THE BATTLE OF FT. LINDLEY

Across this field at midnight on July 15, 1776, 102 Scopholites (European men dressed as Cherokees) and 88 Cherokees attacked 150 men of the Little River Regiment (modern-day Laurens County, SC), commanded by Maj. Jonathan Downs. Within the tree line stood Ft. Lindley, a fortified homeplace from the French and Indian War, established for settler protection. This was the only offensive Cherokee action during the Cherokee War of 1776 (excluding ambushes).

The Cherokees surrounded the fort, and a brisk two-hour gun battle ensued. The defenders burst open the gates and charged out ten abreast. This unexpected charge broke the attack. “Much blood, but no bodies were found.”

The next morning, the defenders formed a skirmish line and marched from the fort. They came to a clearing where they found 30 horses and a campsite in disarray. In one saddlebag, they discovered the commission papers of Capt. James Lindley—a former Colonial Justice of the Peace and staunch Loyalist.

Ft. Lindley was his dispossessed homeplace. James Lindley had attacked his own fort. He had been captured at the Battle of the Great Cane Brake six months earlier and paroled in Charleston, promising not to fight again under pain of death. Eighteen months later, he was captured again at the Battle of Kettle Creek and was hanged for breaking his parole.

The Cherokee War of 1776 began with the Hampton and Hite massacres in June of that year. In total, 61 settlers along the Cherokee Territory border were killed.

The Battle of Ft. Lindley occurred on July 15. The Battle of Esseneca followed on August 1, and the Battles of Tomassee and the Ring Fight occurred on August 12. All were decisive Patriot victories.

The Cherokee War of 1776 lasted about three months. The 16 Cherokee Lower Towns in what are now Pickens and Oconee counties were all burned to the ground, orchards were chopped down, fields trampled, and livestock taken. In combination with militia from Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia, 2,000 Cherokee men, women, and children were killed. The Cherokee War of 1776 stands as the greatest massacre of the Revolutionary War.