Lieutenant Isaac Duvall was commissioned an ensign with 3rd Maryland on 22 March 1777.
He was wounded at the Battle of Camden (While serving with the 3rd Maryland.), South Carolina where his brother, Captain Edward Duvall (Serving with 2nd Maryland.), was killed in action.
Isaac was serving in 1st Maryland when he was killed in action.
His brother's memorial: Captain Edward Duvall
Battle of Eutaw Springs:
Seven years of British determination to bring South Carolina to her knees met failure. The spirit that had long resisted royal edict and church canon, the fierce desire and indomitable will to be masters of their own destinies, and the dauntless courage that had carved a new way of life from a wilderness were again threatened by oppression; so, little difference was felt among nationalities and creeds, causing a unity to grow among the new world "peasants and shepherds" that shook the foundations of old regimes.
By mid-summer, 1781, the Continentals under Major General Nathanael Greene had gained virtual control of South Carolina. The retreating British, disillusioned and sick with summer heat, united forces under Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart at Orangeburgh and began their march to Charlestown. Early in September, the 2,300 well-equipped British camped in cool shade beside the gushing springs of Eutaw, little dreaming the fairly large Patriot army was close upon their heels.
Maj. Gen. Greene, hearing of Gen. George Washington's plan to encircle and embarrass the British at Yorktown, determined to prevent southern aid from reaching the beleaguered Lt. Gen. Charles, Lord Cornwallis. Contingents under generals Marion, Pickens, Lee, and colonels William Washington, Hampton, among other South Carolina leaders were called together, and reinforcements from other states joined them. These 2,092 poorly-equipped, underfed, and near-naked Americans camped on September 7th on the River Road at Burdell's Plantation, only seven miles from Eutaw Springs. Strategy for the ensuing attack is accredited to the genius of the dreaded "Swamp Fox," Brig. Gen. Francis Marion, who knew every foot of the Santee swamps and river.
Robert D. Bass asserts in his 1959 book, entitled, "Swamp Fox," that Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene gave command of all Continentals to NC Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner, and command of all militia to Brig. Gen. Francis Marion.
After organizing his army for attack, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene moved down the Congaree Road to Burdell's Tavern, only seven (7) miles from his enemy. At 4 a.m. on September 8th, he marched from Burdell's, his army in four columns, each detailed to its place at Eutaw Springs. Lt. Col. William Henderson led the advance with the SC State Troops and Lee's Legion. Brig. Gen. Francis Marion came next with the militia of North Carolina and South Carolina. Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner followed with the Continentals, and Lt. Col. William Washington brought up the rear with his 3rd Regiment of Continental Dragoons.
In his deployment, Brig. Gen. Francis Marion sent Brig. Gen. Andrew Pickens to the extreme left. In the center, he posted NC Col. Francois DeMalmedy and the militia of North Carolina. And from his own Brigade, he formed the right wing. Lt. Col. William Henderson covered the left wing and Lt. Col. Henry Lee and his Legion covered the right wing of all state troops and militia units.
September 8th dawned fair and intensely hot, but the Patriots, on short rations and with little rest, advanced in early morning light toward the springs. At their approach the surprised British left their uneaten breakfast and quickly threw lines of battle across the road in a heavily wooded area. Behind them in cleared fields stood a large brick home with a high-walled garden. The woods and waters of Eutaw Creek were on the north.
Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart quickly realized what was happening and he formed his troops in one line across the Congaree Road. On his extreme right, he posted Maj. John Majoribanks and a flank battalion behind a thicket a hundred paces in front of Eutaw Creek. In the center, he posted the 3rd Regiment of Guards and Col. John Harris Cruger's Loyalists, but under Cruger's command. On his left, he posted the 63rd Regiment of Foot and the 64th Regiment of Foot, their flank in air, but supported by Maj. John Coffin and his cavalry. He also posted Maj. Henry Sheridan and sharpshooters from the New York Volunteers in the exceedingly strong brick house of Patrick Roche, which stood in the field west of Eutaw Springs.
