Spartanburg County, South Carolina - General Elijah Clarke, 1900

According to the pages of history, Elijah Clarke was the first settler in the territory afterwards embraced in the county of Spartanburg (see Ramsey's History of South Carolina, page ii8). Spartanburg county has every reason to be proud of and revere his memory, not only as her " Daniel Boone," but for other acts of heroism performed on her soil, which we shall mention further on in this narrative devoted to him.

Elijah Clarke was born in North Carolina, but the precise place or date of his birth, we have been unable to gather. By the treaty of Governor James Glen with the Cherokee Indians in 1755, the particulars of which, we have published in another volume,* very nearly half of the present territory of South Carolina was ceded by them, which comprised the original counties of Edgefield, Abbeville, Laurens, Newberry, Union, Spartanburg, York, Chester, Fairfield and Richland. This new and beautiful country being thus thrown open to settlement, there was an immigration of settlers into all of these counties, mostly from Virginia, but many from North Carolina, Maryland and Pennsylvania, as well also as an advance of civilization from the seacoast. The settlements in many of the sections thrown open were more rapid than in the up-country lying next to the Cherokee Indian Nation, which at that time the present counties of Greenville, Anderson, Pickens and Oconee formed a part. Mills, in his statistics, says that "this section of the country was settled between 1750 and 1760, but from its exterior and exposed situation, it did not much increase in population until 1776."

According to Dr. Howe's " History of the Presbyterian Church of South Carolina," the settlements on the rivers, north, middle and south, Tyger did not take place earlier than 1755, which was the year of Governor Glen's treaty. These were mostly Scotch-Irish and embraced, for the most part, the present familiar family names of Moore, Barry, Jordan, Nesbitt, Vernon, Collins, Nichols, Caldwell, Anderson, Snoddy, Miller, Pearson and others.

Colonel Elijah Clarke, who afterwards became noted as a soldier of the Revolution and an officer of distinction, settled on Pacolet River at no great distance from the present manufacturing town of Clifton, about the year referred to (1755). In the course of time he was followed by other families, but at the end of said year there were not more than a dozen families residing within the present limits of Spartanburg county.

For about nine or ten years Elijah Clarke remained on Pacolet River, spending most of his time, doubtless, in building houses, opening roads, clearing lands, and preparing a future home for himself and family, but the tardy progress of civilization and the many disadvantages by which he was surrounded, caused him, no doubt, to seek another and a more inviting country for his future habitation, and he removed from South Carolina to Georgia in the year 1774, settling in Wilkes county. His first appearance in the history of Georgia dates with 1776, as captain of a company entrusted with the care of some wagons loaded with provisions for the army. Whilst crossing a small stream he was attacked by a body of Indians which he put to flight, and thus he won his first reputation as a soldier and inspired the confii68 History of vSpartanburg County.

dence of the people as a trustworthy leader in those perilous times. In Howe's expedition against East Florida he rendered important service, but we have not time to go into the particulars of this.

In the battle of Kettle Creek his fame was increased. (See account of this battle - " White's Historical Collections of Georgia/' page 684.) After this battle many of the citizens of Georgia who had gone to South Carolina for safety returned with their families and property to Wilkes county, but shortly afterwards were much alarmed by the approach of a body of Indians, and to Colonel Clarke was committed the highly responsible duty of remaining on the frontier to guard the forts. This was a trying period, as the enemy had devastated the fairest portion of Georgia. Colonel Clark's house was pillaged and burnt and his, family ordered to leave the State, but these indignities only inspired him the more. He recruited his regiment for more active service and entered the field with the avowed determination to conquer or die in defence of a cause which he believed to be right and just.

In the battle of Long Cane Colonel Clarke was severely wounded and carried off the field. After his recovery he again entered the field of active service, but was shortly afterwards attacked with smallpox, which lasted him but a brief period.

After the fall of Savannah and Charleston the territory of Georgia, like that of South Carolina, was completely overrun by the enemy, and it became necessary for Colonel Clarke and his command to retreat to more secure regions. While yet remaining in Georgia, he and his command had to secrete themselves in the woods and be fed by friends. When his command reassembled, however, its numbers had increased, and it was the desire of all that Colonel Clarke should lead them to North Caro- lina. The command set out at once along the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains. On the way Colonel Clarke was joined by the command of Captain Joseph McCall, consisting of about twenty men, and later he was joined by Colonel John Jones's command, which was from Burke county, Ga., and which had preceded him only a short time before. This junction with Colonel Jones's command was near Cherokee Ford on Broad River, where Colonel Charles McDowell was encamped, and in command of all the forces there, but for want of confidence in his activity, Colonel Clarke, with his united commands, pushed on and joined Colonel Sumter on or near the Catawba. These different commands having come together under brave partisan leaders, it was impossible for active military operations to remain idle very long, while the phmderings and maraudings of the British and Tories were increasing everywhere.

