Get to know the Liberty Trail

Y’all know I’m a history buff, and y’all know I love trails. So, I want to give a nod to a sister trail — the Liberty Trail — which combines both by highlighting Revolutionary War sites in our state. Many of these are on, or close to, the Palmetto Trail and to Newberry.

The Liberty Trail celebrates our belief that the success of the Revolutionary War was due to actions across the swamps and mountains of South Carolina. The Liberty Trail is a driving trail (as opposed to the hiking/biking Palmetto Trail) which connects battlefields across the state and helps to educate all of us about the role our state played in the war for independence. It is a partnership between the American Battlefield Trust and the South Carolina Battlefield Trust.

We’ve mentioned some of these sites in the past. The Liberty Trail includes another nearby Palmetto Trail passage with Revolutionary War connections, and that is the Blackstock Battlefield.

After the battle of Kings Mountain, General Thomas Sumter (AKA “the Gamecock”) prepared to attack the British at Ninety-Six. Colonel Banastre Tarleton was recalled from his pursuit of Francis Marion and told to intercept Sumter. We will talk more of Tarleton’s presence in Newberry in a later article. Tarleton was able to cross the Broad River with his dragoons without being discovered, but a sympathizer warned General Sumter that he was on his way. Sumter chose to meet the feared Colonel at the Blackstock Plantation, where the high ground on which the home was located gave his troops an advantage. Tarleton, on the other hand, had moved so quickly that he was far ahead of his infantry and artillery — a distinct disadvantage in war!

On November 20, 1780, the two sides engaged. Tarleton’s cavalry was decimated as they tried to move uphill against Sumter’s forces. Although Sumter was severely wounded in the battle, he recovered from his injuries and lived to the ripe old age of 97, being the last living general of the Revolutionary War.

The battle resulted in a British defeat, in that almost 100 British troops were killed, as opposed to three Patriots, and Tarleton was forced to withdraw. After regrouping and rejoining his infantry and artillery, Tarleton renewed his pursuit of Sumter’s troops for two more days, claiming a “win” for dispersing them. (“Spin” is nothing new, right?)

Spoiler alert: Tarleton repeated his headstrong military tactics at Cowpens which again resulted in a huge Patriot victory leading the British forces to abandon their campaign in South Carolina and retreat northward, hastening the end of the war.

Preservation of the 54-acre Blackstock Battlefield and construction of the Palmetto Trail are a combined effort of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation/Palmetto Trail, South Carolina State Parks, the Spartanburg Greenway Alliance, and the Mary Black Foundation. International Paper Company donated the site. AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) assisted with passage construction. Botanists from the A.C. Moore Herbarium at the University of South Carolina conducted rare plant surveys, and on-site displays highlight the region’s plant and animal life. Archaeological and historical surveys are ongoing.

The Blackstock Battlefield Passage of the Palmetto Trail is a 1.6-mile loop trail of moderate difficulty which borders the battlefield and skirts the banks of a remote section of the Tyger River. Planned improvements at the site include developing the park grounds, expanding the hiking trails, and adding additional historical interpretive panels. A short 10 miles away is Musgrove Mill State Park, which oversees the Blackstock Battlefield and is itself the site of another revolutionary war battle. Although not directly located on the Palmetto Trail, it is a partner site and is worth a visit, as it is only 30 miles from Newberry. Kids especially like the Horseshoe Falls on a small tributary of the Enoree River.

So, dust the pollen off your hiking shoes and get out and visit some of the incredible treasures our great state has to offer! And as always, if you have questions or are interested in a guided walk on the trail, please get in touch with me at fmiller@palmettoconservation.org.

See you on the Trail!