Heavy firing soon crackled and boomed through the shady woods. At first the center of the Patriot line caved in, but while opposing flanks were fighting separate battles, Maj. Gen. Greene restored the center with North Carolina Continentals. The whole British line then began to give, but Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart quickly pulled up his left-flank reserves, forcing the Patriots to retreat under thunderous fire. The encouraged British shouted, yelled, and rushed forward in disorder; whereupon Maj. Gen. Greene (according to J. P. Petit) "brought in his strongest force: the Maryland and Virginia Continentals, Kirkwood's Delawares, and Lt. Colonel Washington's South Carolina [sic - Virginia] cavalry . . . with devastating effect."
Both the British and the Continentals were astonished to see Marion's militiamen, steady, unfaltering, and advancing life veterans into the enemy's hottest fire. "The fire redoubled; our officers behaved with the greatest bravery, and the militia gained much honor by their firmness," Greene later reported to the Continental Congress. To Maj. Gen. Baron von Steuben he wrote that "such conduct would have graced the veterans of the Great King of Prussia.
Brig. Gen. Francis Marion's militia units fired seventeen (17) rounds. Then, with ammunition exhausted, they retired in good order, leaving the fighting to Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner's Continentals. "My Brigade behaved well," Marion later wrote to Lt. Col. Peter Horry.
The Continentals moved forward with spirit. As the Patriots advanced, the left of the British line fell back in disorder, and Lt. Col. Henry Lee, wheeling his infantry upon them, increased the enemy's confusion. In the center, Col. Cruger's line held, British regulars meeting Continentals in hand-to-hand fighting, bayonets meeting bayonets, and swords clashing on swords. But the confusion on the British left soon affected the center, and when the Marylanders delivered a terrific fire, the whole British line, except for Maj. Majoribanks flankers, sagged, falterd, and began retreating.
The British fled in every direction and the Patriots took over their camp. Only Maj. John Majoribanks, on the British right flank and pushed far back into the woods near Eutaw Creek, was able to hold his unit together. Maj. Henry Sheridan took hasty refuge in the brick home, Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart gathered some of his men beyond, and from this vantage they "picked off" many American officers and men.
Maj. Gen. Greene then sent Lt. Col. Washington's cavalry to deal with Maj. Majoribanks, but penetrating the woods with horses was too difficult, so Lt. Col. Washington tried to encircle and rout, thus exposing himself to dangerous fire. His horse was shot from under him, he himself was wounded, and his company practically ravaged. When a hand-to-hand fight developed, a British soldier poised his sword over the wounded Lt. Col. Washington, but Maj. Majoribanks saw this and gallantly turned it aside. Washington was now his prisoner.
In camp, eating the deserted breakfast, and feeling the battle was won, the hungry and thirsty Patriots began plundering the English stores of food, liquors, and equipment. Thoroughly enjoying themselves they ignored their leaders' warnings and commands. Maj. Majoribanks, realizing the disorder, fell upon them. Maj. Sheridan and Lt. Col. Stewart pounded at their right, and Maj. John Coffin came in from their left. The stunned Americans fought this impossible situation bravely, but they were quickly put to flight from the British camp.
After more than four hours of indecisive battle under a merciless sun both armies had had enough. Casualties were extremely high. "Blood ran ankle deep in places," and the strewn area of dead and dying was heart-breaking.
Maj. Gen. Greene collected his wounded and returned to Burdell's Tavern. Lt. Col. Stewart remained the night at Eutaw Springs but hastily retreated the next day toward Charlestown, leaving behind many of his dead unburied and seventy of his seriously wounded. The gallant Maj. John Majoribanks, wounded and on his way to Moncks Corner, died in a slave cabin on Wantoot Plantation. He was buried beside the road, but when lake waters were to cover that area his remains were removed by the S.G.P.S.A. to their present resting place at the Eutaw Springs Battlefield memorial.
The total casualties came to 1,188, according to Rev. M. H. Osborne. Many were buried where they fell, therefore the whole battlefield is a hero's cemetery, sacred to the memory of courageous men. Patriot blood shed at Eutaw Springs was certainly not shed in vain. This last major battle in South Carolina completely broke the British hold in the South and, more important, denied needed aid to the North. Only six weeks later, Lord Cornwallis succumbed to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, and American independence was assured.
According to Benson J. Jossing in his Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution - the Patriots lost 152 killed, 424 wounded, and 40 missing; the British lost 85 killed, 72 wounded, and 500 captured as prisoners.