The next event of importance in which Colonel Clarke participated was in the capture of Fort Thickety or Anderson, under the command of Captain Patrick Moore, an account of which we have related in the volume already referred to.* It was from Thickety Fort that ]\Ioore and his Tory associates would sally forth to plunder Whig families in the surroimding country, leaving women and children often without clothing, shoes, bread, meat and salt, and many are the incidents on record of these acts of lawlessness and robbery, which we have not time or space to recall here; but the inroads of this noted character and his followers, reaching the ears of Sumter, this officer directed Colonel Clarke and his Georgians to gather such persons in his camp as resided in that region and who desired to aid in its protection against the outrages of the Tories. It is said that among the first who volunteered to perform this service was Captain William Smith (afterwards one of the early judges for Spartanburg county, who will receive further notice) and his company. Arriving at Cherokee Ford, they met Colonel McDowell just as he was, with Colonels Shelby, Andrew Hampton and Major Robinson of Sevier's Regiment, organizing a force of six hundred men to surprise and capture Thickety Fort, not many miles away.* They took up their line of march about sunset on the evening of the 25th of July, 1780, and surrounded and captured the fort the next morning at daybreak.

In the month of August, 1780, immediately following the capture of Fort Thickety, two important engagements with the enemy occurred within the limits of the present county of Spartanburg, in which Colonel Clarke and his command were active participants. One of these was the second battle of Cedar Spring or Wofford's Iron Works, fought on the 8th, and the other the battle of Musgrove's Mill, fought on the i8th of said month. In the volume already referred to, in which we have attempted to chronicle the important events as occurring in said county during the Revolutionary period, we have dwelt at length, and have devoted much time and space in our narrative of these battles, which we cannot again reproduce in this volume, but which, though insignificant as they may appear with some of the battles of a more modern date, went very far, in the judgment of the writer, in serving as stepping-stones, as it were, in deciding the destiny of this great American Republic. They occurred at a time when it was believed by many that South Carolina was already subjugated by the British government, and when many had already laid down their arms and sought British protection, and but for such gallant spir- its and daring leaders as Clarke, Shelby, Williams, and others, it is very difficult to determine what might have been the final result. These little engagements gave an important prestige to the strength of the American arms, and of the valor, patriotism and determination of her soldiers. In the history of the Revolution, these engagements occurred during a very critical period. For instance, the disastrous defeat of General Gates at Camden (August i6th, 1780), occurred but two days before the battle of Musgrove's Mill, and the repulse of the enemy at the latter place gave new life and courage to the Whigs everywhere and caused many to rejoin the ranks, and once more to take up arms in defence of a just and righteous cause.

After the battle of Musgrove's Mill, Colonel Clarke, with his command, retreated with the forces of Colonels Shelby and Williams to Gilberttown (near Rutherfordton, N. C), where a reunion was made with the remainder of McDowell's forces, considerably reduced in numbers, whom they had left at Cherokee Ford before the beginning of the; Musgrove's expedition. Here the various commands separated with the understanding that, after the over-mountain men returned to their homes, an army was to be raised from both sides of the mountains sufficient in numbers to cope with Furguson, who seemed at this time to be overpowering in strength and numbers. The Musgrove's prisoners were turned over to Colonel Clarke, who, after continuing some distance on the route in the direction of Charlotte, now concluded to return to Georgia by the mountain trails. The prisoners were turned over to Colonel Williams, who, with Captain Hammond, conducted them safely to Hillsboro, N. C. ; but it yet remained for Colonel Clarke to render gallant service to his county, which

After the fall of Fort Granby only two important British posts remained commanding the upper part of South Carolina, viz.: Augusta and Ninety-six. The defences immediately around Augusta consisted of two forts, Cornwallis and Grierson. The former was commanded by Colonel Brown and the latter by Colonel Grierson. Lower down the Savannah River a few miles was Fort Gilpin (or Galpin^ Galphen^ called by some writers).

Pickens, who had recently been created a brigadier, was ordered by General Greene to collect and enlist in his commands the Whig elements in upper Carolina, concentrate before Augusta, looking to the reduction of that post, and to cut off all communication between Augusta and Ninety-six. Lieutenant-Colonel Lee with his legion was also ordered, after the fall of Granby, to join Pickens at Augusta. The distance between these places was about one hundred miles. Lee's Legion had recently been recruited by the addition of Colonel Eaton's command of two hundred North Carolina militia.

