, the Ninety-Six National Historic Site's hallowed grounds has many stories to tell.

Any history or military enthusiast who would like to check out the park for themselves absolutely should!

Our final stop takes us to Georgetown down in South Carolina's Lowcountry... where a certain "Swamp Fox" once roamed!

This letter penned by Francis Marion is dated November, 1782, close to the end of the Revolutionary War in South Carolina.

Davis> In the year 1780 at the height of the American Revolutionary War British strategy shifted from the north to the southern colonies.

Although the British were successful in most conventional battles, southern patriots turned towards guerrilla or hit and run warfare, which proved effective in hindering British plans to conquer the South.

A few South Carolinians even managed to cement their names into history books with their command prowess and guerrilla warfare.

One of these individuals was the "Swamp Fox": Francis Marion.

Communication in any war is crucial.

Unlike the instant messaging we have today in the 1700's, commanders who were miles apart from one another had to rely on handwritten letters delivered on foot or on horseback.

Old mail mostly ends up in trash bins.

But what if I told you that an actual handwritten letter from Francis Marion himself has miraculously survived to the 21st century?

This letter from Francis Marion is one of the Georgetown County Museum's most prized artifacts in its collection.

Paige Sawyer of the Georgetown County Museum joins us to broaden our minds on this priceless piece of Revolutionary War history.

Paige Sawyer> My name is Paige.

I'm a board member of the Georgetown County Historical Society and the chairman for the Francis Marion Interpretive Center here at the Georgetown County Museum.

Davis> Thank you for joining us today, Paige!

Sawyer> Well, we thank you all for coming to Georgetown.

And, you know, for, coming here and discovering the Francis Marion letter that we have on display here at the Georgetown County Museum.

Davis> Speaking of which, who was Francis Marion?

Sawyer> Francis Marion he was the sixth child born to Gabriel and Esther Marion in 1732, in neighboring Berkeley County.

When he was around 4 or 5 years old, Francis Marion and his family moved to Georgetown.

He was here for about 20 years, so he claimed Georgetown as his home, and we like to claim him as a local also.

Francis Marion fought in the Cherokee War, and he later became the partisan militia leader for the group from the Santee River to the Pee Dee River here, encompassing Georgetown.

General Greene, he was the commander for the southern forces here in the Southern Strategy, and that was Francis Marion's direct commander.

He was involved with the Battle of Sullivan's Island which later became Fort Moultrie.

He was involved with Fort Watson Fort Motte Eutaw Springs... Those were some of the statewide battles that he fought in, but he was more significant with the small hit and run tactics against the British.

That is how he is mostly remembered by his strategy that he used against the British.

When he was fighting the Cherokee Indians in 1759-1760, he noticed the strategy that the Indians would use small bands of Indians they would attack the British at night before daylight, and he would use the hit and run tactics that he saw the Indians used against the British.

They proved effective against the British, and he knew they would prove effective against the British while he was fighting them.

Davis> Marion and his militiamen took advantage of South Carolina's swamps to hide from British forces.

The British sent one of their most brutal and cunning commanders to hunt down and put an end to Marion's shenanigans.

Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton.

Marion's rivalry with Tarleton was legendary.

And through this rivalry is how Francis Marion earned the nickname "The Swamp Fox".

Sawyer> The most hated member of the British military was Colonel Banastre Tarleton, and Tarleton was well-known for his evil activities.

He would torture, he would burn He would indiscriminately antagonize the local people here and around Georgetown.

And that made him a very bad enemy of the people here and around Georgetown.

Tarleton, he was given orders from his commander: "Get that man."

He chased Francis Marion for seven hours over a 26-mile course trying to catch him.

And after 26 miles, he told his men: "Come on, boys, we'll never catch this damned old fox!"

Let's go see if we can get "The Gamecock"."

meaning Thomas Sumter.

So that's how the "Swamp Fox" earned his name.

Thankfully, to Colonel Tarleton.

Davis> Throughout the Southern Campaign, Marion corresponded regularly with General Nathanael Greene to coordinate battle plans.

Miraculously, one of these letters between Marion and General Greene has managed to survive for centuries.

This particular letter now permanently resides at the Georgetown County Museum.

Sawyer> The letter we have on display is a response to General Nathanael Greene.

General Greene had written a letter to Francis Marion indicating that he wanted Francis Marion to get back to Georgetown, because there were some supplies here that he might could use.

Francis Marion and all of his tactics he moved around every 2 or 3 days.

He never stayed in one place longer than two days.

So the letter was actually late getting to Francis Marion and Francis Marion at that time, he was in a camp down near to Moncks Corner.

He read the letter, he responded to the letter.

And this is the letter that we have that, he would be glad to respond, but he may be late and it's signed by Francis Marion it's signed by General Nathanael Greene also.

And we are lucky to have that letter on display because there are very few signed documents by Francis Marion.

Davis> Now, the question on everybody's minds: How did the Georgetown Museum obtain this letter?

Good question.

It was really, by a stroke of luck.

The Georgetown County Historical Society, for so many years, they didn't have a place to meet to display the artifacts, the articles that they have, on display here in this museum.

So individual members of the historical family kept the historical documents, the artifacts, anything they could in boxes in their homes or in other safe places.

Finally, around 2004-2005, the Georgetown County Museum became reality and it was at that time that the people working for the Georgetown County Museum discovered this letter, and the letter was given to a historical member sometime back in the 1950's by a former owner of Windsor Plantation.

Luckily, history was on our side.

You know, I'm sure it wasn't put in an archival box or an archival container, and we're just blessed to have it because it had been kept in somebody's home for so many years before it exposed itself to members of the Georgetown County Historical Society.

So we're lucky to have it.

Davis> The Georgetown County Museum hopes that when visitors come and see this letter for themselves, that it will highlight Georgetown's significance in South Carolina's role in the American Revolution.

Sawyer> I'm hoping after they read the letter and understand its significance, they will understand the personal relationship between General Francis Marion and General Greene, and also Francis Marion's association with Georgetown and how vital Georgetown was to winning the war here in the southern states.

Actually, South Carolina had more than 200 skirmishes and battles in the colonies.

And, 20% of all the deaths the last two years of the war were right here in South Carolina.

So I'm hoping people will become more aware of the significance that South Carolina played in defeating the British.

Davis> Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today, Paige!

Sawyer> Well we thank you, sir.

Again we appreciate you coming to Georgetown.

I think you will find Georgetown loaded with history and anything else we can do for you.

Please let us know.

Davis> This Francis Marion letter is a definite must-see for Revolutionary War enthusiasts.

It's not every day that documents like this survive for so long, but if you were able to go and see it for yourself, I highly recommend it.

South Carolina's role in the American Revolutionary War often gets overlooked in history classes, but we hope you enjoyed this journey highlighting the contributions and sacrifices South Carolinians gave in America's fight for liberty.

I'm Andrew Davis.

Thank you for joining me on Curiosity Trek!.

With all of the history the Palmetto State contains, where will our curiosities take us next?