He was wounded at the Battle of Camden (While serving with the 3rd Maryland.), South Carolina where his brother, Captain Edward Duvall (Serving with 2nd Maryland.), was killed in action.
Isaac was serving in 1st Maryland when he was killed in action.
His brother's memorial: Captain Edward Duvall
Battle of Eutaw Springs:
Seven years of British determination to bring South Carolina to her knees met failure. The spirit that had long resisted royal edict and church canon, the fierce desire and indomitable will to be masters of their own destinies, and the dauntless courage that had carved a new way of life from a wilderness were again threatened by oppression; so, little difference was felt among nationalities and creeds, causing a unity to grow among the new world "peasants and shepherds" that shook the foundations of old regimes.
By mid-summer, 1781, the Continentals under Major General Nathanael Greene had gained virtual control of South Carolina. The retreating British, disillusioned and sick with summer heat, united forces under Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart at Orangeburgh and began their march to Charlestown. Early in September, the 2,300 well-equipped British camped in cool shade beside the gushing springs of Eutaw, little dreaming the fairly large Patriot army was close upon their heels.
Maj. Gen. Greene, hearing of Gen. George Washington's plan to encircle and embarrass the British at Yorktown, determined to prevent southern aid from reaching the beleaguered Lt. Gen. Charles, Lord Cornwallis. Contingents under generals Marion, Pickens, Lee, and colonels William Washington, Hampton, among other South Carolina leaders were called together, and reinforcements from other states joined them. These 2,092 poorly-equipped, underfed, and near-naked Americans camped on September 7th on the River Road at Burdell's Plantation, only seven miles from Eutaw Springs. Strategy for the ensuing attack is accredited to the genius of the dreaded "Swamp Fox," Brig. Gen. Francis Marion, who knew every foot of the Santee swamps and river.
Robert D. Bass asserts in his 1959 book, entitled, "Swamp Fox," that Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene gave command of all Continentals to NC Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner, and command of all militia to Brig. Gen. Francis Marion.
After organizing his army for attack, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene moved down the Congaree Road to Burdell's Tavern, only seven (7) miles from his enemy. At 4 a.m. on September 8th, he marched from Burdell's, his army in four columns, each detailed to its place at Eutaw Springs. Lt. Col. William Henderson led the advance with the SC State Troops and Lee's Legion. Brig. Gen. Francis Marion came next with the militia of North Carolina and South Carolina. Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner followed with the Continentals, and Lt. Col. William Washington brought up the rear with his 3rd Regiment of Continental Dragoons.
In his deployment, Brig. Gen. Francis Marion sent Brig. Gen. Andrew Pickens to the extreme left. In the center, he posted NC Col. Francois DeMalmedy and the militia of North Carolina. And from his own Brigade, he formed the right wing. Lt. Col. William Henderson covered the left wing and Lt. Col. Henry Lee and his Legion covered the right wing of all state troops and militia units.
September 8th dawned fair and intensely hot, but the Patriots, on short rations and with little rest, advanced in early morning light toward the springs. At their approach the surprised British left their uneaten breakfast and quickly threw lines of battle across the road in a heavily wooded area. Behind them in cleared fields stood a large brick home with a high-walled garden. The woods and waters of Eutaw Creek were on the north.
Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart quickly realized what was happening and he formed his troops in one line across the Congaree Road. On his extreme right, he posted Maj. John Majoribanks and a flank battalion behind a thicket a hundred paces in front of Eutaw Creek. In the center, he posted the 3rd Regiment of Guards and Col. John Harris Cruger's Loyalists, but under Cruger's command. On his left, he posted the 63rd Regiment of Foot and the 64th Regiment of Foot, their flank in air, but supported by Maj. John Coffin and his cavalry. He also posted Maj. Henry Sheridan and sharpshooters from the New York Volunteers in the exceedingly strong brick house of Patrick Roche, which stood in the field west of Eutaw Springs.
