The Evolution Of The Flag Of The United States Of America

 

The 14th day of June is U.S. Flag Day here in the United States of America.

This day commemorates the adoption of the first official flag used by the original thirteen American States following their declaration of independence from the authority of the British Empire by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday, June 14, 1777.

Many Americans have only known one flag their whole lives -- the current U.S. Flag that became official on July 4, 1960, after the State of Hawaii was admitted to the Union as the 50th state in 1959. But for generations, the United States flag was an ever-evolving symbol that reflected the growth of the nation.

Throughout more than 245 years of American history, the United States flag (also more affectionately known as "Old Glory") has undergone near-constant transformation from the pre-independence Grand Union Flag to the 50 Star U.S. flag that many of my generation have known our whole lives today.

In point of fact, the U.S. flag has been officially modified from its original design approximately 26 times since 1777. The current flag, adopted by the U.S Congress on Saturday, July 4, 1960, is the 27th and the longest used version of the flag of the United States to date.

The following is a brief, but I hope informative, history of the flag of the United States of America.

Oh, before I continue, here is a chart explaining the vexillology terms for the parts of a U.S. flag in order to help you, the reader, follow along if you're unfamiliar with certain terms.

The Early Flags Of The American Revolutionary War

When the American Revolutionary War began in April of 1775, the original thirteen rebellious British colonial territories in America started out using variations of their own flags known as "liberty flags" -- many of which continued to use British symbolism.

One such flag is the famous Taunton Flag, also known as the Liberty And Union Flag.

The Taunton Flag (also known as the Liberty and Union Flag) 1774,
was one of the first American Revolutionary War flags.

Adopted on Friday, October 21, 1774 -- just over six months before the first shots of the war would be fired at Lexington and Concord -- the Taunton Flag was raised on a tall pole outside the town's courthouse after the local Sons of Liberty had forced out most of the American Loyalists from the town of Taunton, Massachusetts.

The red flag had the British Union Jack banner of red and white St. George's Cross of England and the blue and white St. Andrews Cross of Scotland (also known as the "Kings Colours") as its canton and reportedly the words Liberty And Union painted across the red field -- although this latter fact is disputed when it comes to accounts of the original flag itself.

The Taunton Flag was one of the first flags used within the Thirteen Colonies to express dissension against the authority of the Crown. Ironically, the flag is still in use today as the official city banner of Taunton.

When the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) formally broke out in spring of 1775, various banners of all types were used by the Colonials and Patriot militias, some of which bore no British symbol at all, opting for distinctly independent American banners such as the Taunton Flag, or the George Rex Flag in New York.

Perhaps the most famous of these Patriot banners are the "Don't Tread On Me" timber rattlesnake flags inspired by Benjamin Franklin's famous "Join, Or Die" political cartoon original published in his newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754 -- the earliest known pictorial representation of a colonial union. The timber rattlesnake, being a distinctly American animal, became the first national symbol of unity and were widely popular among those Americans who began to see themselves as individuals independent from British authority.

Among these uniquely American rattlesnake flags are the white "Liberty Or Death" Culpeper Minutemen Flag and the distinctively yellow Gadsden Flag -- one of the first banners of what would later become the U.S. Marine Corps.

Colonel Christopher Gadsden represented his home State of South Carolina and was one of seven members of the Marine Committee outfitting the first American naval mission in December of 1775. The flag he designed was flown from the flagship and another copy of it was later presented to the South Carolina State Congress in February of 1776.

The Gadsden Flag remains one of the most popular historic banners of the American Revolutionary War.

The Culpeper Minutemen Flag 1775-1776.

The Gadsden Flag 1775-1776.

The Grand Union Flag & The Stars and Stripes Flag

It was decided that a new flag was needed to represent the Continental Congress and the United Thirteen Colonies with a banner distinct from the British Red Ensign flown from civilian and merchant vessels, the White Ensign of the British Royal Navy, and the Flag of Great Britain carried on land by the British army.

Americans first hoisted the Grand Union Flag on the colonial warship Alfred, in the harbor on the Delaware River at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Sunday, December 3, 1775, by then Lieutenant John Paul Jones of the newly established Continental Navy. The event had been documented in letters to Congress and in eyewitness accounts.

During the long Siege of Boston, General George Washington commanding the newly established Continental Army first raised the Grand Union Flag over his headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Tuesday, January 2, 1776.

The Grand Union Flag of the Continental Army 1776-1777.

The Grand Union Flag bore the Union Jack of Great Britain as its canton, but also bore the now familiar 13 red and white stripes representing the thirteen American States. The stripes were based on other banners used by organizations like the Sons of Liberty years before in their calls for American independence. An interesting compromise between loyalty to the Mother County and the idea of American sovereignty.

Its unknown who actually designed the banner, but the original Grand Union Flag that was flown on the Alfred has been credited to Philadelphia milliner Miss Margaret Manny as the original designer. Pennsylvania seamstress Miss Rebecca Flower Young was also credited with sewing other flags for the Continental Army and Navy during the war, including the first Grand Union Flag that was flown over Washington's headquarters.

It was under the Grand Union Flag that the American Declaration of Independence was signed by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on Thursday, July 4, 1776.

