Marion attacks Georgetown…..again.
Francis Marion really had it in for Georgetown. He wasn’t at Kings Mountain and he wasn’t at Cowpens. Why? Because he was attacking Georgetown!
And, because Marion was attacking Georgetown, valuable British men and resources weren’t at Kings Mountain or Cowpens, either.
Nathanael Greene knew the value of Marion attacking Georgetown. When Greene was sent south by George Washington with the third Continental army tasked with saving South Carolina, Greene divided his army. He sent Daniel Morgan into the Carolina backcountry. Greene then sent America’s best cavalry under William Washington to join with Morgan. And, Nathanael Greene sent America’s best fighting legion to join up with Francis Marion – to attack Georgetown!
Lt. Col. Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee arrived at Lt. Col. Francis Marion’s secret hideaway on Snow’s Island on Jan 22, 1781. The two Lt. Cols. took an immediate liking to each other and quickly resolved any conflicting command issues. It was acknowledged that Marion was the senior officer.
By the next day, Marion’s 3rd attack on Georgetown was underway.
The plan was to divide forces and attack Georgetown from the seaward and landward sides. Lee’s 90 stalwart infantrymen boarded flatboats and floated 30 miles down the Peedee River. They arrived close to the Georgetown waterfront and hid out til nightfall.
Marion with about 100 mounted militiamen and Lee with about 150 cavalry approached Georgetown on the Black River Rd. The plan was to attack during the night when both forces were in place. However, Marion and Lee were late.
By 4am Lee’s infantry had seen no sign of Lee and Marion, and time was running out. The infantrymen didn’t want to attack during daylight. They began the attack by capturing outlying private domiciles.
The British had almost 400 Provencials (Americans fighting for the British) garrisoned in Georgetown. The main defense was a formidable brick jail surrounded by an earthen redoubt. There was an adjoining open parade ground. The soldiers were housed in the brick jail (fort), a barracks and in private homes.
The initial action was the silent capture of the unpopular Lt. Col. Charles Campbell who was most likely staying at the extant house at 222 Broad St. He was paroled and eventually made his way back to Charleston.
The next action occurred at the inn located at 719 Prince St. Maj. Matthew Irvine and Adj. John Crookshank were roused from their peaceful slumber. Maj. Irvine tried to escape and was bayoneted to death by Lt. James Cryer. Lt. Cryer had a serious grudge against Matthew Irvine. Earlier in the war, Irvine had ordered Cryer to receive 500 lashes.
Adj. Crookshank was spared. The naked daughter of the innkeeper draped her arms around his neck and pleaded for his life.
The element of surprise was now lost. Marion and Lee arrived on the scene and were surprised to find no Provencials anywhere. The troops remained boarded up in their barracks, the jail and the private homes.
The plan was to surprise the garrison and attack them as they ran across the parade ground to the shelter of the jail. The Patriots thought that surely some soldiers would come to the defense of Lt. Col. Campbell. It’s possible, however, that some soldiers were not overly disappointed that Campbell was captured.
As day broke Marion and Lee looked at the fortified jail and the open parade ground and decided that the position was too strong to assault. They had suffered 1 dead. The Provencials had suffered 1 dead officer and 3 officers captured. Marion and Lee retreated to fight another day.
On June 6, 1781 the British abandoned Georgetown as their fortunes in South Carolina continued to decline. On Francis Marion’s 4th attempt to take Georgetown, he was able to waltz right in.
Posted to Facebook 10/12/2025