The American Revolution the War in the South

The American Revolution - War in the South-1780Bufords Massacre and Bloody Tarleton, the Tide Turns

Introduction: On May 29th, 1780 a battle occurred not far from here that changed the course of the Revolutionary War. How many of you have heard of Bufords Massacre, also called the 1st Battle of the Waxhaws, or Bufords Defeat. How many of you know where the battle field is located or visited the site. This was a singular event which galvanized the people of the south against the British and Loyalists. It ranks to me in importance with all of the other great battles that have inspired our nation. It was the ALAMO moment of the Revolution where a battle cry inspired a nation to victory. 1

This was the spark which unified the divided Americans in the South. It was not our defeat at Charleston but rather the massacre of a detachment of Continental troops at what is now known as Bufords Crossing. It was the Shouts of Give Them Tareltons Quarter and Remember Bufords Massacre that sounded from the lips of those Over the Mountain Men at the Battle of Kings Mountain and at every subsequent battle fought in the South that inspired these men and gave purpose and strength to the American cause A killing field where 113 Continental soldiers of the Virginia Line were slain. Today, the importance of this period of the war is largely unknown and forgotten by most Americans. After Valley Forge most of us are clueless as to how the war came to end at Yorktown Yet The Southern campaign and this particular battle I believe changed the course of the revolution and ultimately with the help of our French allies led to the British defeat and surrender at Yorktown in 1781. And changed our destiny

2Discussion Points

The People of America 1775 and Their Politics

The State of the War in 1778-79

British Leaders and War Plans for 1780

Invasion of the South and the Siege of Charles Town

To Understand how this battle influenced the war we must look at how it came to occur and the events that led up to the battle to better understand the major impact it had on the remainder of the war. So let us briefly look at these events to better understand the period in which they occurred Bearing in mind that the wheels of time were set in motion long before the battle.3 Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton the British Legion & Col. Abraham Buford and the 11th Virginia 3rd Detachment

Battle of the Waxhaws

The Aftermath

The Battlefield Today

Friends of the Buford Massacre Battlefield

We will also look at the opposing forces the men that were involved and how they came to be at this time and place.4People of America 1775Population of the colonies and there ethnic origins

The great majority of the population of both North and South Carolina is in the Western mountains and the bulk of these people are Scots-Irish.

The total population of the colonies in 1775 was estimated to be 2.7 million including slaves. NC-270, SC 180, VA was the most populated colony with 538k.

By this time about 85% of the white population was of English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh descent, with 9% of German origin and 4% Dutch.

Germans and Quakers represented large groups in Pennsylvania

Along the coast of North and South Carolina, the English-Americans and highlands Scots dominate. Highland Scots are Anglican and typically support the Crown.

There is another populace that has a very large role to play in the Revolution and especially the war in the South. The Scotch IrishWhat came to be known as the Scotch Irish came from the lowlands of Scotland and Ulster in Ireland they are Presbyterian by religion

They have a strong military history descendants of the Celtic warrior and swords are kept sharp during generations of battle among themselves and the hated British. In 1720 in order to create a buffer between the mild and peaceful Quakers and warring Indians the Govt. of Pennsylvania begins to lure the Scotch-Irish from the Ulster area of todays Northern Ireland. They quickly discover how independent and difficult these people are to rule over as they ignore laws and any other restrictions placed on them.

They establish themselves in the area of present day Lancaster County but they quickly invent the term squatters rights as they settle well beyond intended area on land owned by the govt. and wealthy land owners. In time they settle all the way to Pittsburgh.

The Scotch Irish are restless and want nothing more to live free of governments. In 1750 the migration road leads the Scotch Irish to the backcountry of North and South Carolina. It is said that between 1750 and the start of the revolution almost a quarter of a million Scoth Irish had migrated to the Carolinas.