The Grand Union Flag and would actually remain the symbol of American defiance to the British Crown until at least 11 months after the Declaration of Independence was signed. By this time though any affection to the Old World was largely severed -- at least by American Patriots -- and a new distinctly American flag was needed.

The Flag Resolution (Flag Act of 1777) formally passed by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777 and seeking to promote national pride and unity, stated: "Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

Following the resolution, the Grand Union Flag with its British Union Jack canton was permanently retired and replaced with a new flag that symbolized the independence and sovereignty of thirteen American States. This would be the first American flag to be known as the Stars and Stripes.

The original 13-Star Stars & Stripes Flag of the United States
(1777-1794).

Because the Flag Resolution of 1777 only specified 13 stars on a blue field and 13 stripes of red and white, initially there was little regulation to the design of the U.S. flag. The resolution at the time did not specify the pattern for the stars, the number of points on the stars, the width of the stripes or the canton (the blue field), or whether a white or red stripe should be first.

Flag makers often improvised on patterns and the number of points in the stars. Sometimes even the alternating 13-stripe arrangement was open to interpretation. This caused a proliferation of flag designs with the stars especially being in many different patterns.

Perhaps the most famous variant of this flag was allegedly designed by Philadelphia upholsterer and flag maker Miss Betsy Griscom Ross (1752–1836), the new banner of Washington's Continental Army had 13 five-pointed white stars arrayed in a circle on a blue canton (union) with 13 horizontal red and white stripes.

The story of this flag comes entirely from Betsy's grandson William J. Canby, and a few other relatives, all of whom stated many years after her death that they heard Betsy tell the story from her own mouth. Canby told this story in 1870, around the time of the upcoming Centennial celebrations and the family legend became a part of the American consciousness.

The legend goes that George Washington, George Ross (the uncle of Betsy's late husband and a member of Congress), and Robert Morris approached her secretly in May or June of 1776 and asked her to make the flag, however only circumstantial evidence supports the story. Betsy and George Washington sat in pews next to each other at church and Washington was known to visit Betsy socially and professionally, using her tailoring services.

Today the Betsy Ross Flag is largely used to commemorate U.S. Independence Day (July 4th).

The Betsy Ross Flag is considered one of the most iconic flags
of American Independence.

The Flag Act of 1794 -- The Star-Spangled Banner

Following the end of the American Revolutionary War and the establishment of the Federal Union with the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1787, the newly independent American States were now a new and growing nation.

In January of 1794, the U.S. Congress passed a second flag act to accommodate the admission of the States of Vermont and Kentucky into the Union later that year.

The Flag Act of 1794 reads: "An Act making an alteration in the Flag of the United States. Be in enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled, That from and after the first day of May, Anno Domini, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five, the flag of the United States, be fifteen stripes alternate red and white. That the Union be fifteen stars, white on a blue field."

The act was signed into law by President George Washington in New York City, New York on Monday, January 15, 1794.

The 15-Star Flag of the United States of America --
The Star-Spangled Banner.

The 15-Star U.S. Flag is probably one of the most iconic designs after the famous Betsy Ross flag for its role during the War of 1812 during the Battle of Baltimore (September 12-15, 1815) when it flew over Fort McHenry and its presence inspired Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) to pen the poem that would later become The Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States.

Mary Young Pickersgill (1776-1857), the daughter of Rebecca Young (mentioned earlier as one of the possible designers of the Grand Union Flag), was commissioned by the commander of Fort McHenry, Major George Armistead the year before the British attack. She and several others made the flag of 15 stars and stripes at her house and finished on the floor of a nearby brewery. A more detailed account of this story can be read at this blog site HERE.

The 15-Star U.S. Flag would serve from 1795 until 1918. It would be the only official flag of the United States to ever have more than thirteen stripes. As the result of the lack of a Flag Act between 1794 and 1818, there were no official U.S. flags with sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen stars. No flag laws were enacted to accompany the admission of new states to the federal Union during this period.

The Flag Act of 1818 -- Setting The Standard

The Flag Act of 1818 was enacted by the U.S. Congress on Saturday, April 4, 1818. It provided for the modern rule of having thirteen horizontal stripes of red and white to represent the original thirteen American States and having the number of white five-pointed stars match the current number of U.S. States in the federal Union.

It also added five stars for the recently inducted States of Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, and Mississippi into the Union, and also set the rule that provided for subsequent future changes in the number of stars for further States admitted to the Union be made on Independence Day (July 4th).

The Flag Act of 1818 reads:

"An Act to establish the flag of the United States.

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress Assembled, That from and after the fourth day of July next, the flag of the United States be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white: that the union be twenty stars, white in a blue field.

"And be it further enacted, That on the admission of every new state into the Union, one star be added to the union of the flag; and that such addition shall take effect of the fourth day of July then next succeeding such admission."

20-Star U.S. Flag (1818-1819).

As the United States expanded across the North American continent, new States were added to the federal Union and to the U.S. Flag between 1818 to 1912, bringing the number of stars to forty-eight; the Stars and Stripes itself changing approximately twenty-two times in just under a hundred years! In some cases, one U.S. Flag would only be official for a single year before a new star was added to the canton.