Heavy firing soon crackled and boomed through the shady woods. At first the center of the Patriot line caved in, but while opposing flanks were fighting separate battles, Maj. Gen. Greene restored the center with North Carolina Continentals. The whole British line then began to give, but Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart quickly pulled up his left-flank reserves, forcing the Patriots to retreat under thunderous fire. The encouraged British shouted, yelled, and rushed forward in disorder; whereupon Maj. Gen. Greene (according to J. P. Petit) "brought in his strongest force: the Maryland and Virginia Continentals, Kirkwood's Delawares, and Lt. Colonel Washington's South Carolina [sic - Virginia] cavalry . . . with devastating effect."
Both the British and the Continentals were astonished to see Marion's militiamen, steady, unfaltering, and advancing life veterans into the enemy's hottest fire. "The fire redoubled; our officers behaved with the greatest bravery, and the militia gained much honor by their firmness," Greene later reported to the Continental Congress. To Maj. Gen. Baron von Steuben he wrote that "such conduct would have graced the veterans of the Great King of Prussia.
Brig. Gen. Francis Marion's militia units fired seventeen (17) rounds. Then, with ammunition exhausted, they retired in good order, leaving the fighting to Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner's Continentals. "My Brigade behaved well," Marion later wrote to Lt. Col. Peter Horry.
The Continentals moved forward with spirit. As the Patriots advanced, the left of the British line fell back in disorder, and Lt. Col. Henry Lee, wheeling his infantry upon them, increased the enemy's confusion. In the center, Col. Cruger's line held, British regulars meeting Continentals in hand-to-hand fighting, bayonets meeting bayonets, and swords clashing on swords. But the confusion on the British left soon affected the center, and when the Marylanders delivered a terrific fire, the whole British line, except for Maj. Majoribanks flankers, sagged, falterd, and began retreating.
The British fled in every direction and the Patriots took over their camp. Only Maj. John Majoribanks, on the British right flank and pushed far back into the woods near Eutaw Creek, was able to hold his unit together. Maj. Henry Sheridan took hasty refuge in the brick home, Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart gathered some of his men beyond, and from this vantage they "picked off" many American officers and men.
Maj. Gen. Greene then sent Lt. Col. Washington's cavalry to deal with Maj. Majoribanks, but penetrating the woods with horses was too difficult, so Lt. Col. Washington tried to encircle and rout, thus exposing himself to dangerous fire. His horse was shot from under him, he himself was wounded, and his company practically ravaged. When a hand-to-hand fight developed, a British soldier poised his sword over the wounded Lt. Col. Washington, but Maj. Majoribanks saw this and gallantly turned it aside. Washington was now his prisoner.
In camp, eating the deserted breakfast, and feeling the battle was won, the hungry and thirsty Patriots began plundering the English stores of food, liquors, and equipment. Thoroughly enjoying themselves they ignored their leaders' warnings and commands. Maj. Majoribanks, realizing the disorder, fell upon them. Maj. Sheridan and Lt. Col. Stewart pounded at their right, and Maj. John Coffin came in from their left. The stunned Americans fought this impossible situation bravely, but they were quickly put to flight from the British camp.
After more than four hours of indecisive battle under a merciless sun both armies had had enough. Casualties were extremely high. "Blood ran ankle deep in places," and the strewn area of dead and dying was heart-breaking.
Maj. Gen. Greene collected his wounded and returned to Burdell's Tavern. Lt. Col. Stewart remained the night at Eutaw Springs but hastily retreated the next day toward Charlestown, leaving behind many of his dead unburied and seventy of his seriously wounded. The gallant Maj. John Majoribanks, wounded and on his way to Moncks Corner, died in a slave cabin on Wantoot Plantation. He was buried beside the road, but when lake waters were to cover that area his remains were removed by the S.G.P.S.A. to their present resting place at the Eutaw Springs Battlefield memorial.
The total casualties came to 1,188, according to Rev. M. H. Osborne. Many were buried where they fell, therefore the whole battlefield is a hero's cemetery, sacred to the memory of courageous men. Patriot blood shed at Eutaw Springs was certainly not shed in vain. This last major battle in South Carolina completely broke the British hold in the South and, more important, denied needed aid to the North. Only six weeks later, Lord Cornwallis succumbed to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, and American independence was assured.
According to Benson J. Jossing in his Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution - the Patriots lost 152 killed, 424 wounded, and 40 missing; the British lost 85 killed, 72 wounded, and 500 captured as prisoners.
