Interior South Carolina

Last Update: 29/MARCH/2008

Compiled by Pete Payette - Š2008 American Forts Network

Salkehatchie Earthworks
(Rivers Bridge State Park)
(1865), Ehrhardt
Preserved seven-gun CSA earthworks located at Rivers Bridge, and a 12-gun CSA fort and earthworks south at Broxton Bridge (private property), which defended the Salkehatchie River during Sherman's March (February 1865). Admission fee.

Vince's Fort
(1770's), Barnwell County
A settlers' fort. A battle occurred here in 1781.

Fort Galphin
(1760 - 1781), Silver Bluff
Originally a brick home and trading post built by George Galphin in 1752, it was captured by the British in 1780 and palisaded, renamed Fort Dreadnought. It was captured and destroyed by Patriots (May 1781), the captured supplies then used for the attack on Augusta, GA.

Fort Moore
(1716 - 1720's), Beech Island
Built after the Yamassee War by the SC colonial militia for protection against further Indian attacks. Located at New Windsor, a former Shawnee Indian village also known as Savannah Town. A 150-foot square work with a 4.5-foot high planked wall, it had barracks for 100 men, a commander's house, magazines, and storehouses. A marker is located at the end of Sand Bar Ferry Road at the Savannah River. A band of Chickasaw Indians relocated here in 1727 and set up a village and trading post, which lasted until 1766.

(John ?) Tobler's Fort
(1760 - 1761), near Beech Island
A settlers' fortified blockhouse on the Savannah River near Fort Moore. Swiss immigrants led by John Tobler first settled here in the 1730's.

Newberry County Settler Forts
(1760 - unknown), Newberry County
Aubrey's Fort, located somewhere along the Enoree River.
Gordon's Fort, located somewhere along the east bank of the Enoree River.
Brook's Fort, located somewhere along the west bank of the Bush River.
Rhall's Fort, undetermined location. Possibly same as Brook's Fort (?).
Jacob Pennington's Fort, located somewhere along Indian Creek.

NOTE: there is a Stoney Battery Road south of Smyrna.

Fort Ninety Six (National Historic Site)
(1759 - 1775, 1780 - 1781), Ninety Six
Originally a small stockaded barn (built by Robert Gouedy) known as Fort Middleton, built to protect against the Cherokee. Attacked twice in 1760. The stockade was rebuilt in 1761. The fort was 96 miles from Fort Prince George (2) / Keowee, hence the name of the settlement. The British took over the town in November 1775 and unsuccessfully lay seige to the Patriots at nearby Major Andrew Williamson's Fort (aka Fort Williamson) (1775), a square breastwork. The British returned in force in 1780, and built the Stockade around the town, the palisaded earthwork Star Fort to the northeast, and several blockhouses. The British built the palisaded Fort Holmes (aka Stockade Fort) (1781) around the farmhouse of Loyalist James Holmes, to protect the spring that was the sole water supply of Fort Ninety Six. This was roughly on the same site as the earlier Williamson's Fort. The fortified town was unsuccessfuly attacked by Patriot forces in May-June 1781. Another website from NPS

Boon's Fort
(1770's), near Greenwood ?
A settlers' fort located west of Ninety-Six, shown on a 1779 map.

Lyndley's Fort
(1770's), near Ekom
A settlers' fort, north of town on Fort Lindley Road. A battle occurred here in July 1776.

Located nearby (location ?) was Eloson's Fort (1770's), another settlers' fort.

Hayes' Station
(1770's), near Milton ?
A settlers' fort. Attacked and captured by the British in 1781, killing Hayes and several others. This was known as the Hayes' Station Massacre.

Fort Charlotte
(1765 - 1770's), near Mount Carmel
A SC colonial militia stone fort on the Savannah River at the old townsite of Vienna, opposite the mouth of the Broad River. Captured by Patriots in March 1775, the first overt act against the British in the state. The actual site of the 50-by-40-foot two-bastioned fort is now under J. Strom Thurmond Lake. The ruins of this fort became a popular dueling spot after that sport was outlawed in Georgia.