A strange contradiction would happen in the period referred to as the American Civil War (or War Between the States) between 1861-1865.

During this time thirteen American States from the Southern United States withdrew from the Union (two of these -- Missouri and Kentucky -- had two separate State governments which represented congress in two American republics) and became part of the short-lived Confederate States of America.

Since the U.S. Congress and government refused to formally recognize the secession and independence of those "rebel states" or the Confederate government, the flag of the United States continued to have at least 13 trouble stars in its canton for the duration of that unfortunate and ugly war. In fact, between 1861 and 1865, there would be three more stars added to the Union -- including a new State of West Virginia which seceded from the then Confederate State of Virginia -- going from 34 to 36 stars in those years.

One of the controversies here is the fact that at least ten of the former Confederate States had to be readmitted to the Union over the course of several years following the end of the war, despite the fact that (at least according to the U.S. government) none of then actually left and no stars representing those states were removed from the flag itself.

The Confederate States Flag also has a rather interesting history and evolution similar to that of the Stars and Stripes that I'd previously discussed in an article on the origins of Confederate Flag Day (March 4th) which you can refer to for further information on the subject.

Another strange occurrence with the stars of the U.S. Flag in this time was the arrangement of the stars in the canton itself.

With every new batch of States added, the stars had to be rearranged into rows, but sometimes these would end up uneven and had to be arranged into other patterns like stars, circles, and diamond-shaped patterns that gave it a crab-like appearance.

One variation of this was called the "Great Star" U.S. Flag which consisted of the stars in the canton shaped like a large five-pointed star. This variation would be popular from the passing of the Flag Act of 1818 till sometime in the 1870s.

A variation of the "Great Star" pattern of the U.S.Flag popular
from 1818 till the 1870s.

Between 1912 till 1959, Old Glory had six even rows of eight stars in its canton, each representing the forty-eight continental U.S. States. This version of the U.S. Flag would serve as the second-longest serving design of the Stars and Stripes. It would serve as the national flag of the United States through both world wars and be featured in some of the most patriotic moments of that generation, such as the iconic raising of Old Glory on Iwo Jima on Friday, February 23, 1945 near the end of the Pacific Theater of World War II. 

United States Marines on Iwo Jima following the battle to
capture the island in 1945 beneath the 48-Star U.S. Flag.
(Photo courtesy of the National Archives)

The 50-star flag that most Americans know today wasn’t created until Monday, July 4, 1960, the year after Hawaii joined the Union.

This is the longest serving version of the Stars and Stripes to date. It was carried by American soldiers in the wars that have shaped the world we live in today -- for better or worse -- and was the first human flag to be planted on the surface of the Moon on Monday, July 21, 1969. It's the flag that has seen many of this country's greatest accomplishments of the last 60 years.

Most importantly to me, its the flag I served under as a U.S. military serviceman, which I continue to fly daily in front of my home. It is the flag that I proudly call the banner of my country.

Happy U.S. Flag Day everyone! God Bless America.

The Flag of the United States of America, also known more fondly by U.S. citizens as the
"Stars and Stripes" and "Old Glory".

The Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

The Burning Of Justice Gaston's Home: The Loyalists Strike Back -- June 11, 1780

The Burning Of Justice Gaston's Home

The Loyalists Strike Back

Sunday, June 11, 1780 

By: C.W. Roden 

(Part 4 of a 15 part series)

In the space of just three days in early June of 1780, those backcountry Patriots living between the Broad and Catawba Rivers who'd been content to sit out the rest of the war following the fall of Charleston the month before struck back against their oppressive Loyalist neighbors and their British allies in two short, but important battles.

These small acts of defiance alone were not enough to completely erase the fear of the British occupiers. Yet they were enough to send a clear message to the British commander at the Rocky Mount outpost, Lieutenant Colonel George Turnbull, that the Upstate was not completely in British control. That many of the Patriots in the New Acquisition and the upper District between the Broad and the Catawba Rivers still had not submitted to the Crown's authority, neither would they lay down their arms without a fight.

Since taking command of the post at Rocky Mount days earlier, Turnbull, in keeping with the overall British Southern strategy, had been actively organizing a Loyalist militia regiment to reinforce his own New York Volunteers and detachment of British Legion dragoons. But the incidents at Alexander's Old Field and Mobley's Meeting House had demonstrated the Loyalist militia's lack of fortitude in the face of the more experienced Whig partisans. Turnbull had little confidence at that point in his own militia's abilities.

Loyalist spies informed Turnbull that Patriot militia Colonel William Bratton and Captain John McClure were camped at the Upper Fishing Creek Presbyterian Meeting House -- the church of the local minister, Reverend John Simpson, and were rallying men to their cause, both Patriot leaders winning support with their recent successes.

Turnbull realized that a show of force was going to be necessary to keep the rebels in the District Between the Broad and Catawba Rivers in check.

On Saturday, June 10th, Turnbull dispatched his detachment of the dreaded British Legion dragoons under the command of Captain Christian Huck and mounted militia under Loyalist Captain James Ferguson with orders to either kill or capture McClure, Bratton, Simpson, and other Patriot leaders; as well as commandeer any supplies of wheat, corn, and horses in the area.


