National Register of Historic Places

Musgrove's Mill Historic Battle Site

Cross Anchor, Union County, South Carolina
Listed
March 4, 1975
Type
Site
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
75001708

About this property

Musgrove Mill State Historic Site was the site of the Battle of Musgrove Mill, an action in the American Revolutionary War, which occurred on August 19, 1780, near the Enoree River, on what (in the 21st century) is the border between Spartanburg, Laurens, and Union Counties in South Carolina, approximately seven miles from Interstate 26. In the August 1780, a group of 200 Patriot militiamen attempted to strike what they thought was an equal number of Loyalists camped near a ford on the Enoree River. The Loyalists, however, had recently been joined by 300 more, two hundred of them provincial regulars from the British post at Ninety Six, South Carolina. Once discovered, the Patriots were unable to either retreat or make a frontal assault. Instead they took up a position behind logs and brush on a nearby ridge and lured the Loyalists into attacking them. A fierce fight ensued and turned into a near rout of the Loyalists. Nevertheless, when the Patriot militia learned that American forces had been defeated three days before at the Battle of Camden, they also retreated. North Carolina Patriot militia leader Col. Isaac Shelby, campaigning to Musgrove Mill from the area of present-day northeast Tennessee, fought at the Battle of Musgrove Mill with a small force of Overmountain Men. After the battle, Shelby and his Overmountain Men returned over the Appalachia Mountains to the Sycamore Shoals (located at present-day Elizabethton, Tennessee). Shelby was one of the Patriot officers mustering weeks later at Sycamore Shoals on September 25, 1780, in advance of the early October 7, 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain. The Musgrove Mill battle site was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The park includes a visitor center with interpretive exhibits, a memorial to the legendary Mary Musgrove (featured in a popular early 19th-century novel), two marked trails, a picnic area, a fishing pond, a canoe launch, and a small waterfall.

Location

Cross Anchor, Union County, South Carolina
34.60486, -81.85174

Categories

MILITARY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Cross Keys House
Early Republic
4.9 mi
Battle of Blackstock's Historic Site
Listed
5.2 mi
Padgett's Creek Baptist Church
Industrial
6.1 mi
Duncan's Creek Presbyterian Church
Early Republic
6.3 mi
Mountain Shoals Plantation
Industrial
7.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Blackstock's Farm Nov 20 1780
1780Revolutionary War
3.7 mi
Battle of Musgrove Mill
1780Revolutionary War
5.4 mi
Skirmish at Hammond's Store (SC, 1780)
1780Revolutionary War
10.8 mi
Battle of Blackstock's Farm
1780Revolutionary War
11.7 mi
Battle of Blackstocks Plantation
1780Revolutionary War
13.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Musgrove's Mill Historic Battle Site listed on the National Register?

Musgrove's Mill Historic Battle Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 4, 1975.

What type of historic resource is Musgrove's Mill Historic Battle Site?

Musgrove's Mill Historic Battle Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Musgrove's Mill Historic Battle Site?

The period of significance for Musgrove's Mill Historic Battle Site is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Musgrove's Mill Historic Battle Site?

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