Lieutenant Isaac Duvall was commissioned an ensign with 3rd Maryland on 22 March 1777.
He was wounded at the Battle of Camden (While serving with the 3rd Maryland.), South Carolina where his brother, Captain Edward Duvall (Serving with 2nd Maryland.), was killed in action.
Isaac was serving in 1st Maryland when he was killed in action.
His brother's memorial: Captain Edward Duvall
Battle of Eutaw Springs:
Seven years of British determination to bring South Carolina to her knees met failure. The spirit that had long resisted royal edict and church canon, the fierce desire and indomitable will to be masters of their own destinies, and the dauntless courage that had carved a new way of life from a wilderness were again threatened by oppression; so, little difference was felt among nationalities and creeds, causing a unity to grow among the new world "peasants and shepherds" that shook the foundations of old regimes.
By mid-summer, 1781, the Continentals under Major General Nathanael Greene had gained virtual control of South Carolina. The retreating British, disillusioned and sick with summer heat, united forces under Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart at Orangeburgh and began their march to Charlestown. Early in September, the 2,300 well-equipped British camped in cool shade beside the gushing springs of Eutaw, little dreaming the fairly large Patriot army was close upon their heels.
Maj. Gen. Greene, hearing of Gen. George Washington's plan to encircle and embarrass the British at Yorktown, determined to prevent southern aid from reaching the beleaguered Lt. Gen. Charles, Lord Cornwallis. Contingents under generals Marion, Pickens, Lee, and colonels William Washington, Hampton, among other South Carolina leaders were called together, and reinforcements from other states joined them. These 2,092 poorly-equipped, underfed, and near-naked Americans camped on September 7th on the River Road at Burdell's Plantation, only seven miles from Eutaw Springs. Strategy for the ensuing attack is accredited to the genius of the dreaded "Swamp Fox," Brig. Gen. Francis Marion, who knew every foot of the Santee swamps and river.
Robert D. Bass asserts in his 1959 book, entitled, "Swamp Fox," that Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene gave command of all Continentals to NC Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner, and command of all militia to Brig. Gen. Francis Marion.
After organizing his army for attack, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene moved down the Congaree Road to Burdell's Tavern, only seven (7) miles from his enemy. At 4 a.m. on September 8th, he marched from Burdell's, his army in four columns, each detailed to its place at Eutaw Springs. Lt. Col. William Henderson led the advance with the SC State Troops and Lee's Legion. Brig. Gen. Francis Marion came next with the militia of North Carolina and South Carolina. Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner followed with the Continentals, and Lt. Col. William Washington brought up the rear with his 3rd Regiment of Continental Dragoons.
In his deployment, Brig. Gen. Francis Marion sent Brig. Gen. Andrew Pickens to the extreme left. In the center, he posted NC Col. Francois DeMalmedy and the militia of North Carolina. And from his own Brigade, he formed the right wing. Lt. Col. William Henderson covered the left wing and Lt. Col. Henry Lee and his Legion covered the right wing of all state troops and militia units.
September 8th dawned fair and intensely hot, but the Patriots, on short rations and with little rest, advanced in early morning light toward the springs. At their approach the surprised British left their uneaten breakfast and quickly threw lines of battle across the road in a heavily wooded area. Behind them in cleared fields stood a large brick home with a high-walled garden. The woods and waters of Eutaw Creek were on the north.
Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart quickly realized what was happening and he formed his troops in one line across the Congaree Road. On his extreme right, he posted Maj. John Majoribanks and a flank battalion behind a thicket a hundred paces in front of Eutaw Creek. In the center, he posted the 3rd Regiment of Guards and Col. John Harris Cruger's Loyalists, but under Cruger's command. On his left, he posted the 63rd Regiment of Foot and the 64th Regiment of Foot, their flank in air, but supported by Maj. John Coffin and his cavalry. He also posted Maj. Henry Sheridan and sharpshooters from the New York Volunteers in the exceedingly strong brick house of Patrick Roche, which stood in the field west of Eutaw Springs.