By 1775 almost 4/5 of the white population of SC about 85,000 people are Scotch Irish. These are a tough people use to hardship they ask for nothing from the govt. and get nothing in return. They cut the trees, build there cabins and churches and plant their subsistence crops. They create settlements on the frontier and learn how to fight the indians. 5Politics of the SouthSupporters of the American Cause are called Whigs or Patriots and by the British those damned Rebels.Those that are in favor of remaining with the British Crown are called Tories or Loyalists.Before the British invasion of 1780 the population of the Carolinas is equally divided in their politics with one third of the population Loyalist, one third Whig and the remaining third being neutral.

Between 1776 and 1780 the Whigs control the Carolinas and they take revenge and anger out on those they perceive as Loyalists. In those years the seeds of discontent and Civil War are sown as the two sides fight among themselves neighbor against neighbor. It is a convenient cause that allows them in many cases to settle old scores in the name of liberty. It has been said that it was not uncommon for an individual to walk alone hundreds of miles through the wilderness to avenge a slight or killing of a relative.

6The State of the War in 1779Most of the battles prior to 1780 are fought in the Northern and Middle ColoniesBy 1779 the war had evolved into a stalemate.American forces controlled most of the rural areas, and port cities however British blockades disrupted commerce.

Prior to 1780 the war was fought almost entirely in the Northern and New England colonies, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

The bulk of British Forces are content to hold the city of New York and surrounding countryside. They have another large force in Providence, Rhode Island and they also hold Savannah which they had taken in Dec. of 1778 and defended in 79.

Washington does not force the battle he is content to shadow the British army, avoiding direct confrontation with the British until help arrives in the form of the French Army and Navy. It is his hope that their combined will be able to defeat the British.

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General Sir Henry Clinton and the Southern StrategyGeneral in Chief of North America, appointed upon resignation of General Sir William Howe in 1777 assumed command in Philadelphia in May of 1778.

The year 1779 had seen very little action and no major engagements in the North between the American and British forces.

Southern Strategy to end the War: The British government instructs Sir Henry Clinton to head a combined military and naval expedition southward to capture Charles Town which at the time is the 3rd largest American port and to than drive up through the Carolinas and into Virginia knocking these colonies out of the war.

It is a bold plan to be undertaken by Clinton. If all goes to plan he would destroy the American spirit and will to fight, end the stalemate and return the colonies to the kings rule. Clinton is very clever in his plans. He knows by invading the South during the Winter season when there would be no fighting in the North as both armies would be in their winter quarters he would be able to take a sizeable portion of his army South with the help of the British Navy and if all went well he would be able to return with most of his troops in time for the summer fighting season to resume in the North. He would leave behind a small British army supplemented by a large force of locally recruited Loyalists. It almost worked.

Clinton and the British Government have been led to believe by Loyalist expatriates living in London that the people of the South were loyal to the king and would flock to the British given the opportunity. Sounds familiar

At first he is able to recruit a sizeable loyalist force among those who have endured 4 long years of retribution and attacks of their Whig neighbors

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Charles Lord Cornwallis, First Marquis of Cornwallis (1738 - 1805)Clintons 2nd in command of British forces during the invasion and he assumes command of British Forces in the South upon return of Clinton to New York in June of 1780

9The British Siege of Charles Town

In December, of 1779 Clinton sails South with 8,500 troops to join Colonel Mark Prevost who holds Savanna later Lord Rawdon joined him with an additional force, raising the size of the expedition to around 14,000 troops and 90 ships.

Marching upon Charleston via James Island, Clinton cuts off the city from relief, and begins a siege on April 1, 1780 The Commander of the Continental forces Major General Benjamin Lincoln is outnumbered and out gunned. He calls for reinforcements from the other colonies which are somewhat slow to respond. [1][2] Clinton completes his encirclement of Charleston and without a major engagement and relief Lincoln is compelled to surrender on May 12.[3]

The loss of the city and its 5,300 troops and 160 cannon is a serious blow to the American cause. It effectively wipes out all organized American resistance and gives control of South Carolina to the British. It was the largest surrender of an American armed force until the surrender of American forces on Bataan in 1942

Combined American losses during the siege are 92 killed, 148 wounded and 5300 captured.