Bull Town Fort
(1770's), near Calhoun Falls
A settlers' fort. Some ruins may possibly remain.

Patton's Fort
(1764), Abbeville County
A settlers' fort located somewhere along the Little River.

Fort Madison
(1810's ?), Old Madison
A plantation and later settlement on the Tugaloo River named as such by James Doyle. No actual fort is believed to have ever been built here.

Norwood's Station
(1780's), Oconee County
A settlers' station somewhere along the Tugaloo River basin.

Fort Rutledge
(1776), Clemson
A Patriot fort, also sometimes referred to as Fort Salvador, located on the site of Seneca Old Town. A battle occurred here in August 1776 between Partiot forces and the Indians. A small monument is located on the grounds of Clemson University behind Tillman Hall. John C. Calhoun's mansion "Fort Hill" was named after this fort.

Oconee Station (State Historic Site)
(1792 - 1799), Mountain Rest
A stone blockhouse used by the SC state militia, and an 1805 brick house which later served as a trading post by William Richards, are located here.

Fort Prince George (2)
(1753 - 1768), near Old Pickens
A SC colonial militia fort, also known as Fort Keowee, located at the old Cherokee town of Keowee. The fort was a 100-foot square palisaded earthwork with four bastions, with a commandant's quarters, barracks, storehouse, magazine, kitchen, and guardhouse. The fort was rebuilt in 1756 and 1765. Attacked by Cherokees in January - May 1760. Garrisoned by elements of the British Royal American Regiment after 1764. Site was excavated in 1966 - 1968 prior to the impoundment of Lake Keowee.

Fort Pickens (1)
(1810's ?, 1830's ?), Old Pickens
Located three miles south of the site of Fort Prince George.

Camp Wetherill
(1898 - 1899), Greenville
A Spanish-American War winter training camp for northern troops. Location undetermined.

Camp Sevier
(1917 - 1919), Paris
A Federalized National Guard training encampment and demobilization center for the 30th Division. Located at the Paris School, which was returned to local control after the war. Camp foundations still exist. Now Paris Elementary School on East Lee Road.

Gowen's Fort (2)
(1770's), Gowensville
A settlers' fort. A battle occurred here in 1781.

William Prince's Fort
(1760's), near Gowensville
A settlers' circular timber fort, moated with an abatis, later used by British and Loyalist troops in 1780 - 1781. Located at the head of the North Fork Tyger River.

Gowen's Old Fort (1)
(1770's), Spartanburg County
A settlers' fort. A battle occurred here in July 1780.

Col. John Earle's Fort
(1750's), Spartanburg County ?
A settlers' fort near the state border.

Fort Woods
(1750's), Lyman
A SC colonial militia fort.

Camp Wadsworth
(1917 - 1919), Spartansburg
A Federalized National Guard training encampment and demobilization center for the 27th Division. Located three miles west of the city. Site now Westgate Mall.

Gen. Charles McDowell's Camp
(1780), Spartanburg County
A Patriot militia encampment on the Pacolet River near Cherokee Ford (location ?). Loyalists attacked in July 1780.

Poole's Fort
(1776 - unknown), near Glendale
A settlers' fort.

Thicketty Fort
(1776 - 1780), Thicketty
A Tory settlers' fort built originally for protection against the Cherokee. Also known as Fort (Capt. David) Anderson. Later garrisoned by British and Loyalist troops, it was attacked and captured by Patriots in July 1780.

Brandon's Camp
(1780), Union
A Patriot encampment. A battle occurred here in the summer of 1780.

Musgrove Fort
(Musgrove Mill State Historic Site)
(1760 - unknown), Musgrove Mill
A SC colonial militia fort at Horseshoe Falls on the Enoree River. Also known as Fort Lyttleton (2).