The Swearing Captain

Captain Christian Huck of the British Legion cavalry, was born in one of the German principalities of Europe about 1748 and immigrated to Pennsylvania sometime before the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War where he became a successful lawyer in Philadelphia. Because of his outspoken Loyalist views, the State of Pennsylvania branded Huck a "traitor" and confiscated his property in 1778. That same year Huck formed a company of Loyalist militia and joined the British Army in New York where he was commissioned a captain.

By 1780, Huck and his Provincials were a part of Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton's British Legion cavalry and took part in the Siege of Charleston -- particularly the Battles of Monck's Corner and Lenud's Ferry, both British victories. Huck was also among Tarleton's cavalrymen at the Battle at the Waxhaws the month before where Virginian Continentals under Colonel Abraham Buford were all but slaughtered in what many in the South Carolina backcountry saw as a massacre.

Huck was a loudly profane man who hated the South Carolina Upcountry and had a special dislike of the largely Scotch-Irish Presbyterians that inhabited the region. He was arrogant, short-tempered, profane, and blasphemous to those he considered rebels and traitors to the Crown. His tendency to use such colorful language earned him the nickname "the Swearing Captain."

He considered the Scotch-Irish and Ulster Scots people who lived in South Carolina's upstate and their Christian faith to be beneath him. During his raids on the local farms, Huck and his men would be known to burn the homes of those found with Presbyterian Bibles, swearing blasphemous insults at those he rendered homeless. 

Such statements, matched by his brutal contempt for the local population and their faith, would make Huck's name an anathema across the upper districts alongside his infamous commanding officer, "Bloody Ban" Tarleton.


Huck's Raid On Fishing Creek

On Sunday, June 11th, Captain Huck and his force arrived in the upper Fishing Creek settlements in eastern Chester County with his dragoons and Ferguson's Loyalist militia riding hard toward the Upper Fishing Creek Meeting House where Captain McClure, Colonel Bratton, and most of their Patriot militia, along with a number of Simpson's Presbyterian congregation attending morning worship service. Huck planned to catch them all by surprise.

Huck's forces first stopped at the neighboring home of Janet "Jenny" Strong, a widow and sister of Justice John Gaston. Her family were known to be staunch Patriots. Her eldest son, Christopher, was 20 and had served in the local militia for years. Her younger son, William, was 17 and had joined the local Patriot militia earlier that year. 

Huck's men entered the Strong home and plundered it of anything valuable, with emphasis on corn and wheat. When some of his men entered the barn where her youngest son, William, was hiding and reading his family Bible. The Loyalists shot him dead and dragged his body from the barn into the yard. There several of the Legion soldiers began to hack at the body until the grieving Mrs. Strong rushed from the house and covered her dead son's body with her own to stop the mutilation.

Monument dedicated to the memory of
Reverend John Simpson (1740-1808)
at Fishing Creek Presbyterian Church.

According to one local account, a tame pigeon landed in the yard drawn by some of the accidentally scattered wheat, and was cut in half by Huck's saber. The Loyalist captain then said in mockery to Mrs. Strong: "Madam, I have cut the head off of the Holy Ghost." The grieving woman reportedly responded prophetically to Huck by saying, "You will never die in your bed, nor will your death be that of the righteous!"

Huck then ordered the Strong home and barn burned, leaving Mrs. Strong homeless in the yard with her dead son. The Loyalists then marched on towards the Upper Fishing Creek Meeting House.

As they approached the Loyalists surrounded the building and went inside, finding the place empty with no Rebel militia in sight. From local Tories, they learned that the Whig militia -- tipped off that the Loyalists were on their way -- had already left the day before headed towards the New Acquisitions District (modern-day York County). Furious at missing his chance to capture the Patriot leaders, Huck ordered his dragoons and Captain Ferguson's men to sack and burn the meeting house.

Huck then ordered his men to remount and proceed to the Simpson's home where they hoped to capture the Whig minister. Several of Reverend Simpson's slaves were standing nearby and overhead Huck's declaration to "burn the rascal out." They hastened to the Simpson home to warn them.

Modern-day Fishing Creek Presbyterian
Church is located on SC Highway 32
(Fishing Creek Church Rd.)
near the town of Edgemoor, SC
in Chester County.

A quarter mile away at the Simpson home, the pastor's wife, Mary Simpson, was having breakfast with her children when she heard the sound of gunfire. The slaves arrived just ahead of Huck's Loyalists and alerted Mrs. Simpson of the destruction of the meeting house and Huck's imminent arrival. She directed them to take the children and hide in the woods nearby.

Huck and his Loyalists arrived moments later, demanding that Simpson surrender himself. Mrs. Simpson informed them that he was gone, sending Huck into another blasphemous rage where he reportedly uttered: "God almighty had become a Rebel, but if there were 20 Gods on that side, they would all be conquered!" He ordered the home plundered and burned to the ground.

