Lindley’s Fort, located near Laurens, South Carolina, was owned by Captain James Lindley, a Loyalist to the British during the American Revolution. He was in Colonel Thomas Fletchall’s regiment.

It is believed that a private individual constructed the fort in the 1760s for needed protection in the backcountry. At that time, there were disturbances in the area with native tribes.

Located near the Saluda River in the old Ninety-Six District, Colonel Thomas Fletchall held at least one meeting of Loyalists at James Lindley’s home.

The American Revolution in the southern colonies did not initially involve Native Americans directly. However, conflicts between Loyalist and Patriot colonists in the backcountry of South Carolina in late 1775 led to the arrest, flight, or expulsion of most prominent Loyalist leaders. A number of Loyalists fled to the nearby Cherokee towns in the southern Appalachian Mountains, where they were given refuge.

By early 1776, a delegation of northern Indians had arrived in the Cherokee villages and convinced the younger generation of warriors to “take up the hatchet” against the colonists. The Cherokee were involved due to ongoing encroachment on their territory. Although the British Indian agent John Stuart sought to keep the Cherokee neutral, he recognized that war was inevitable and sought to align the Cherokee military with British efforts.

While British strategy in the South Carolina upcountry depended mainly on their ability to recruit Loyalist Americans, they wasted no time in allying Indians to the Crown. To counter this effort, a group of Patriots under the command of Major Andrew Williamson moved gradually through the backcountry, gathering various detachments as they went.

The Cherokee went on the warpath on July 1, 1776, attacking very suddenly and killing as many as 60 South Carolinians.

The timing of this campaign was opportune for the Cherokee, as a significant British force had been anchored off Charleston, South Carolina, since early June. However, its attack on the city had been repulsed in the June 28 Battle of Sullivan’s Island. As a result, Continental Army General Charles Lee was unable to provide any relief.

When the Cherokee attacks began in South Carolina, refugees began fleeing the outlying settlements for frontier fortifications. One of these was Lindley’s Fort, which the refugees rehabilitated and strengthened.

A militia company under Major Jonathan Downs, of the Little River District Regiment of Militia, arrived at the fort on July 14 to fortify a small group of settlers who had taken refuge at Lindley’s Fort, raising the total number of armed defenders to about 150.

With the objective of surprise, a force of 88 Cherokee Indians and 102 white Loyalists, led by Captain David Fanning of the Upper Saluda Loyalist Militia, attacked the frontier fort at about 1:00 a.m. on July 15.

Some of the men were dressed and disguised as Indians. However, the stockade walls were sufficient to withstand their limited weaponry, which consisted of muskets and Indian weapons. The firing continued until 4:00 a.m., when they departed, leaving several dead, including two of their chief warriors. As they left the fort in favor of easier raiding targets nearby, Major Downs led an attack from the fort. In a running battle, two Loyalists were killed, and they captured 13 white men prisoners, some of whom were painted and dressed as Indians and were immediately sent to the jail at Ninety-Six. Captain David Fanning was not captured and fled to North Carolina.

The next day, Captain Jonathan Downs was reinforced by 430 men of Lieutenant Colonel James Williams and Lieutenant Colonel John Lisle, two companies of Colonel Richard Richardson’s regiment, and a detachment from the South Carolina 3rd Regiment (Rangers) led by Captain Thomas Woodward. On July 17, Major Andrew Williamson and his force united with these men at Lindley’s Fort.

The Cherokee raids in the spring and summer of 1776 sparked a significant backlash. The Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia all devoted significant militia resources to a campaign against the Cherokee. Between late July and early October 1776, militia forces numbering in the thousands entered Cherokee land, destroying crops and villages. The Cherokee people fled before the advance and took refuge in lands further west and south.

Today, Lindley’s Fort, which played a small but significant role in Revolutionary history, is a historic archaeological site on a wooded hill, the highest point of land, surrounded mainly by open fields. It was listed in the National Register on November 7, 1978. The site is on Fort Lindley Road north of Old Fort Road, on the left when traveling south.

 

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2025.

Also See:

American Revolution

Cherokee War of 1776

South Carolina Forts

South Carolina – The Palmetto State

Sources:

American Revolution in South Carolina
Historic Marker Database
South Carolina Department of Archives and History
Wikipedia – Fort Site
Wikipedia – Battle