Battle of Great Cane Brake

On December 22, 1775, forces clashed briefly at Great Cane Brake in a small engagement tied to the American Revolutionary War. The site lay within what was at the time Ninety-Six District, South Carolina, territory now known as Greenville County.

Battle

Major William "Danger" Thomson received orders from Richardson on December 21 to lead 1,300 men in pursuit of the loyalists, chasing them across the boundary into Indian territory. His force covered 25 miles under cover of darkness, arriving at a spot where the loyalists had taken refuge from freezing rain and scattered snow in what was called a "Brake of Canes." The dampness of the earth combined with the crackling and popping of cane stalks the loyalists had set alight nearly allowed Thomson's troops to encircle the camp undetected, until their dawn assault gave them away. Cunningham managed to flee on a horse with no saddle, having lost his breeches in the chaos, calling out for his men to fend for themselves as best they could. The munitions bound for the Cherokees fell back into patriot hands, along with 130 captured loyalists who were compelled to put their names to a pledge never to bear arms again. Casualties among the loyalists numbered only five or six dead, and Thomson found himself holding back his own soldiers to keep them from turning violent against the captives, several of whom were marched off in chains toward Charles Town.

Aftermath

The day after this victory for the Patriots, an odd and severe snowstorm blew in, bringing real hardship to the militiamen. Many had answered the call to arms on little notice, lacking proper clothing and having no tents to shelter them. A number suffered lasting harm from frostbite and exposure. The affair afterward earned the name "Snow Campaign." Richardson was convinced his triumph had brought calm to the upcountry, yet the Cherokees would soon ally with the loyalists, plunging the South Carolina frontier into a savage civil conflict.