Heavy firing soon crackled and boomed through the shady woods. At first the center of the Patriot line caved in, but while opposing flanks were fighting separate battles, Maj. Gen. Greene restored the center with North Carolina Continentals. The whole British line then began to give, but Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart quickly pulled up his left-flank reserves, forcing the Patriots to retreat under thunderous fire. The encouraged British shouted, yelled, and rushed forward in disorder; whereupon Maj. Gen. Greene (according to J. P. Petit) "brought in his strongest force: the Maryland and Virginia Continentals, Kirkwood's Delawares, and Lt. Colonel Washington's South Carolina [sic - Virginia] cavalry . . . with devastating effect."
Both the British and the Continentals were astonished to see Marion's militiamen, steady, unfaltering, and advancing life veterans into the enemy's hottest fire. "The fire redoubled; our officers behaved with the greatest bravery, and the militia gained much honor by their firmness," Greene later reported to the Continental Congress. To Maj. Gen. Baron von Steuben he wrote that "such conduct would have graced the veterans of the Great King of Prussia.
Brig. Gen. Francis Marion's militia units fired seventeen (17) rounds. Then, with ammunition exhausted, they retired in good order, leaving the fighting to Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner's Continentals. "My Brigade behaved well," Marion later wrote to Lt. Col. Peter Horry.
The Continentals moved forward with spirit. As the Patriots advanced, the left of the British line fell back in disorder, and Lt. Col. Henry Lee, wheeling his infantry upon them, increased the enemy's confusion. In the center, Col. Cruger's line held, British regulars meeting Continentals in hand-to-hand fighting, bayonets meeting bayonets, and swords clashing on swords. But the confusion on the British left soon affected the center, and when the Marylanders delivered a terrific fire, the whole British line, except for Maj. Majoribanks flankers, sagged, falterd, and began retreating.
The British fled in every direction and the Patriots took over their camp. Only Maj. John Majoribanks, on the British right flank and pushed far back into the woods near Eutaw Creek, was able to hold his unit together. Maj. Henry Sheridan took hasty refuge in the brick home, Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart gathered some of his men beyond, and from this vantage they "picked off" many American officers and men.
Maj. Gen. Greene then sent Lt. Col. Washington's cavalry to deal with Maj. Majoribanks, but penetrating the woods with horses was too difficult, so Lt. Col. Washington tried to encircle and rout, thus exposing himself to dangerous fire. His horse was shot from under him, he himself was wounded, and his company practically ravaged. When a hand-to-hand fight developed, a British soldier poised his sword over the wounded Lt. Col. Washington, but Maj. Majoribanks saw this and gallantly turned it aside. Washington was now his prisoner.
In camp, eating the deserted breakfast, and feeling the battle was won, the hungry and thirsty Patriots began plundering the English stores of food, liquors, and equipment. Thoroughly enjoying themselves they ignored their leaders' warnings and commands. Maj. Majoribanks, realizing the disorder, fell upon them. Maj. Sheridan and Lt. Col. Stewart pounded at their right, and Maj. John Coffin came in from their left. The stunned Americans fought this impossible situation bravely, but they were quickly put to flight from the British camp.
After more than four hours of indecisive battle under a merciless sun both armies had had enough. Casualties were extremely high. "Blood ran ankle deep in places," and the strewn area of dead and dying was heart-breaking.
Maj. Gen. Greene collected his wounded and returned to Burdell's Tavern. Lt. Col. Stewart remained the night at Eutaw Springs but hastily retreated the next day toward Charlestown, leaving behind many of his dead unburied and seventy of his seriously wounded. The gallant Maj. John Majoribanks, wounded and on his way to Moncks Corner, died in a slave cabin on Wantoot Plantation. He was buried beside the road, but when lake waters were to cover that area his remains were removed by the S.G.P.S.A. to their present resting place at the Eutaw Springs Battlefield memorial.
The total casualties came to 1,188, according to Rev. M. H. Osborne. Many were buried where they fell, therefore the whole battlefield is a hero's cemetery, sacred to the memory of courageous men. Patriot blood shed at Eutaw Springs was certainly not shed in vain. This last major battle in South Carolina completely broke the British hold in the South and, more important, denied needed aid to the North. Only six weeks later, Lord Cornwallis succumbed to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, and American independence was assured.
According to Benson J. Jossing in his Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution - the Patriots lost 152 killed, 424 wounded, and 40 missing; the British lost 85 killed, 72 wounded, and 500 captured as prisoners.