General Clinton returns to New York City with most of his British forces in June. He leaves Cornwallis in command with instructions to reduce North Carolina and bring it back under British control

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Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton1754- 1833

Now let us look at the antagonists as events lead us to the coming confrontation. Banastre Tarleton was born in 1754, the fourth of seven children born to a merchant, ship owner and slave trader. In 1773 he inherits a large sum of money which he squanders in gambling halls and brothels. In 1775 he purchases a position as a Coronet in the 1st Dragoons where he proves to be a gifted horseman and leader of troops. Based upon his tactical prowess, and resolve even against superior numbers he quickly rises to the rank of Lt Col of Provincial Troops. He is all of 24 years old when he takes command of the British Legion. He survives the war and achieved the rank of General in the British army and was made a Baronet in 1815 and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1820. He is elected to Parliament and dies in 1833 at the age of 78.

"Legion" was an 18th-century term for a military unit the size of a regiment but consisting of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, all under one command, to make it more flexible for scouting or irregular operations than a regiment that consisted of infantry or cavalry alone.

The British Legion is the name given to a British provincial regiment established during the American Revolutionary War and composed of Loyalist American infantry and cavalry.

This unit was raised in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in July 1778, by Lord Cathcart] in order to merge several small Loyalist units into a single force, It was colloquially known as Tarleton's Raiders and Tarletons Green Horse. In the North they are used for patrol and foraging expeditions in and around New York.

After becoming the effective commander of the British Legion he and the Legion proceeded to South Carolina, rendering valuable services to Clinton in the operations which culminated in the capture of Charleston.

During the Revolution the name of Tarleton comes to be hated in the South as much as that of Benedict Arnold was in the North. He is dreaded for his celerity and cruelty while being praised by the British for his bravery and tenacity and fighting spirit others consider him reckless and careless.

11Col. Abraham Buford (1747-1833)

Born in Culpepe Culpeper County, Virginia, he was one of 6 sons of John and Edith Beaufort. At the outbreak of the war Buford quickly organizes a company of minutemen eventually rising to the rank of colonel by May 1778. Assuming command of the 11th Virginia Regiment in September, he would be assigned to the 3rd Virginia Detachment in April 1780 and sent south to relieve the British siege of Charleston, South Carolina. Not much can be said of the Col. Military prowess. He is slow to action and to understand military tactics.

After the war he retires to the Bluegrass country of Kentucky where he has been given land grants of several thousand acres of land for his service during the war. He later goes on to help found the states horse-racing industry. He outlives Tarleton by a few months dying in June of 1833 in Scotts County Kentucky.

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Uniforms of the British Legion and 17th Light DragoonsThe British Legion adopted a green uniform as compared to the more common image of the British Red Coat. The Green coat helps the Loyalist to tell friend from foe in a fight and to rally together. They are ferocious, take no quarter fighters and very loyal to their commander.

The British Legion proved to be the heart of the British striking force during the southern campaigns. The British are seldom successful without the BL They have the ability to fight as mounted shock troops or as dismounted infantry. The Legion was among the most flexible and effective combat units of the British forces during the Revolution13Uniforms of the 11th Virginia and British Legion Infantry

The Legion's peak operational strength was approximately 550 men equally divided between cavalry and infantry. 14Battle of the Waxhaws Col. Buford and his 3rd detachment of the 11th Virginia Regiment is one of 3 reorganized Virginia Detachments.The 1st and 2nd detachments, are captured at the surrender of Charles TownHe is ordered to retire to North Carolina and safety.

By 1780, the Virginia Continental Line is decimated as 4 years of fighting has taken its toll. It is reorganized, with subsequent confusion as to Regimental numbers. The word Detachment comes into use, describing a 700-man conglomeration of these regiments larger than a regiment or battalion, smaller than a division

The 3rd Virginia Detachment would be formed under Colonel Abraham Buford and was composed of elements of the 7th Virginia, as well as various pieces of other units. It totaled about 350 men.

Most of the men were either new recruits with a smattering of veterans and seasoned officers.

Two other Virginia units the 1st and 2nd detachments had been organized and sent South in March, 1780 and arrived in time to be captured at Charles Town. Buford stays behind to organize and outfit his troops and gets a late start leaving Virginia several weeks after the 1st and 2nd detachments. The 3rd detachment is on the North side of the Santee River when they learned of the American surrender of Charles Town.

