Sumter established his camp at Manigault's
Ferry, two miles below Thomson's, and was
refreshing his troops there the following morning
when news was received of a large British convo
approaching from the south. The Gamecoc
hurriedly moved his troops to Big Savannah, a site
well suited for reception of the armed escort. The
Americans outflanked and overpowered the enemy
force, consisting of eighty regulars commanded by
a British major, and captured sixteen supply
wagons intended for Lord Rawdon's army. The
British later charged that Sumter's men kept firing
after the white flag was raised.20 According to all
accounts, this battlefield was a large open grassy
area; one veteran of the action called it the "Battle of
the Big Glades." Two accounts of the location are in
conflict. One source places Big Savannah only half
a mile below Sumter's camp, while another
maintains that the site was about seven or eight
miles further south, From the circumstances of the
battle, this second version is perhaps unlikely. One
difficulty involved in accurately identifying this
site is that Big Savannah was drained after the
Revolution, and hence does not appear on modern
detailed map~.21 The site was definitely within the
modern boundaries of Calhoun County. The date of
the battle was February 23, 1781.