The Loyalists stole clothes, family silver, and anything of value they could find; even tearing open the feather beds with their bayonets and scattered the feathers in the yard. Huck himself threw the Reverend Simpson's Bible into the fireplace, intending to burn it. Mary Simpson quickly saved it, further enraging Huck. Once the house was aflame, Huck's men also set fire to the barns and an outbuilding that the Reverend Simpson used as a study.

As the British soldiers departed, Mary Simpson ran into the burning study at great risk to her life -- she did in fact suffer terrible burns -- and saved two aprons full of the books. She and her children were now homeless and had to stay with a neighbor.

Huck and his forces then returned to Rocky Mount, having failed in their mission to capture the local Patriot leaders, but also having inflicted some degree of punishment to the rebellious Scotch-Irish Whigs. They'd left a young man murdered in his own yard, a local church and family homes ablaze, and two families homeless.


Aftermath

Huck's raid on the Fishing Creek community, and the subsequent cruelties he and his British Legion detachment and Loyalist militia subjected the local population to over the next month, would add to the terrible reputation of the green-coated Legion; and continued to strike both fear, and a great deal of resentment, to much of the local population along the Catawba River.

As bad as his destruction of the Upper Fishing Creek Meeting House and the Reverend Simpson's home would be, it was Huck's next act of terror that would have long-lasting repercussions to the people of the Chester and York County areas, which will be explored in the next chapter of this series on June 17th.
 

For more information about Huck's Raid on Chester County please consult the following sources that were used to help with this blog post:
The Chester County Historical Society: http://www.chestercohistorical.org/

The outstanding books: The Day It Rained Militia by Michael C. Scoggins (2005) ISBN 1-59629-015-3

 Partisans & Redcoats: The Southern Conflict That Turned The Tide of the American Revolution by Walter Edgar (2001)
ISBN 0-308-97760-5

Night Sky Photography -- 06-10-2026 -- Venus & Jupiter Conjunction After Sunset

 

Good evening, fellow amateur stargazers!

This evening I captured a great shot of the planets Jupiter and Venus together in conjunction about 70 minutes after sunset in the western sky above the trees.

The two planets had actually been much closer together the previous evening, however cloud cover prevented me from getting any photos unfortunately. Still the two planets were still close together and will remain so for the rest of this week, so spotting them with the naked eye won't be too difficult on a clear evening.

Venus is the larger and brightest object in the early evening sky at the current distance of about 111 million miles (or 178 million kilometers) away from Earth. Jupiter, while much larger, is much farther away at the current distance of about 563 million miles (or 906 million kilometers) from Earth.

The Raid On Mobley's Meeting House: The Loyalists Routed -- June 8, 1780

The Raid On Mobley's Meeting House

The Loyalists Routed  
Thursday, June 8, 1780

By: C.W. Roden

(Part 3 of a 15 part series)

As it was mentioned in the previous chapter in this series, that following the fall of Charleston to the British army on Friday, May 12, 1780, the British army established outposts across South Carolina in an attempt to reestablish the Crown's colonial rule of the independent American State and to recruit Southern Loyalists to join the fight against the rebellious Continental army and their Patriot neighbors. The British military presence at Rocky Mount in modern-day Chester County was enough to embolden the local Loyalist population to strike out against their Whig neighbors.

In the Fairfiled District (modern-day Fairfield County) a group of Loyalists, largely commanded by a local Tory militia leader Colonel Robert Coleman, established a camp at Mobley's Meeting House (also known as Gibson's Meeting House) a blockhouse located next to a high embankment on a branch of the Little River near a place called Shirer's Ferry. 

From their outpost these Loyalists, encouraged by British General Sir Henry Clinton's June 3rd Proclamation, informed the inhabitants of the region to take the oath of allegiance to the Crown, or be regarded as rebels and traitors. Emboldened they soon began to raid and plunder the homes and properties of their Patriot neighbors. Some of these acts were said to be revenge for similar plundering done by local Whigs following the Snow Campaign five years before where the Loyalists were soundly defeated.

Among the homes plundered were the plantations of Captains John and Henry Hampton, who were arrested and sent to British General Lord Cornwallis's headquarters at Camden under guard.


Gathering Of Upcountry Patriots

A former Patriot captain of the 3rd South Carolina Regiment and prominent landowner in the district named Richard Winn started to organize a militia to fight back against the Loyalists. Such was the fear of the British authority by this time -- largely due to the presence of the now infamous green-coated British Legion nearby at Camden -- that Winn was unable to find anyone in the district willing to oppose them.

Undaunted, Winn himself set out north to the New Acquisitions District -- modern-day York County -- on Wednesday, June 7th, and sought the help of local Patriot leaders he was well acquainted with there for assistance in raising a force to fight back.

Among the men Winn met with were Patriot militia leaders such as Colonel William Bratton who'd been leading local Patriot militia since 1775, Colonel William "Billy" Hill (grandfather of future Confederate General Daniel Harvey Hill) who ran the local iron works making weapons for the Continental Army, Colonel Edward Lacey Jr., and Captain John McClure who'd arrived along with most of the 33 men who led the successful surprise attack at Alexander's Old Field the day before on June 6th.