Site was also scene of battle during the American Revolution (August 1780).

James Otterson's Fort
(1755 ? - unknown), near Union
A settlers' stone fort. Site located about eight miles south of town on Tinker Creek near Beattys Bridge Road, within Sumter National Forest. No remains.

Camp at Williamson's Plantation
(1780), York County
A British/Loyalist encampment, located west of York. Attacked by Patriots in July 1780.

Fort Mill
(unknown dates), Fort Mill

Fort Lawn
(unknown dates), Fort Lawn
The town of Fort Lawn was named after a family named "Fort". No known fort was ever built here.

Camp at Rocky Mount
(1780), Dearborn Island (?)
A British/Loyalist encampment. Attacked by Patriots in August 1780. Dearborn Island was once known as Rocky Mount Island.

Fort Dearborn
(1802 - 1814 ?), Dearborn Island
Originally built as a Federal arsenal (Mount Dearborn Arsenal) on a 450-acre island in the Catawba River, east of Great Falls. Included a large circular stone magazine, and barracks for troops, located on the central rise (Mount Dearborn). Abandoned by the government before 1812. Garrisoned by the SC state militia during the War of 1812. The abandoned complex was destroyed during Sherman's March in 1865. Some ruins (stone walls) remain. Private property.

Camp at Hanging Rock
(1780 - 1781), near Heath Springs
A British/Loyalist encampment located south of town along Hanging Rock Creek. Attacked by Patriots in August 1780.

Camp Cheraw
(1780 - 1781), Cheraw
Patriot Major General Nathanael Greene and the Southern Continental Army's winter encampment (Dec. to Feb.), often called the "Valley Forge of the South".

Winnsboro Encampment
(1780 - 1781), Winnsboro
A British/Loyalist winter garrison post. General Cornwallis was encamped here from October 1780 to January 1781. Marker at Mt. Zion.

Camden Post
(Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site)
(1780 - 1781), Camden
A major British garrison post during the American Revolution. The Battle of Camden took place in August 1780, and the Battle of Hobkirk's Hill took place in April 1781. The 98-acre complex includes reconstructed British fortifications and restored houses of the period. Located at 222 Broad Street, south of downtown. Admission fee.

Camden Powder Magazine
(1859 - 1865), Camden
A state militia brick magazine is located on the 900 block of Market Street. Supplies were captured during Sherman's March (February 1865).

Fort at Cofitachequi
(Mulberry Archaeological Site)
(1568 - 1570 ?), Camden
A Spanish fort or blockhouse was built by the Juan Pardo Expedition in February 1568 at Cofitachequi, the capital town of the area chiefdom of the same name. Pardo called it Canos. The fort lasted at least one year. The site is most probably located on the Wateree River at Big Pine Tree Creek just south of the city. Hernando DeSoto visited Cofitachequi in May 1540. The final Spanish visit was by Pedro de Torres with ten soldiers and sixty Indians in 1628.

Mulberry Plantation Fort
(1715 - 1716), near Camden
A settlers' fortified brick home during the Yamassee War, built by Thomas Broughton. Site located at 559 Sumter Highway.

Columbia Arsenal
(1820's ? - 1865), Columbia
A state arsenal that later became the Columbia Military Academy in 1842, and was later used by the Confederate Ordnance Department. Also known as the Palmetto Iron Works and Armory. The Officers' Quarters (1855) became the state's Governor's Mansion after the Civil War, as it was the only building left in the compound after Union troops burned the city in February 1865.

Civil War Defenses of Columbia
(1861 - 1865), Columbia
Camp Sorghum (1864) a Confederate POW camp for 1300 Union soldiers. Site located at Riverbanks Zoo Botanical Gardens. Replaced by Camp Asylum.
Camp Asylum (1864 - 1865) a Confederate prison located at the former State Hospital for the Insane.
A CSA training camp (1861) was once located at the site of the old state fairgrounds at Lincoln Street and Elmwood Ave..
Sherman's Battery (1865) a marker at 321 Moffat Drive locates the site of one of the Union seige batteries against the city in February 1865.