"Among those who hastened into action upon the approach of the American army (into South Carolina) was Colonel Clarke of Georgia. His followers immediately gathered around him, and he found himself at the head of a party sufficient to invest Augusta, as soon as Pickens was able to hold in check the garrison at Ninetysix."

Clarke's approach to Augusta was sudden and unexpected. It was the custom of the British authorities to send annually presents to the Cherokee Indians. Several boats loaded with these presents were on their way up the Savannah River. Clarke heard of these, and before they could make good their retreat he waylaid them. The stream, though deep, is narrow, and Clarke's riflemen among the trees along the banks would soon have swept the deck of any boat not provided against attack. Unable to ascend or descend, these boats took shelter under Fort Gilpin ; and Colonel Clarke was carefully guarding this invaluable prize when he was joined some days afterward by Lee.

Immediately upon Lee's arrival he was complimented with the task of capturing Fort Gilpin. This was on the 2ist of May, 1781. Lee captured the post by stratagem, as it were. iVppearing before it with a small force, the garrison marched out to engage it, when Captain Rudolph, of Lee's Legion, who was concealed near by with a larger force, rushed into the fort and captured it. All those outside were taken prisoners.

By the fall of this fort there were captured one hundred and twenty-six prisoners of all descriptions, including seventy commissioned officers and privates in the regular service, besides the boats on the stream with their loaded cargoes. The American casualties were small - only twelve wounded. The capture of these boats was a valuable acquisition to the American cause. They were loaded with a quantity of clothing, blankets, small arms, rum, salt, and other useful and muchneeded articles of which the American army had long been deprived. There was also a good supply of ammunition and some articles of military equipment.

Notwithstanding the command of General Pickens, representing the States of South Carolina and Georgia (the latter embracing Colonel Clarke's command), were in a naked and destitute condition, yet the distribution of these articles exhibited the characters of Pickens and Greene transferred into a light that was honorable to both. Pickens, with modesty, begged of General Greene, that his men be allowed to share, in their destitute condition, a part of the booty captured. Greene, in reply, authorized him to divide the same according to his sense of justice and the good of the service. Pickens set aside the military stores for public service, and loaded thirteen wagons with rum, salt, sugar, medicines, etc., for the main army. He divided the clothing into three equal parts, assigning one lot to Georgia, another to South Carolina, and the third to the Continental troops. The fowling-pieces were distributed among the militia on condition that they would remain in the army for specific service.

In the capture of Fort Gilpin two forts still remained in the hands of the British, viz. : Grierson and Cornw^allis. In the capture of these, which occurred soon after the fall of Gilpin, Colonel Clarke took an active part ; but for the particulars of their capture the reader is referred to the first volume of our work* ; time would fail us to go into a more extended account of the siege and capture of Augusta, to which great credit was due Colonel Clarke for having gallantly confined the British garrison to their works for weeks before the arrival of Lee.

Colonel Clarke remained in the service until the final cessation of active hostilities, which ended at Yorktown, in October of the same year. In the course of his brilliant career he was commissioned a brigadier-general, and before his death a major-general ; the former commission doubtless in recognition of his gallant services in connection with the fall of forts Gilpin, Grierson and Cornwallis.

but that which gave him greatest achievement was at Jack's Creek in 1787, against the Indians, in which he defeated the Creeks. He died upon the dawning of the nineteenth century, which was about 1801, leaving a name behind him worthy of preservation and perpetuation by the generations that survive him.

Mrs. Hannah Clarke, relict of Major-General Elijah Clarke, died August 26th, 1829, aged ninety years, having outlived her husband twenty-eight years. She attended her husband through many interesting periods of the American Revolution, and had often experienced some of the distressing vicissitudes of the war, having had her house burned as stated and all of its contents destroyed during the absence of her husband by a plundering set of British and Tories who ravaged that part of the country in which she then resided, and had to seek shelter as best she could with a family of children. She was afterwards robbed of the horse on which she was riding to meet her husband near the North Carolina line. During a part of the campaigns of General Clarke she accompanied him, and on one occasion in attempting to remove from a place of danger, near which an engagement was soon expected, her horse was shot from under her, while two children were on his back with her. She was at the siege of Augusta, and was present when Brown capitulated, and many of the prisoners there, and at other times, taken by her husband, experienced her benevolence and hospitality. She lived to behold and rejoice over the happiness of her country, which she had frequently seen desolated by cruelty and bloodshed. Her remains were interred at Woodburn, Ga. , near the last resting-place of her husband.