With their help, Winn was able to raise a force of about 200 Upcountry Patriots from York and Chester Counties. Colonel Bratton was elected the overall field commander for the engagement. With this strong force of militiamen, all well-mounted on good horses, Bratton, Winn and the other Patriot leaders set out for Mobley's Meeting House.


Surprise Attack

On the early morning hours of Thursday, June 8th, the Patriots arrived in the vicinity of Mobley's Meeting House and scouted the area. As with the previous engagement at Alexander's Old Field, some of the people gathered at the site were armed Loyalist militia, while others were local citizens complying with Clinton's proclamation to take protection and join the Loyalist militia.

The Loyalist stronghold had both a fortified blockhouse and the sturdy-built log meetinghouse itself. Coleman's Loyalists were posted both inside and outside the meeting house. Coleman and his men were not particularly alert against the possibility of attack, despite the news of the recent events near Beckhamville several days earlier.

A Southern Patriot militiaman during
the Southern Campaign 1780-1781.
Artwork by Don Troiani.

The strategy the Patriot militia agreed upon was virtually the same as the one McClure's men used at Alexander's Old Field: a quick attack without warning to surprise the enemy. They fanned out through the woods and surrounded the fortified meeting house on three sides -- the fourth side faced the high embankment overlooking the Little River that was both hazardous to climb, or descend in a retreat. The Whigs were certain that the Tories inside would not attempt to escape that way.

As the sun rose, Winn's party began the attack, catching Coleman and his Loyalists completely by surprise. So panicked were the Loyalists that many of them did in fact jump from the steep embankment in an attempt to escape. This accounted for most of the casualties in the battle, rather than deaths or wounds from musket and rifle fire.

The brief fight lasted for several minutes before the remaining Loyalists either escaped down the embankment, or surrendered to Bratton and Winn's Patriots. Several of the Loyalists were killed and wounded (the exact number is unknown) with no casualties among the Patriots.

Following the battle, the Patriots recovered from the captured blockhouse much of the loot that the Tories took from Whig plantations, including some 30 slaves, several wagons and teams, 30 horses, and the household furniture plundered from John and Henry Hampton. The plunder was later restored to their owners, and the Patriot militia commanded by Colonel Bratton and Captain's McClure and Lacey retired with their prisoners to the Upper Fishing Creek Presbyterian Meeting House in modern-day Chester County. The prisoners would be transferred to North Carolina, while most the Patriot militiamen would return to their neighborhoods until needed again.


Aftermath

Captain Richard Winn would immediately suffer the wrath of Loyalist reprisal. Knowing that Winn was one of the planners of the raid at Mobley's Meeting House, and that he was still in the field with the Whig partisans; Loyalists from the Little River area visited his plantation, sacking it and then put all of Winn's possessions to the torch.

British Lieutenant Colonel George Turnbull, commander of the Rocky Mount outpost, alarmed by the the two attacks at Alexander's Old Field and Mobley's Meeting House, knew that a show of force was going to be necessary to keep the Rebels in check. 

In reprisal, Turnbull would send out the detachment of British Legion Cavalry under the command of Loyalist Captain Christian Huck to punish the local Rebel population. Their first target would be the Upper Fishing Creek settlements and the home of Justice John Gaston, which will be discussed in the next chapter of this series.

For more information about The Battle of Mobley's Meeting House please consult the following sources that were used to help with this blog post: 

The outstanding books: The Day It Rained Militia by Michael C. Scoggins (2005) ISBN 1-59629-015-3

 Partisans & Redcoats: The Southern Conflict That Turned The Tide of the American Revolution by Walter Edgar (2001)
ISBN 0-308-97760-5

Defiance At Alexander's Old Field: The Backcountry Resists The Crown -- June 6, 1780

Defiance At Alexander's Old Field

The Backcountry Resists The Crown
Tuesday, June 6, 1780

By: C.W. Roden 

(Part 2 of a 15 part series)

After a hot and exhausting journey of over two weeks on foot, Captain John McClure and his Patriot militia men finally reached their homes in what was then known as the District Between the Broad and Catawba Rivers -- now modern-day Chester County -- in South Carolina's sparsely populated backcountry about midday on Wednesday, May 31, 1780.

As it was mentioned in the previous chapter of this series, Captain McClure and his men decided to return home after the surrender of Charleston to the British army two weeks before. McClure, a young man in his mid-20s, arrived at the home of Justice John Gaston, a resident of Fishing Creek and well known local Patriot leader in the community.

It was there that McClure learned of the shocking massacre of Buford's Continentals at the Waxhaws two days before by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton's British Legion. McClure and three of Justice Gaston's sons who were present along with a few other Patriots made an oath declaring that they would never submit nor surrender to the enemies of their country; that liberty or death, from that time forth, should be their motto.

Each of these men had at one time served three years in the company of Captain Eli Kershaw of the 3rd Regiment of South Carolina Militia, with the motto "Liberty or Death" inscribed upon their caps.

This small core group of upcountry Patriots voted that night to continue the fight against the British forces, at the cost of their lives if necessary. They were about to go on the offensive. It was just a question of when and where.


The British Establish Their Rule In The Upstate

After the fall of Charleston and the surrender of the Southern Continental Army a couple of weeks earlier on Friday, May 12th, the British forces began to focus more activities inland and began establishing outposts in the backcountry to reestablish the Crown's control over the rebellious State.