He was wounded at the Battle of Camden (While serving with the 3rd Maryland.), South Carolina where his brother, Captain Edward Duvall (Serving with 2nd Maryland.), was killed in action.
Isaac was serving in 1st Maryland when he was killed in action.
His brother's memorial: Captain Edward Duvall
Battle of Eutaw Springs:
Seven years of British determination to bring South Carolina to her knees met failure. The spirit that had long resisted royal edict and church canon, the fierce desire and indomitable will to be masters of their own destinies, and the dauntless courage that had carved a new way of life from a wilderness were again threatened by oppression; so, little difference was felt among nationalities and creeds, causing a unity to grow among the new world "peasants and shepherds" that shook the foundations of old regimes.
By mid-summer, 1781, the Continentals under Major General Nathanael Greene had gained virtual control of South Carolina. The retreating British, disillusioned and sick with summer heat, united forces under Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart at Orangeburgh and began their march to Charlestown. Early in September, the 2,300 well-equipped British camped in cool shade beside the gushing springs of Eutaw, little dreaming the fairly large Patriot army was close upon their heels.
Maj. Gen. Greene, hearing of Gen. George Washington's plan to encircle and embarrass the British at Yorktown, determined to prevent southern aid from reaching the beleaguered Lt. Gen. Charles, Lord Cornwallis. Contingents under generals Marion, Pickens, Lee, and colonels William Washington, Hampton, among other South Carolina leaders were called together, and reinforcements from other states joined them. These 2,092 poorly-equipped, underfed, and near-naked Americans camped on September 7th on the River Road at Burdell's Plantation, only seven miles from Eutaw Springs. Strategy for the ensuing attack is accredited to the genius of the dreaded "Swamp Fox," Brig. Gen. Francis Marion, who knew every foot of the Santee swamps and river.
Robert D. Bass asserts in his 1959 book, entitled, "Swamp Fox," that Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene gave command of all Continentals to NC Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner, and command of all militia to Brig. Gen. Francis Marion.
After organizing his army for attack, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene moved down the Congaree Road to Burdell's Tavern, only seven (7) miles from his enemy. At 4 a.m. on September 8th, he marched from Burdell's, his army in four columns, each detailed to its place at Eutaw Springs. Lt. Col. William Henderson led the advance with the SC State Troops and Lee's Legion. Brig. Gen. Francis Marion came next with the militia of North Carolina and South Carolina. Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner followed with the Continentals, and Lt. Col. William Washington brought up the rear with his 3rd Regiment of Continental Dragoons.
In his deployment, Brig. Gen. Francis Marion sent Brig. Gen. Andrew Pickens to the extreme left. In the center, he posted NC Col. Francois DeMalmedy and the militia of North Carolina. And from his own Brigade, he formed the right wing. Lt. Col. William Henderson covered the left wing and Lt. Col. Henry Lee and his Legion covered the right wing of all state troops and militia units.
September 8th dawned fair and intensely hot, but the Patriots, on short rations and with little rest, advanced in early morning light toward the springs. At their approach the surprised British left their uneaten breakfast and quickly threw lines of battle across the road in a heavily wooded area. Behind them in cleared fields stood a large brick home with a high-walled garden. The woods and waters of Eutaw Creek were on the north.
Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart quickly realized what was happening and he formed his troops in one line across the Congaree Road. On his extreme right, he posted Maj. John Majoribanks and a flank battalion behind a thicket a hundred paces in front of Eutaw Creek. In the center, he posted the 3rd Regiment of Guards and Col. John Harris Cruger's Loyalists, but under Cruger's command. On his left, he posted the 63rd Regiment of Foot and the 64th Regiment of Foot, their flank in air, but supported by Maj. John Coffin and his cavalry. He also posted Maj. Henry Sheridan and sharpshooters from the New York Volunteers in the exceedingly strong brick house of Patrick Roche, which stood in the field west of Eutaw Springs.
