Fort Charlotte (South Carolina)
Encyclopedia
Fort Charlotte is located in McCormick County, South Carolina beneath the waters of the Strom Thurmond Lake. It was named for the reigning queen at the time. The Fort was made mostly of granite
quarried from across the Savannah River
. Construction began in the summer of 1765 and took a couple of years to complete because of structural complications as well as the constant threat of attack by the Creek Native American
s. The Fort measured approximately 170 foot squared with bastions at every corner and a wall height of between 10 and 20 feet. The Fort was built for defensive purposes—to protect local settlers, as opposed to being a trading fort, meant for Native American/ European trading. Almost as soon as the Fort was completed the British Royal (Federal) government abandoned the Fort by placing it under the care and authority of the South Carolina
government. During that time (1768) several forts were closed in the area, and in many cases guns, cannon, powder, bullets and other military supplies were sent to Fort Charlotte for safe keeping.
These same supplies were later used by Patriot forces against Carolina Backcountry Tories and in at least one case these supplies found their way into a major battle—the Second Siege of Fort Ninety-Six.
At the same time the Fort was housing war supplies, the Patriots were meeting with leaders of the Cherokee
at Fort Charlotte in an attempt to sway the Cherokee in their favor. The “good talks” however did not work and South Carolina entered the Revolutionary War with the English and the Cherokee opposing them.
Also worthy of note is that the Fort housed an undisclosed number of Prisoners-of-War. Exactly how many is unclear, but given the number of individuals loyal to the King that lived in the Carolina Backcountry, their numbers could have been numerous.
The fate of the Fort after the Revolution is unclear, but certainly by the great flood, called the “Yazoo Freshet” of 1797, the standing walls would have been mostly leveled. This did not end the history of the Fort.
After the Revolution the Fort became a popular spot for gentlemen to settle their differences via dueling. Several texts have referred to Fort Charlotte as “that popular old spot for dueling.” Evidence suggests that there were about 10 known duels there. The most famous of the duels to occur there was the Crawford-Van Alen duel, in which Van Alen was shot dead by future Georgia
senator William H. Crawford
. The grievance between Crawford and Van Alen was over land schemes which eventually culminated in the Supreme Court case Worchester v Georgia.
At the end of the Civil War
, Confederate President Davis and some of his cabinet fled through South Carolina into Georgia crossing the Savannah River at Fort Charlotte. Also with Davis was the Confederate seal
and a substantial portion of the treasury
. The treasury has yet to be found, but it is not beyond reason to think that perhaps the treasury was stashed at Fort Charlotte. An archaeological survey was conducted at the site in the 1950s, but, strangely, all of the artifacts were lost, and the official report was not released until after the death of the primary archaeologist. It was shortly thereafter that the lake was built and the site of Fort Charlotte flooded.
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
quarried from across the Savannah River
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the border...
. Construction began in the summer of 1765 and took a couple of years to complete because of structural complications as well as the constant threat of attack by the Creek Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
s. The Fort measured approximately 170 foot squared with bastions at every corner and a wall height of between 10 and 20 feet. The Fort was built for defensive purposes—to protect local settlers, as opposed to being a trading fort, meant for Native American/ European trading. Almost as soon as the Fort was completed the British Royal (Federal) government abandoned the Fort by placing it under the care and authority of the South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
government. During that time (1768) several forts were closed in the area, and in many cases guns, cannon, powder, bullets and other military supplies were sent to Fort Charlotte for safe keeping.
These same supplies were later used by Patriot forces against Carolina Backcountry Tories and in at least one case these supplies found their way into a major battle—the Second Siege of Fort Ninety-Six.
At the same time the Fort was housing war supplies, the Patriots were meeting with leaders of the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
at Fort Charlotte in an attempt to sway the Cherokee in their favor. The “good talks” however did not work and South Carolina entered the Revolutionary War with the English and the Cherokee opposing them.
Also worthy of note is that the Fort housed an undisclosed number of Prisoners-of-War. Exactly how many is unclear, but given the number of individuals loyal to the King that lived in the Carolina Backcountry, their numbers could have been numerous.
The fate of the Fort after the Revolution is unclear, but certainly by the great flood, called the “Yazoo Freshet” of 1797, the standing walls would have been mostly leveled. This did not end the history of the Fort.
After the Revolution the Fort became a popular spot for gentlemen to settle their differences via dueling. Several texts have referred to Fort Charlotte as “that popular old spot for dueling.” Evidence suggests that there were about 10 known duels there. The most famous of the duels to occur there was the Crawford-Van Alen duel, in which Van Alen was shot dead by future Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
senator William H. Crawford
William H. Crawford
William Harris Crawford was an American politician and judge during the early 19th century. He served as United States Secretary of War from 1815 to 1816 and United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1816 to 1825, and was a candidate for President of the United States in 1824.-Political...
. The grievance between Crawford and Van Alen was over land schemes which eventually culminated in the Supreme Court case Worchester v Georgia.
At the end of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Confederate President Davis and some of his cabinet fled through South Carolina into Georgia crossing the Savannah River at Fort Charlotte. Also with Davis was the Confederate seal
Confederate Seal
The Great Seal of the Confederate States was the official seal of the government of the Confederate States of America, which consisted of eleven states that voted to secede from the United States, leading to the American Civil War....
and a substantial portion of the treasury
Treasury
A treasury is either*A government department related to finance and taxation.*A place where currency or precious items is/are kept....
. The treasury has yet to be found, but it is not beyond reason to think that perhaps the treasury was stashed at Fort Charlotte. An archaeological survey was conducted at the site in the 1950s, but, strangely, all of the artifacts were lost, and the official report was not released until after the death of the primary archaeologist. It was shortly thereafter that the lake was built and the site of Fort Charlotte flooded.