Lord Francis Rawdon, who commanded the 23rd and 33rd British regiments along with his own Volunteers of Ireland (a corps of Pennsylvania-born Provincials) along with Tarleton's Legion and Lieutenant Colonel John Hamilton's mountain Loyalist corps, along with a detachment of Royal Artillery established a major British post at Camden (in modern-day Kershaw County), the largest town in the South Carolina backcountry at the time.

To the west, three battalions of the Royal Provincials and light infantry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Nisbet Balfour held the important frontier post at Ninety-Six (in modern-day Greenwood County) which connected the roads between Charleston and Augusta, with Major Patrick Ferguson and his American Volunteers (local Loyalists recruited along with a force of Northern-born Provincials) were assigned to the country between the Broad and Saluda Rivers. Balfor would later be reassigned to take command of Charleston around early August and Ninety-Six would be placed under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John H. Cruger.

To the east, Major Arthur MacArthur and two battalions of the famed 71st Regiment of Foot (Fraser's Highlanders) covered the country between Camden and Georgetown on the coast, establishing a post near the town of Cheraw in modern-day Chesterfield County.

In order to begin pacifying the upcountry between the Broad and Catawba Rivers, the Crown's forces established a Royal Post of three log fort-like houses at Rocky Mount (the area around what was then the Great Falls of the Catawba River near modern-day Great Falls, South Carolina) under the command of British Lieutenant Colonel George Turnbull. The garrison at Rocky Mount would eventually come to include 150 men of the New York Volunteers Provincial Regiment and a troop of some 40 dragoons of the now infamous green-coated British Legion commanded by Captain Christian Huck, a name that would, in due course, become as hated in the upcountry as that of his now infamous young commander, "Bloody Ban" Tarleton.

This force was to begin the process of recruiting local Loyalists to the main British forces to help establish control among the local population.

The reaction of local Loyalists was one of undisguised glee. Many of them were still bitter over their defeat during the Snow Campaign in November of 1775 and other petty humiliations inflicted since then by their Whig neighbors. The Loyalists in South Carolina were ready to avenge themselves against their "traitorous" neighbors. Many family feuds and old scores between bitter neighbors -- some dating back at least a generation -- or would simply be "settled" with robbery and murder under the guise of patriotism and loyalty to one's respective causes.

In some cases Loyalist fathers and brothers fought Patriot sons and brothers and brother-in-laws in the bitter, ugly civil war that would rise from British occupation of the State, and subsequent resistance to the Crown's authority. Neither those loyal to the British Empire nor those loyal to the State of South Carolina and the Continental cause of independence would be entirely clean from the ugliness and horror that would soon follow. 

General Clinton's Proclamation

On Saturday, June 3rd, British Commander In Chief Sir Henry Clinton issued a proclamation to the people of South Carolina that was destined to undermine any efforts at pacifying the State. The proclamation encourage the local population to swear an oath of loyalty to the British Crown and to formally enlist in the new Loyalist forces being formed to fight for the Empire.

The proclamation reads:

"Whereas after the arrival of His Majesty's forces under my command in this province, in February last, numbers of persons were made prisoners by the (British) army, or voluntarily surrendered themselves as such, and such persons were afterwards dismissed on their respective paroles; and whereas the surrender of Charles Town (Charleston), and the defeats and dispersion of the rebel forces, it is become necessary that such paroles should be any longer observed; and proper that all persons should take an active part in settling and securing His Majesty's government, and delivering the country from that anarchy which for some time past hath prevailed; I so hereby issue this my proclamation, to declare, that all the inhabitants of this province who are not prisoners under parole and were not in the military line, (those who were in fort Moultrie and Charles Town at the times of their capitulation and surrender, or were then in actual confinement exempted) that from and after the twentieth day of June instant, they are freed and exempted from all such paroles, and may hold themselves as restored to all the rights and duties belonging to citizens and inhabitants. 
"And all persons under the description before mentioned, who shall afterwards neglect to return to their allegiances, and to His Majesty's government, will be considered as enemies and rebels to the same, and treated accordingly." 

This proclamation enraged the local Patriots.

In one short document, Clinton not only revoked the paroles of the Carolina militia who signed oaths in Charleston, but also required them to take an active part in restoring British control to the State and to take up arms against their friends, family, and neighbors still in arms against the British Empire, or risk being considered enemies of the Crown and suffer the consequences. The proclamation offered no middle ground and forced many who were neutral in the war up till that time to pick a side.

It would prove to be one of the biggest mistakes the British could have done in their efforts to pacify the South Carolina backcountry.

The settlers of the South Carolina Piedmont and Upcountry were mainly Scotch-Irish Protestants, many descended from Ulster-Scots, who'd traveled from Pennsylvania and Virginia via the Great Wagon Road and settled in the Carolinas and Appalachia. These people grew up on their parent's stories of English cruelty in the old country. Now having seen firsthand the brutality of the British Legion at the Waxhaws, and incidents like the burning of Colonel Sumter's home after the fall of Charleston, these people were being forced to choose between loyalty to the British Crown, or being branded outlaws. 

