Fort Watson
April 23, 1781
Find in Google Maps or use the coordinates in your own mapping app:
33.53889, -80.4375This British fort was a stronghold for important supply chains along the original Santee River. Thanks to some creativity and the element of surprise it became the first post in South Carolina taken from the British. The original site of Fort Watson can be visited on the Santee National Wildlife Refuge atop the Santee Indian Mound overlooking Lake Marion.
During the American Revolution, British forces held a stockade fort on the top of an Indian mound near the Santee River which controlled the road from Charleston to Camden as well as the Santee River. The British fort’s high vantage point made it hard to approach. The Patriots devised a plan to take the fort and regain control of the supply route. Major Hezekiah Maham’s idea was to build a tower (now known as the Maham Tower) high enough so that riflemen could shoot down into the fort. After days of chopping saplings nearby, the Patriots erected the 40-foot-tall tower overnight. General Francis Marion and Lieutenant Colonel Henry Lee encircled the British fort with patriot troops. At dawn on April 23, 1781, firing from the tower led to the rapid surrender of Fort Watson by the British, making it the first post in South Carolina taken from the British.
The original site of Fort Watson can be visited on the Santee National Wildlife Refuge atop the Santee Indian Mound overlooking Lake Marion.
Did you know? The Siege in April of 1781 was not the first engagement between Patriot and British forces at Fort Watson. Two months prior, Brigadier General Thomas Sumter attempted to take the fort in Feb of 1781 but was unsuccessful.