Port’s Ferry, located on the Pee Dee River, was a vital Revolutionary War crossing owned by Frances Port, a widow and Patriot whose husband, Thomas Port, had served in the Provincial Congress. The ferry’s strategic location made it a key asset for Brigadier General Francis Marion, who fortified and frequently used it during his 1780 campaign against British and Loyalist forces. Soon after taking command of the militia in August 1780, Marion crossed here to launch a surprise attack on Major Micajah Ganey’s Loyalists at Britton’s Neck—an early action that helped cement his reputation.
Although the famed Battle of Blue Savannah on September 4, 1780 actually took place about 20 miles north of the ferry, Marion’s victory there—after crossing at Port’s Ferry—broke Loyalist resistance in the region and drew new recruits to his cause. Marion returned to camp and muster at Port’s Ferry in October 1780, and likely used it again during his winter campaign based out of Snow’s Island. The ferry’s importance extended beyond Marion’s forces—it was also used by other American troops, such as Lt. Col. Henry Lee, and may have been accessed by the British as well. Today, Port’s Ferry remains one of the most significant Revolutionary-era river crossings in the Pee Dee, closely linked to the broader story of Francis Marion’s partisan war.
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