Camp Fornance
(1898), Columbia
A Spanish-American War training camp for cavalry. Located in the Earlewood neighborhood (Earlewood Park) on River Drive.

Fort Jackson (U.S. Military Reservation)
(1917 - present), Columbia
A National Army cantonment training area for the 81st Division, originally named Camp Jackson, later used as an artillery replacement center and a demobilization center. Became a SC National Guard training area after 1920. Federalized again in 1940 for WWII training, and renamed.

Congaree Fort (1)
(1718 - 1722), Cayce
A SC colonial militia fort and trading post. It was palisaded with a ditch and two bastions located opposite the river. A trading post later operated here after 1725.

Brown's Factory (1733 ? - 1754 ?), a trading post operated by Thomas Brown, was located nearby. Granby Village was founded here in 1733.

Fort Congaree (2)
(1748 - 1754), Cayce
A British palisaded and ditched fort located two miles north of the old Congaree Fort (1). It was built to protect against Iroquois raiders from the north. The garrison abandoned the fort to join Col. George Washington's expedition to Pennsylvania and the Ohio River, where they met their fate at Fort Necessity.

A trading post was later established here (Granby Village) in 1765 by James Chestnut and Joseph Kershaw.

Fort Granby
(1780 - 1781), Cayce
James Cayce's two-story home (1770) and storehouse at Granby Village, captured by the British and fortified as a square redoubt with bastions, a ditch, and an abatis. Captured by Patriots in May 1781.

Hans Jacob Gallman's Fort
(1740's or 1750's), Lexington County
A settlers' fort or blockhouse located somewhere along Congaree Creek. Also spelled Coleman.

Camp Johnson
(1861), near Gilbert
A CSA training camp for cavalry at Lightwood Knot Springs on Camp Branch Lightwood Knot Creek, southwest of town.

Fort Motte
(1780 - 1781), Fort Motte
A two-story mansion (home of Rebecca Motte, widow of Jacob Motte) that was captured by the British and fortified with a palisade and earthworks. It was attacked and burned by Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion in May 1781. Site marked by granite monument.

John Hearn's Fort
(1716 - 1718), near Orangeburg
A SC colonial militia fort built during the Yamassee War, guarding the northern approach to Charleston. John Hearn had earlier been killed in 1715 by the Indians.

Orangeburg Post
(1780 - 1781), Orangeburg
A minor British garrison post. Captured by Patriots in May 1781, one day before the capture of Fort Motte.

Richbourg Fort
(1715 - 1716), Calhoun or Orangeburg Counties ?
A settlers' fort during the Yamassee War, located somewhere along the west bank of the Santee River.

Fort Watson
(Santee National Wildlife Refuge)
(1780 - 1781), near St. Paul
A British stockade built on top of an old 50-foot high Indian burial mound on Wright's Bluff. Captured by Patriots in April 1781.

Benjamin Schenckingh's Fort
(1715), near Eutawville
A SC colonial militia fort on the Santee River northeast of town. The actual site is now under Lake Marion. It was attacked by Catawba Indians in June 1715, one month after it was built, killing most of the garrison. Also spelled Schinkins.

Fort Nohucke
(unknown dates), unknown location
Tuscarora Indian village until 1713.

Florence Prison Stockade
(1864 - 1865), Florence
A CSA 26-acre POW camp for about 15,000 Union soldiers transferred from Andersonville, GA. Site is adjacent to Florence National Cemetery on Stockade Road. Exhibits and history at the War Between the States Museum at 107 South Guerry Street (admission fee).

NEED MORE INFO: Fort Wagner Road in Fairfield County, east of Feasterville. Stoney Battery Road in Newberry County south of Smyrna.
Towns: Fort Mill near Rock Hill.

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