Boston Harbour Déjà Vu
LINDLEY’S FORT, SOUTH CAROLINA
July, 15 1776
Not everyone thought that the Declaration of Independence was the greatest thing since sliced mutton! It’s estimated over 30% (possibly as high as 35-40%) of the colonists were NOT on board when the Revolution Boat left the harbour. But not just those colonists, better known as Tories or Loyalists. Certain Native American tribes were not too pleased with that parchment that rolled out of Philadelphia in early July.
The Cherokee Nation was none too happy about the encroachment of settlers onto their land in the South Carolina backcountry. (It’s likely the British would have done the same “encroaching” in the future if they continued to control the colonies.) But future knowledge, Magic 8 Balls, and time machines were not at the Cherokees’ disposal, so they formed an “alliance.” Of course, they were on the wrong side of history aligning with the Loyalists. But at the time, it somehow made sense.
The Battle of Lindley’s Fort was not only a part of the Cherokee/Loyalist alliance’s campaign to take control of the back country, it was also a strange nod to an incident that happened three years before in Boston Harbour, minus the tea!
The patriot settlers in the area decided that they needed some protection from the Cherokee/Loyalist alliance, so they set off to Lindley’s Fort, southeast of what would become Greenville, SC.
The patriot settlers chose wisely. Unfortunately, the Cherokee/Loyalist alliance did not. Maybe it was a stroke of luck, or bad timing on the part of the alliance, but the day before they decided to attack the fort, approximately 150 militiamen arrived.
Two days earlier and the alliance probably could easily have taken the wooden stockade.
This error in timing foiled the attack, and the militia from the fort followed the attackers as they withdrew, due probably to their lack of, or types of, weapons. Tomahawks might be a great missile in modern warfare, but in 1776, tomahawks were little more than a piece of wood for a handle with a blade attached. If they were planning on chopping down the fort, it might have been useful. Against muskets, that’s another story.
It is reported that two Loyalists were killed while approximately 13 were taken prisoner.
But that’s not the strangest thing about this “battle” of Lindley’s Fort. It was totally expected that the Cherokee were wearing war paint … but so were the Loyalists!
Although there was no dumping of tea into Boston Harbour involved, those who participated in that Boston “party” were also wearing war paint and Native American attire. In the aftermath of that evening of partying, Loyalists were incensed that the “rebels” were dressed like Indians!
Sooooo! Let’s get this straight! It was okay for the Loyalists in South Carolina to wear war paint, but NOT the REBELS of Boston?
It’s just another one of those, “Yeah! Let’s do that!”
“History will never remember us!”
No Reinforcements!
The one thing Benjamin Franklin didn’t have was reinforcements. No one was coming to rescue him. They didn’t even know where he had gone! He had walked out the back door of Stirling Plantation toward the James River in 1775 and … disappeared!
If it wasn’t for Catherine, the college history professor, he would have had no one to help him. He was somehow in 2025! The British had won the American Revolution and this United States of Britain, hopefully, was just an alternate timeline! But it wouldn’t make any difference if he couldn’t return to 1775!
