Fort Motte Battle Site – St. Matthews, South Carolina

The field seen here is located near the site of the Revolutionary War‘s Fort Motte. The fort was, in reality, the British occupied plantation home of Mrs. Rebecca Motte, Mount Joseph Plantation, which was strategically located at the convergence of the Congaree and Wateree Rivers. This makeshift “fort” was an important station on the British supply route between Charleston and Camden for several years until General Francis Marion rousted the British in 1781 with the help of Mrs. Motte herself.

During the occupation of her home, Rebecca Motte and her children were relegated to outbuildings on her property. When General Marion informed her he wanted to flush the British out by setting the house on fire. Mrs. Motte not only consented, but she is said to have given Marion a bow and a set of arrows to use.

Marion’s strategy worked. Burning arrows were shot to the roof, and the British, fearing an explosion of stored ammunition throughout the house, did indeed surrender. Soldiers from both camps worked side-by-side to save Mrs. Motte’s home, and in gratitude she served a huge feast for Patriots and Loyalists alike.

SCIWAY thanks Richard Kline from St. Matthews for sharing this photo, taken in April, 2010.