Horry County Museum Program: The Battles of Fort Watson & Fort Motte

.The Horry County Museum presents a program by Steven Smith on his new book The Battles of Fort Watson & Fort Motte, 1781 on Saturday, August 8th at 1:00 PM. In his book, Smith relates the history of four critical weeks from April 12 until May 12, 1781. During this time, the tide of the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War turned in favor of the Americans.

About the Program

The book focuses on General Francis Marion’s and Colonel Henry Lee’s capture of two key British forts, Fort Watson and Fort Motte, coordinating with Nathanael Greene in retaking the South Carolina backcountry.

These posts defended the supply line between Charleston and the British-occupied villages of Camden and Ninety Six. Once the two forts were lost, the British had to abandon the backcountry and were confined to Charleston and ultimately abandoned the city in December 1782.

About the Author

Steven D. Smith, is a Research Professor, Emeritus at the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of South Carolina. He is the former Director of the Institute, and has over 40 years’ experience in historical archaeology, largely focused on military sites of the American Revolution in the South.

He has conducted excavations associated with Francis Marion and American Revolutionary War battlefields. They include the siege of Fort Motte, Parker’s Ferry, Black Mingo, Snow’s Island, Camden, the siege of Ninety Six, and the battle of Williamson’s Plantation.

Smith is the author of Partisans, Guerillas, and Irregulars: Historical Archaeology of Asymmetric Warfare and Francis Marion and the Snow’s Island Community.

His latest books, co-authored with Colonel Kevin Dougherty, are Leading Like the Swamp Fox: The Leadership Lessons of Francis Marion, and The Battles of Fort Watson and Fort Motte, 1781.

The program is free to the public and will be held in the Museum’s McCown Auditorium located at 805 Main Street, Conway, S.C. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 843-915-5320 or email hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov. For more information about our programs, visit the museum website www.horrycountymuseum.org.