Heavy firing soon crackled and boomed through the shady woods. At first the center of the Patriot line caved in, but while opposing flanks were fighting separate battles, Maj. Gen. Greene restored the center with North Carolina Continentals. The whole British line then began to give, but Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart quickly pulled up his left-flank reserves, forcing the Patriots to retreat under thunderous fire. The encouraged British shouted, yelled, and rushed forward in disorder; whereupon Maj. Gen. Greene (according to J. P. Petit) "brought in his strongest force: the Maryland and Virginia Continentals, Kirkwood's Delawares, and Lt. Colonel Washington's South Carolina [sic - Virginia] cavalry . . . with devastating effect."
Both the British and the Continentals were astonished to see Marion's militiamen, steady, unfaltering, and advancing life veterans into the enemy's hottest fire. "The fire redoubled; our officers behaved with the greatest bravery, and the militia gained much honor by their firmness," Greene later reported to the Continental Congress. To Maj. Gen. Baron von Steuben he wrote that "such conduct would have graced the veterans of the Great King of Prussia.
Brig. Gen. Francis Marion's militia units fired seventeen (17) rounds. Then, with ammunition exhausted, they retired in good order, leaving the fighting to Brig. Gen. Jethro Sumner's Continentals. "My Brigade behaved well," Marion later wrote to Lt. Col. Peter Horry.
The Continentals moved forward with spirit. As the Patriots advanced, the left of the British line fell back in disorder, and Lt. Col. Henry Lee, wheeling his infantry upon them, increased the enemy's confusion. In the center, Col. Cruger's line held, British regulars meeting Continentals in hand-to-hand fighting, bayonets meeting bayonets, and swords clashing on swords. But the confusion on the British left soon affected the center, and when the Marylanders delivered a terrific fire, the whole British line, except for Maj. Majoribanks flankers, sagged, falterd, and began retreating.
The British fled in every direction and the Patriots took over their camp. Only Maj. John Majoribanks, on the British right flank and pushed far back into the woods near Eutaw Creek, was able to hold his unit together. Maj. Henry Sheridan took hasty refuge in the brick home, Lt. Col. Alexander Stewart gathered some of his men beyond, and from this vantage they "picked off" many American officers and men.
Maj. Gen. Greene then sent Lt. Col. Washington's cavalry to deal with Maj. Majoribanks, but penetrating the woods with horses was too difficult, so Lt. Col. Washington tried to encircle and rout, thus exposing himself to dangerous fire. His horse was shot from under him, he himself was wounded, and his company practically ravaged. When a hand-to-hand fight developed, a British soldier poised his sword over the wounded Lt. Col. Washington, but Maj. Majoribanks saw this and gallantly turned it aside. Washington was now his prisoner.
In camp, eating the deserted breakfast, and feeling the battle was won, the hungry and thirsty Patriots began plundering the English stores of food, liquors, and equipment. Thoroughly enjoying themselves they ignored their leaders' warnings and commands. Maj. Majoribanks, realizing the disorder, fell upon them. Maj. Sheridan and Lt. Col. Stewart pounded at their right, and Maj. John Coffin came in from their left. The stunned Americans fought this impossible situation bravely, but they were quickly put to flight from the British camp.
After more than four hours of indecisive battle under a merciless sun both armies had had enough. Casualties were extremely high. "Blood ran ankle deep in places," and the strewn area of dead and dying was heart-breaking.
Maj. Gen. Greene collected his wounded and returned to Burdell's Tavern. Lt. Col. Stewart remained the night at Eutaw Springs but hastily retreated the next day toward Charlestown, leaving behind many of his dead unburied and seventy of his seriously wounded. The gallant Maj. John Majoribanks, wounded and on his way to Moncks Corner, died in a slave cabin on Wantoot Plantation. He was buried beside the road, but when lake waters were to cover that area his remains were removed by the S.G.P.S.A. to their present resting place at the Eutaw Springs Battlefield memorial.
The total casualties came to 1,188, according to Rev. M. H. Osborne. Many were buried where they fell, therefore the whole battlefield is a hero's cemetery, sacred to the memory of courageous men. Patriot blood shed at Eutaw Springs was certainly not shed in vain. This last major battle in South Carolina completely broke the British hold in the South and, more important, denied needed aid to the North. Only six weeks later, Lord Cornwallis succumbed to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, and American independence was assured.
According to Benson J. Jossing in his Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution - the Patriots lost 152 killed, 424 wounded, and 40 missing; the British lost 85 killed, 72 wounded, and 500 captured as prisoners.
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