Many of those in the backcountry would not stand to be bullied.

On Monday, June 5th General Clinton would leave South Carolina with much of the British forces to return to New York City and rejoin the main British and Hessian forces there still locked in the stalemate with General George Washington's Continental Army. Departing from British occupied Charleston with British Admiral Mariot Arburthnot aboard the British warship HMS Romulus, Clinton would leave behind Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis and a corps of about 5,000 British and Provincial soldiers. Clinton was confident that the small number of British regulars were enough to pacify the rebellious former colony long enough for new recruits of Loyalists to take over control. Many of these new recruits would then join Cornwallis as he would march north later that year into North Carolina and then to Virginia, repeating the same process and catching Washington's Continentals and the Continental Congress in Philadelphia between two large British armies.

Feeling secure now that his southern strategy was beginning to take shape, Clinton left South Carolina confident that his final proclamation would be the final nail in the coffin of resistance in the Southern State.


First Act Of Defiance In The Backcountry

From his newly established base at Rocky Mount, one of Colonel Turnbull's first acts was to send soldiers to distribute handbills among the people calling upon them to meet him at Alexander's Old Field near the small community of Bechamville near the Catawba River the next day on Tuesday, June 6th and to enroll their names as loyal subjects of King George III and receive British protection. 

Soon after doing this, a Loyalist militia captain named Henry Houseman visited the home of Justice John Gaston.

Gaston lived in his home about two miles south of Ceder Shoals on the south side of nearby Fishing Creek in modern-day Chester County. He'd served previously as justice of the peace under both the Royal and State governments, and was known to be a prominent Patriot in the area with a great deal of influence. Houseman believed that the old justice could and would bring many of his neighbors around to his way of thinking.

After treating his guest with proper Southern courtesy, Justice Gaston listened to Houseman's request and firmly rejected it. Houseman warned Gaston against causing any trouble for his sake before he departed. Justice Gaston sent his sons to various places in the community for men to meet at his house that same night. By midnight 33 men arrived, including Captain McClure. They were clad in hunting-shirts and moccasins, wool hates and deer-skin caps, each armed with a hunting knife and a rifle. 

The historic marker for the site of Justice John Gaston's home is
located on SC Highway 9 just west of Fishing Creek Bridge
between the Town of Richburg and Fort Lawn, SC.

The group were just as outraged as Gaston had been that Housemen was trying to force their loyalties and understood exactly what needed to be done. Captain John McClure led the group early the next morning as they set out down the Old Indian Trail running from upper Fishing Creek to lower Rocky Creek coming upon Alexander's Old Fields before daybreak.

The term "Old Fields" refers to large prairies, or open fields, that already existed when European settlers first arrived. It is presumed that these field were created by the local Native American tribes when they'd burned large areas of forests when hunting herds of wild game. The field was named for an early area settler.

Captain Houseman was there with a group of armed Loyalists along with others from the surrounding neighborhood gathered at the field, some 200 in number. Many of the latter had no real desire to take British protection, but most believed that they had no choice. 

The armed Patriot militia, seeing their neighbors and friends present on the field took extra careful aim at the armed Tories. Many of the locals had already taken the oath of allegiance when McClure's men opened fire from the trees, dropping several of the armed Loyalists.

The sudden attack took the Loyalists completely by surprise. A general stampede of men took place as the group scattered. Some dropped to the ground to play dead as the Patriot militia continued to fire at Houseman's Loyalist militia in the open field. The Loyalists managed to return fire only once before withdrawing from the field and retreating back to their outpost at Rocky Mount. 

The small battle took only a few minutes, resulting in 4 Loyalists killed and several more wounded. McClure's Patriots suffered only two wounded and none killed. Nine of the people who took the British oath were taken prisoner and ultimately paroled, or renounced their oaths and joined McClure's militia. A few of these men would pay later that summer when they were captured and hanged by the Loyalists for violating their oaths to the Crown.

Justice Gaston had seven sons, all of whom fought to maintain the independence of South Carolina and America. Four of them would die in that service.


Aftermath

The actions of Justice Gaston and Captain McClure's men would be the very first act of resistance to British rule in South Carolina's backcountry. The victory, though small, came just after the Fall of Charleston and Buford's Massacre and greatly raised the morale of the upcountry Patriots. It was the linchpin of resistance in South Carolina. The battle and routing of Houseman's Loyalists would spur even greater resistance throughout the backcountry.

Another equally important act of defiance against the British and their Loyalist allies would take place two days later on June 8th at a place called Mobley's Meeting House in modern-day Fairfield County, which we will talk more about in the next chapter in this series.

Marker at the site of the Battle of Beckhamville
(Alexander's Old Fields) on June 6, 1780.

Historical marker at the site of the battle is located in
Chester County, SC near the intersection of SC 97 and SC 99
near the town of Great Falls.

For more information about The Battle of Beckhamville please consult the following sources that were used to help with this blog post: 

The outstanding book: The Day It Rained Militia by Michael C. Scoggins (2005) ISBN 1-59629-015-3

and the Chester County Historical Society at their website: http://www.chestercohistorical.org/