Buford is ordered to fall back to Hillsborough, NC. He falls in with a brigade of NC Militia of about the same number of troops as the Virginias that find themselves in the same predicament. When they arrive in Camden on May 26 they meet up with the Rebel Gov. John Rutledge. Gov Rutledge takes charge of these troops. He separates the two groups and sends the NC Brigade Northward on a different route. . It is hoped that at least one unit will thus escape SC unscathed. The Gov. accompanies Buford as they head North up the Great Wagon Road toward Salisbury NC. They get a late start and leave Camden late in the day of Saturday the 27th. their march is hampered by the addition of 26 wagon loads of equipment and supplies.

On Sunday night Rutledge informs Buford that the British are in Camden only 20 miles to their rear. Rutledge decides to ride on to Charleston ahead of Buford who will take a split in the road that leads to Salisbury.

15Battle of the Waxhaws

Cornwallis sends the British Legion in pursuit.

After a hard ride Tarleton and his Legion overtake the Americans near a crossing in Northern, South Carolina near the intersection of present day SC Route 9 and 522.

On May 27, Cornwallis learns of the presence of the retreating American unit and sends Lt. Col. Tarleton and the BL in pursuit. He believes this is the last remaining American fighting force in the Carolinas.

16Early Drawing of Tarletons Charge at the Battle of the Waxhaws

Tarleton sets out in pursuit of Buford and covers a 100 miles in two days to catch up with Col. Buford.

He sends forth an emissary under a white flag to request the surrender of the Americans stating he has them outnumbered if they refuse to surrender he will show no mercy and the blood shed will be upon Bufords head.

Tarletons Charge of the British Legion

Buford manages to form his command into a single line with a front of almost 300 yards. Tarleton formed his command into three units the cavalry on the flanks with infantry advancing up the middle. He personally leads the left squadron and signals the charge. At a distance of about 10 yards the continentals fired but the single volley was not enough to stop the charging horse and the British were quickly among the Americans cutting and slashing showing no quarter or mercy.

In recounting Tarleton's action at the scene, an American field surgeon named Robert Brownfield wrote that Col. Buford raised a white flag of surrender, "expecting the usual treatment sanctioned by civilized warfare". While Buford was calling for quarter, Tarleton's horse was struck by a musket ball and fell. This gave the loyalist cavalrymen the impression that the rebels had shot at their commander while asking for mercy. Enraged, the loyalist troops charged at the Virginians. According to Brownfield, the loyalists attacked, carrying out "indiscriminate carnage never surpassed by the most ruthless atrocities of the most barbarous savages." Tarleton's men stabbed the wounded where they lay. In Tarleton's own account, he virtually admits the massacre, stating that his horse had been shot from under him during the initial charge and his men, thinking him dead, engaged in "a vindictive asperity not easily restrained."

The Waxhaw massacre became an important rallying cry for the revolutionaries. Many people who had been neutral became ardent supporters of the Revolution after the perceived atrocities.[7] "Tarleton's quarter," meaning no quarter would be offered to British and Loyalist soldiers, became a rallying cry for American Patriots for the rest of the war especially at the massacre by American troops on loyalist forces at the Battle of Kings Mountain,[citation needed] 7 October, 1780, where all the participants save for one British officer were Americans

17Casualties and Recriminations of the Battle 113 Americans are dead on the field150 are wounded most so severely from saber cuts they will die in days or weeks.50 Americans are captured and interred in prisons ships in Charles Town (most will die during their captivity)British casualties are 5 dead and 15 woundedThe Battle lasts for a mere 15 minutes. The next day the local residents come from all over the region and load the survivors in carts to take most of them to the Waxhaw Meeting House. Most of the survivors have 3-4 wounds with some as many as 16 saber cuts. Most will die from their wounds. The future President Andrew Jackson only 13, his older brother and mother tend to the wounded soldiers as do many of the local residents.

