DI Historical Society sleuths spotlight Revolutionary War history at Point Hope
It started with a simple question.
Historian and author Suzannah Smith Miles was researching the history of the Cainhoy Peninsula for the Daniel Island Historical Society when she noted a name – Addison’s Ferry – that kept popping up in historic records related to the Revolutionary War. It was connected to a momentous event involving hundreds of Continental troops.
“Does anyone know where Addison’s Ferry was?” she asked her contacts at DIHS.
It was a place not frequently discussed, if at all, in history circles. In fact most folks, when asked, had never heard of it. DIHS board member Tory Sullivan dug in to find out more. He asked some of his history-minded contacts in Berkeley County, but none could offer any information on the mystery location. So he turned to social media, posting a question about the name on the Facebook group “Charleston History Before 1945.” And then, a hit!
Someone shared an image of an 1821 plat noting the name “Addison’s Ferry.” Sullivan recognized some of the creeks and names on the image. He compared it to current online maps of the area, and a clear, undeniable picture emerged.
“I looked at that piece of paper, and it was mismarked,” Sullivan told the DIHS audience. “It mentioned a different creek. I looked at it upside down, I turned it in circles, I opened up Google Earth, and then all of a sudden the two pieces matched!”
Sullivan’s sleuthing had paid off. He discovered that the ferry’s location was in an area known in the 18th century as the Addison’s Ferry Tract, owned by Thomas Addison. Today, it sits on private, undeveloped property within what is now Point Hope off Nowell Creek.
According to Sullivan, the discovery and subsequent research breakthroughs on the topic have led to a “goldmine of associations.” He and Miles spent the next several months knitting together a story that could be one of the most significant accounts related to the Revolutionary War in the Charleston area.
On May 19, Sullivan presented the findings at a joint program hosted by DIHS and the Berkeley County Francis Marion Commission (Berkeley 250) entitled “Defending the Gateway of Charleston: The Revolutionary War on the Cainhoy Peninsula.”
He joined other guest speakers John Brian Eleazer, author of “The South Carolina Militia and the Revolutionary War,” and Katherine Pemberton, chief of education and outreach for the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC 250).
Sullivan laid out the dire situation in Charles Towne in 1780 for his audience. The British were closing in. By the end of April, the only protected corridor into the city from the north was through Christ Church Parish (today's Mount Pleasant) and St. Thomas Parish (the Daniel Island/Cainhoy Peninsula area). The Patriots were fighting the British as best as they could, but they desperately needed reinforcements.
When word of their plight reached General George Washington in New Jersey in late 1779, his response would set in motion what Sullivan describes as “one of the most audacious actions in the entire Revolutionary War.” A plan was devised to send some 2,500 soldiers under Col. William Woodford’s command to defend Charles Towne. This meant a tedious 800-mile march over land during the worst winter of the war (travel by sea was ruled out due to the Royal Navy’s occupation of the waterways).
“They were moving so incredibly slowly," Sullivan said. "The generals finally commanded the men to leave spare wagons and baggage behind to hasten the march, telling them, ‘Your most speedy arrival is ardently wished for.’”
They were halfway there and had left everything behind. No cannons. No equipment. No additional stores. And they were down to about 750 men. Woodford noted to Washington, “I hope we shall still be there in time to be useful.”
The town was almost completely hemmed in by the time they arrived. “The only still ‘untaken’ place by the British was St. Thomas Parish," Miles explained. “Normally, they would have crossed the Cooper River into Charles Towne from Haddrell's Point at Shem Creek. But it and Daniel Island's Scott's (Clements) Ferry were too open to British interference. Enter the smaller, little Addison's Ferry on the Cainhoy Peninsula.”
The Addison’s Ferry Tract was indeed an important strategic location. Not only did it have good access to the Wando and Cooper Rivers, it served as a place to stage horses and provision food for Patriot forces. (See sidebar).
When, on April 6, 1780, the 700-plus troops finally settled at Addison's Ferry after four months of marching, the Patriots were ecstatic. Help had finally arrived. To get the troops (and their horses) into Charles Towne, nine vessels were procured, likely rice schooners and plantation sloops from nearby properties. They sailed without reprisal down the Wando and Cooper Rivers into Charleston, under the watchful eyes of the enemy.
“Anyone who was at the waterfront could see them sail right on by,” said Sullivan. “When they arrived at Gadsden's Wharf, it was to cheers and jubilation.”
“These folks looked like they were veterans who'd been to war,” Sullivan continued. “And they had been, even just before this march, which was incredible…Woodford himself noted that the garrison appeared in high spirits, with fresh confidence.”
It was just the morale boost the American troops needed. But, sadly, several weeks later, on May 12, 1780, Charles Towne fell to the British. Their victorious arrival was a situation of "too little, too late," and all the Patriot soldiers, including those who had made that courageous march, were ultimately taken prisoner.
“It was a tremendous loss, obviously, when Charleston fell,” Sullivan said. But even during the occupation, General Francis Marion's men continued to use St. Thomas Parish and Daniel Island as a venue for harassing the British.
Both Sullivan and Miles agree that the significance of what the Continental troops at Addison’s Ferry accomplished cannot be understated. The men had completed a journey fraught with challenges, their arrival was a complete surprise to the British, and they managed to travel safely into the city without attack. It was a “phenomenal” feat, noted Miles.
Thanks to new online accessibility to information and research, including Gen. Francis Marion’s Papers, a three-part treasure trove of letters and documents, the story of what happened here continues to unfold.
“We're in an exciting time in history where resources that weren't available 250 years ago, 100 years ago, or 10 years ago are now available to us,” Sullivan said. “And we're finding new things every day.”
Suzannah Smith Miles contributed to this article.
NEIGHBORLY PROVISIONS
During the British occupation and until the end of the war, the rich abundance of Daniel Island and Cainhoy farmlands became of vital importance as the fight for freedom continued. Soldiers needed food; horses needed forage. Roaming guerrilla units under Francis Marion continued to harass the British as the war progressed and the British needed supplies.
Cainhoy Peninsula property owner Thomas Addison offered more than a ferriage. In June 1780, his lands provided beef, rice, corn, and pigs to Marion's men. Likewise, Samuel Bonneau provided 240 pounds of beef and 150 pounds of pork to Colonel Hezekiah Maham's troops. Robert Daniell III provided a whopping 5,000 pounds of beef for Continental use that same year.
In November and December 1781, Robert Quash provided 1,200 pounds of beef and 200 bushels of potatoes and rice to Marion's brigade. These are just examples of the constant "back door" supply chain that remained active until the war's end, with support and supplies generated from area families like the Lesesnes, Capers, Dearingtons, Vennings, Akins, Parkers, Fogarties, Atkinsons, and others.
Source: S.C. Archives & History, Revolutionary War Indents