illustration of a man from American Colonial era

The Liberty Trail History Makers

Join us in discovering the individuals who shaped the Revolutionary War in South Carolina. 

Biography

Colonel Henry Rugeley was a prominent South Carolina Tory who earned a commission in the British army after the siege of Charleston in 1780.

Biography

Tony Small, a formerly enslaved man, saved British soldier Lord Edward FitzGerald after the Battle of Eutaw Springs in 1781. Grateful, FitzGerald freed Small, who became his assistant and followed him to Ireland. They remained close until FitzGerald's death in 1798, after which Small settled near London.

Biography

During the Revolutionary War, Sumter became a prominent commander in the South Carolina militia. When Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton’s raiders burned his home, however, he organized a band of partisans to harass the British and their Tory allies. General Cornwallis called him one of his “great plagues.”

Biography

Tarleton, active in the Southern Campaign, came to be known as the ‘butcher’ after Continental soldiers accused his dragoons of disregarding a Patriot surrender by attacking the Americans after they laid down their arms at the Battle of Waxhaws.

Explore South Carolina History
We invite you to visit the preserved locations along the Liberty Trail and to immerse yourself in the extraordinary events that determined the fate of a nation.
Historic Site
Sullivan's Island, SC

William Moultrie died in 1805 and was buried in the family cemetery. In 1977, his remains were moved to Sullivan's Island within Fort Moultrie.

Historic Site
Clemson, SC

The Old Stone Church is located on the grounds of Clemson University. Early membership included Revolutionary War heroes Andrew Pickens and Robert
Anderson.

Battlefield
Heath Springs, SC

This battleground was the site of three British camps, attacked by Patriot troops on August 6, 1780. It was a fight primarily between countrymen.

Historic Site
Gaffney, SC
On this site lie the bodies of three, unknown British soldiers who perished at the Battle of Cowpens, which was fought around 14 miles away from here on January 17, 1781. These three men were brought...
Historic Site | Historic House
Roebuck, SC

Established in 1767 by the Patriot supporting Moore family. Local militia gathered at Walnut Grove prior to the Battle of Cowpens. Visitors may take guided tours of the house and grounds.

National Park | Historic Site
Huger, SC

The Francis Marion is a forest literally steeped in history. Marion, dubbed the “Swamp Fox” by the British troops whose supply lines he disrupted with surprise attacks from the swamps.

Historic Site | Historic House
Charleston, SC

This historic house museum was the home of Thomas Heyward, Jr., one of four South Carolina signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Battlefield
Clarendon County, SC

Patriot Francis Marion earns his famous nickname — "The Swamp Fox”— after a futile chase by British Commander Banastre Tarleton

National Park | Historic Site
Gaffney, SC
Stretching 330-miles through four states (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina) the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail traces the route used by Patriot militia during the pivotal...
Battlefield |
Camden, SC

The Battle of Camden was a devastating defeat suffered by the Americans in the British military offensive in the South.

Battlefield | Historic Site
Moncks Corner, SC

Former Plantation of Henry Laurens: Merchant, Slave Trader, South Carolina Statesman, and Father of Revolutionary War Soldier John Laurens.

Historic Site | Gardens & Grounds
Charleston, SC

The plantation & gardens bears witness to 350 years of American history. Learn about the Europeans who colonized South Carolina, and the enslaved people who worked in the rice fields and gardens.