Near this site along Lynches Creek in southern Florence County, a brutal clash in December 1780 marked one of the most violent moments of the Revolutionary War in the Pee Dee region. As British victories at Charleston and Camden fueled Loyalist confidence, civil war engulfed the South Carolina backcountry. While some tried to remain neutral, many locals took sides—or switched them—as tensions escalated. Brigadier General Francis Marion worked to contain the Loyalist threat through constant patrols and quick strikes, hoping to stabilize the region and support the Patriot cause.
On that December day, a Patriot scouting party led by Lieutenant Roger Gordon stopped at a tavern near here, unaware that Captain Jeffrey Butler, a feared Loyalist militia officer, was closing in with his men. Butler’s troops burned the tavern and offered quarter, only to slaughter the Patriots after they surrendered. The massacre shocked Marion’s men and deepened the bitterness of partisan warfare. Despite this atrocity, when Loyalist forces later surrendered at Burch’s Mill in 1782, Marion controversially granted Butler clemency—a decision condemned by his own officers as "an insult to humanity." Lynches Creek remains a sobering reminder of the war’s cruelty and the blurred lines between neighbor, enemy, and survivor in South Carolina’s civil conflict.
What's Nearby
Explore more of The Liberty Trail by visiting these nearby attractions.