Col Buford escapes on horseback where he and other survivors spread the word of the bloody work done by Tarleton and the BL. Buford is not found culpable for the action and continued to serve as an officer in the Continental Army through the Battle of Yorktown. Although he will never again lead men under arms.

18The Aftermath - Kings Mountain a Resounding American VictoryAmerican Casualties29 killed58 wounded[2]

British Casualties290 killed163 wounded668 captured[

The British miscalculate badly and fail to win over the hearts and minds of the people, rather they manage with 2 acts to turn the populace against them. The first is the Bloody massacre at Waxhaw which most see as an example of British cruelty and the second is an ultimatum to those people that inhabited these remote areas to swear allegiance to the Crown or see their leaders hanged.

This does not sit well with the independent minded Scots who hate the British as a birthright. These Over the Mountain Men (mostly Scotch Irish) who reside in the Western Regions and Piedmont areas of the Carolinas, Eastern Tennessee and the remote areas of Virginia and Georgia mobilize and gather to fight the British. In the entire region those that were neutral now turn with a vengeance on the British and anyone with Loyalists sympathy.

On Oct. 7 1780 an American force of 900 militia of over the mountain men confront a British force consisting of 1100 Loyalist troops under the command of British Major Patrick Ferguson.

The Americans utterly defeated the Loyalists. Their battle cry is Give Them Tarleton's Quarter and Remember Bufords Massacre

Ferguson is the only British casualty in the fight.

19The Aftermath Battle of the Cowpens and Tarletons DefeatAmerican General DanielMorgan developed and executed a strategy which utterly destroyed forces ledby Tarleton, this includedhis British Legion loyalisttroops And British regulars.

Think of the movie The Patriot

Tarleton was decisively defeated by Daniel Morgan at the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781. He was 26 years old and is considered brash and impetuous and single minded by some and by others full of dash and strength and epitomized the spirit of the British officer. To charge into the fray despite the odds. In this battle it cost him dearly.

Morgan's army took 712 prisoners, which included 200 wounded. Even worse for the British, the forces lost (especially the British Legion and the dragoons) constituted the cream of Cornwallis' army. Additionally, 110 British soldiers were killed in action. Tarleton suffered an 86 percent casualty rate, and his brigade had been all but wiped out as a fighting force. The Legions Infantry arm was heavily mauled and was merged with other units or reassigned to garrison duty in Charles Town. After this battle the Legion functioned only as a Dragoon unit

Again Give Them Tarletons Quarter was the inspiration that leads the Americans to victory.

20The Aftermath Yorktown and Final Victory

After Guilford Courthouse Cornwallis retreats to Wilmington, North Carolina for resupply and reinforcement, after which he moved north into Virginia, leaving the Carolinas and Georgia open to the American forces led by Gen. Greene. The British strategy that assumed thousands of Loyalists would flock to the Crown was a failurefar fewer joined up than expected because the Patriots put heavy pressure on the Loyalists and their families fearing they would become hostages.[84]

At Yorktown a combined American, French force of about 15 thousand soldiers defeats the 7,000 troops under Cornwallis. Effectively ending the war.

American land forces: 5,500, sixty cannonFrench land forces: 9,500, ninety cannonFrench navy: 36 ships of the lineFrench naval personnel: 2022,000Cornwallis land forces: 7,00021

LANCASTER COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINAMetal Detector Survey and Battlefield Delineation of the Bufords Massacre (Waxhaws) Revolutionary War Battlefield,SC Route 9 and SC Route 522 Intersection ImprovementsThe Battlefield TodayThe Battlefield Today

In 2005 the South Carolina Dept of Transportation looked at a project to add a safety lane at the intersection of SC Route 9 and 522. It was determined that do to the proximity of the Buford Battlefield it was necessary to conduct a metal survey of the area to determine the size and location of the battle site.22

Artifacts collected on the battlefield tell us a story of how the battle was fought where the opponents were located and the size of the battlefield. During Feb and March 2010 the firm of Brockington and Assoc conducted a metal survey to mitigative archaeological investigations and boundary delineation for the Waxhaws (Bufords Massacre) Battlefield. Results of this survey were released in 2011.

