What: Skirmish, Andrew Neale, Jr. vs. *Patrick Ferguson(?), Alexander Chesney(?), 12 August 1780

Other names: Meadors

Where:
34.737656, -81.494303 Brown's Creek (Meador's Plantation)

Maps: [map notes]

• 34.737656,-81.494303, Meadors Plantation
• ACME Mapper.
• National Map
• Google.
• Confidence (of plantation): 3, (of skirmish)**

• 34.7229134 -81.478705, Brown's Creek, mouth
• GNIS record for Brown's Creek.
• Confidence (of creek mouth): 5, (of skirmish)*

Sources:

• CBB: Meadors is called that because it is near the Meador's Plantation, a beautiful extant 1855 red brick mansion near the Broad River a few miles south of Lockhart, SC....I believe that it is on River Road, about a mile north of where it crosses Browns Creek.....the RW skirmish may have been somewhere on that plantation. Built in 1855, the Meador House has served continuously as the ancestral home of the Meador family. It is a two story brick Georgian design with a portico on the front. This skirmish is only reported in the diary of Alexander Chesney as near the mouth of Brown's Creek. See O'Kelley NBBS, Vol. 2, p. 246. Meador's Plantation house is now owned by a Wallace family.

• Alexander Chesney's journal: (version collated/merged from 3 versions by JR)
  

  ...I was taken at Grindall Shoal by a party of rebels under Eusaw [Esau] Smith and Desmond, who took from me a Rifle gun borrowed of John Heron my brother-in- law, but as soon as they set out for the rebel camp I made my escape joined Coll Ferguson at Culbered, and received his thanks and friendship; on the 9th August was appointed Captn an assistant Adjutant General of the different battalions under [the Brave] Coll [Major] Ferguson [of the 71st Regiment, Inspector General of Militia, same day he was attached. I was with him in all his marches through the frontiers of North and South Carolina and until his defeat at King’s Mountain on Kiner’s Creek on the North East side of Broad River about 20 miles from my own residence – which defeat happened on the 9th October 1780.]; and same day we attacked the enemy at the Iron Works and defeated them with little trouble to ourselves and a good deal of loss to the Americans in whose hands I found some of our men prisoners whom I released.
  Our next rout [August 12] was down towards the Fishdam-ford on Broad-River, where there was a fight near the mouth of Brown's Creek with Neale's militia when we made many prisoners amongst the rest Esaw [Esau] Smith, who had taken me so recently; after this we crossed that River and formed a junction with troops under command of Coll Turnbull and the Militia under Coll Phillips and having received authentic accounts that Sumpter had cut off our retreat to Lord Cornwallis' Army at Camden, we had it in contemplation to cross Broad- River and retreat to Charles-town at this time the half-way men, (as those not hearty in the cause were called) left us; we then marched to the rebel Col Winn's and encamped there waiting for more authentic accounts. On the 16th we heard a heavy firing towards Camden, which kept us in the utmost anxiety till the 18th when a letter was received from Captn Ross aid [Aide] de camp to Lord Cornwallis informing us that his Lordship had attacked & defeated Gates' Army...

• Excerpts From the Diary of Royalist Capt. Alexander Chesney 9 Aug 1780 - 11 Oct 1780.

• Part 2 - Chesney's Experiences during the Revolution. This is from Jones' annotated version.

• "The Regiment of 1775":
  

  August 12 Meador's - Patriot militia defeated by loyalist militia under the command of Alexander Chesney.

  August 12 Brown’s Creek

• "Revolutionary War Time Line, Southern Campaign" by Charles Baxley:
  12 August 1780. Meador's -Patriot Neale's militia defeated by Alexander Chesney's Tory militia.
  

• Source for skirmish location being Meador's Plantation: ? (History of Union County?)

• Barefoot. Neither Brown's Creek nor Meadors found.

• NBBAS:Two, p.246. Brown's Creek.:

  Brown’s Creek, South Carolina
  12 August 1780

  This is a skirmish that is mentioned in Alexander Chesney’s Journal. After the fight at Wofford’s Iron Works Chesney moved with the Loyalist militia "down towards the Fish Dam Ford on Broad River." He wrote that at Brown’s Creek "there was a fight near the mouth of Brown's Creek with Neale’s Militia where we, made many prisoners." This was the New Acquisition Militia of Andrew Neal, Sr. It was not the same Andrew Neal who had been killed twelve days earlier at Rocky Mount. That was Andrew Neal, Jr., his son.

• Sherman's Calendar.... P.160. To avoid future long downloads, use option to "Save and view this PDF in Reader".

• RevWar75  
  August 1780 listing: not found.

  Related sites:

  Submitted by: Charles Baxley.

  Confidence level: See above.