Two hundred and two metal artifacts were recovered during the archaeological investigations at the WaxhawsBattlefield

Unfired ammunition recovered from .30 to .38 diameter buckshot and .63 to .66 diameter musket ballsrepresenting buck and ball cartridges for the .69 caliber French Charleville muskets.23

A few .68 to .70 diameter musket balls for the .75 Brown Bess were also recoveredBritish troops used the Brown Bess which is a .75 caliber musket and used a .68 to .70 caliber ball.

By marking on the battlefield the location of each found musket ball archaeologists were able to make some determination regarding where the opposing sides were positioned.

Unspent round balls would have fallen from the troopers ammunition pouches as they reached in to grab a paper cartridge to load their muskets. This was common in the excitement of battle.

Muskets are very inaccurate weapons do to the wobble of the ball in the barrel as it is fired. Also, most soldiers would point the weapon in the general direction of the enemy, or close their eyes to avoid the flash of powder from the powder pan as they fired the weapon. Neither action does much to improve accuracy. The odds of hitting anything was improved by the mass volley of weapons.24

Other items recovered on the battlefield included personal items and fragments of weaponsOther battle-related artifacts recovered from the BattlefieldBrass Brown Bess bayonet frog (fragment ) Brass musket nose cap (unknown pattern); brass musketramrod pipe from Liege Pattern 1778 Short Land Brown Bess musket iron roller buckles; brass or copper rivets and iron and steel pocket knife fragments; stamped brass shoe buckles (both plow damaged) cast brass neck stock buckle (fragment).25

By the recovery and location of the found artifacts the size of the battlefield is estimated to cover 53 acres.Today this is mainly grazing land that has surprisingly remained undisturbed over the decades as evidenced by the recovery of so many artifacts and the locations they were found which allows them to still tell us a story after so many years. 26

The location of the artifacts tells where and how the opposing forces were formed for battle and how the battle progressed.

Based on the archaeological evidence the battle occurred at the mass grave or the right of the American line and the British left and extended East from the road. Also, it is evident that Colonel Bufords right flank blocked the road; he was not so inept as to leave it completely exposed to a cavalry attack. The length of the battle line archaeological scatter extends about 220 meters.27

Mass Grave Burial Site Located at the Buford Massacre BattlefieldJames A. Witherspoon led the effort and recorded several localfirst-hand accounts, including this quote published inthe 18 June 1845 Camden Journal

Rev. Jacob Carnes, and others assisted in burying the dead, states that 84, as well as he recollectswho were killed on the day of battle were buried in one large pit or grave, and that 25 who died oftheir wounds the next day were buried in another grave about 300 yards distant from the others.28

Friends of the Buford Massacre BattlefieldIn Feb of 2011 The MC of SC was on a ride that took us by the Buford Massacre site. We stopped to check it out and came across Ms Emily Carnes Franklin a resident of Buford SC and a direct descendant of Jacob Carnes a young farm boy who was impressed by the British to help dig the mass grave for the American dead. She was raking leaves and stopped to talk with us about the battle and her efforts to maintain the site

It was very evident she needed a lot of help as the site was covered in dead leaves, trash and debris. Since that time the MC has helped with an annual clean up.

Our next clean up is set for Feb 7 & 8. Many members of the motorcycle club of SC are still involved in this project.

29Battlefield Clean Up 2012, Buford High School JROTC

In Jan of 2012 the Friends of the BMB invited the JROTC at Buford High to help in the clean up at the Battlefield.Lancaster Recreation and Parks Dept provided the dumpsters and a lot of equipment.

About 50 students under the direction of Major Scott Cato were there to help. What is surprising even though these students live in the area and the school is only 1 mile from the battlefield only 1 student had ever visited the site and was knew what had occurred their.After a brief talk all of the students came away with knowledge of the battle and its importance to our history. They all eagerly pitched in to help in the clean up. 2 large dumpsters were filled to overflowing during the 2 day clean up.

30Battlefield Clean Up 2012, Buford High School JROTC

The cadets were all very hard working and pitched right in. Without them we couldnt have gotten it done.

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The Buford Battle Flag This gold silk flag is believed to have been captured by British Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton at the Battle of the Waxhaws [Bufords Massacre]. Held by the Tarleton family at their family seat in England, Sothebys New York auction house will auction these three flags, along with one other captured in Connecticut by Tarleton, on June 14, 2006. All 4 flags were purchased by an anonymous buyer who pays over 17 million for the flags. For 226 years these flags had been on display in Tarletons home but seen by very few people, their existence was lost. Today a replica is flown over the Buford Battlefield thanks to the Friends of the Buford Massacre Battlefield.32

In Sept. of 2012 a replica of the Buford Battle Flag is presented to the JROTC at Buford High School by the Friends of the Buford Massacre Battlefield.

The motto on the flag is PERSERVERANDO, Latin for To Persevere and that is the spirit we wish to give to inspire this generation, that no matter how bad it gets, how bleak the outcome appears to be, persevere, give it your all and see it through, to stay the course, dont give up and keep trying to the last full measure.33Setting the Flagpole at Buford Massacre Battlefield

Setting the Base for the 30 foot flagpole which was paid for by the South Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution. And Installed by the Friends of the BMB34Our Helpers and Miss Emily

A few of the workers and Miss Emily

Miss Emily is our inspiration.35New Flagpole for the Buford Battlefield

Our work crew and new pole36JROTC Color Guard Raising the Flags and Revolutionary Re-Enactor Honor Guard

May 26, 2012 Dedication Ceremony at BMB The JROTC Color Guard and the Continental soldiers Honor Guard37The American and Buford Flag Fly for the First Time in 232 Years over the Buford Massacre Battlefield

Rep. Mick Mulvaney supplied the American Flag and the Friends of the BMB duplicated the Buford Battle Flag.

Up until this time no American flag had flown over this gravesite and memorial to the men of Virginia who perished on this battlefield.

As part of this project electricity was brought to the site and provides the power for the lighting which illuminates the flag at night so that it flies over the site 24x7. These fund for these projects were raised by the Friends of the Buford Massacre Battlefield which is a non profit SC Corporation dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the battlefield38To Honor and Remember

Mrs. Emily Carnes Franklin spreads soil she collected from Virginia over the mass grave of Continental soldiers at the Commemoration Ceremony on May 26, 2012

Mrs. Franklin is the great great grandaughter of the Rev. Jacob Carnes who as a 17 year old boy was forced by the British to help dig the mass grave and bury the dead Continental soldiers,39Mission Statement of the Friends of the Buford Massacre Battlefield

It is the mission of the Friends of the Buford Massacre Battlefield to promote, preserve and improve this battlefield memorial; to provide an educational experience so that the memory of these fallen heroes and their supreme sacrifice is not forgotten nor the significance of this battle denied its place in history.

The Friends of the Buford Massacre Battlefield Inc., was formed in May of 2012 to promote, preserve and improve this battlefield. The core of this group is 4 members of the MC of SCCL who realized that a long term commitment and formal organization was needed to carry out this task.

READ MISSION STATEMENT

With the inspiration provided by those that died here, and a strength of purpose of all those that support these efforts we the F of the BMB will raise funds to achieve this mission.

We have started several projects to solicit funds including a membership in the F of the BMB, a memorial brick paver program, the sale of replicas of theBuford Battle Flag, and the sale of a booklet written by Miss Emily on the role of her Great Great Grandfather and his role at the end of the battle.40Rendering of Future Buford Massacre Memorial

Future plans for the battlefield and memorial include a walkway with memorial brick pavers and the raising of additional flag poles for the SC and Buford Flags at the site. Informational kiosks will line the walkway giving details of the battle, the war in the South, and who were the soldiers who fought and died and consecrated this land with their blood. This memorial site should be maintained and the final resting place for these soldiers given the respect, honor and tribute they so justly deserve.

At a time when we should be honoring all veterans we seem to have forgotten the sacrifice made by our first patriots. No one is left to carry the torch or to speak for them. Yet their sacrifice is just as great as those who died in any of the wars fought by this country. We are honor bound to do what is required to venerate their memory so that their supreme sacrifice was not in vain. 41THE END

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