Sources:

• Neuffer, Claude Henry and Irene Neuffer, Names in South Carolina, Winter 1968, Vol. XV, p.15. Basis for location of earthworks, 1968

  Slaughter Field and Healing Springs. Just north of Blackville on Windy Hill Creek and just north of Sheepford Branch is Slaughter Field on Leon Lott's property. To reach Slaughter field from Blackville, take Highway 87 past the Farmer's Market, and after crossing Highway 32, which is the road Healing Springs is on, keep on Road 87 to the first creek, Windy Hill Creek.'°° & On the east side of the highway and north of the creek, Mr. Lott's property begins. About one quarter mile up the road a small road leads right. Following this small road will lead one as near to Slaughter Field by car as possible. To go further, get a truck or jeep and head east as far as possible. From that last navigable point by vehicle, head about 200 yards north of where Sheepford Branch runs into Windy Hill Creek. Look care- fully and one can see the dugouts and earthen embankments put there by the British who were camped at Healing Springs about one mile away on Windy Hill Creek. This entire area is on Windy Hill Creek, not more than 3 miles from the South Fork of the Edisto River where Bloody Bill Cunningham committed his many massacres of the American patriots and populace.

• Site of earthworks as described above:
  

• Lipscomb, Terry W. South Carolina Revolutionary Battles Part Ten, Names in South Carolina, Volume XXX, Winter 1983, p.10-11

  A particularly bloody engagement is assuciated with a place descriptively named the Slaughter Field, a little over two miles northeast of the Blackville town limits. and north of the junction of Windy Hill Creek and Sheepford Branch Creek. Contemporary correspondence and accounts by early historians are completely silent about this fight, but local citizens maintain that it is authentic and support their claim with evidence of Revolutionary earthworks at the site. Documentary confirmation is also provided by statements of soldiers who speak of having been in the Battle of Windy Hill in Barnwell District. A detachment of Patriots, which may have been commanded by Captain Benjamin Odom. is said to have been attacked before daybreak by the Tories. Sixteen Patriots were killed. and thus there is little doubt why this place is called the Slaughter Field.

• "Battle of Windy Hill".

  This location is not far from the present Healing Springs Church, just north of Blackville, in Barnwell County, South Carolina.
  ...
  several miles south of the South Edisto River, and east of the current Healing Springs Baptist Church.
  ...
  Slaughter Field is located two miles northeast of the town limits of Blackville. There is evidence of earthworks still there.

• Barefoot, Not found.

• SC Historic Highway Marker Guide, Not found.

• NBBAS:Three p.409.
  

  Slaughter Field, South Carolina
  "The Bloody Scout"
  22 December 1781

  This is an action that is not well documented, and is only mentioned in a few soldier’s pension applications. Captain Benjamin Odom with a detachment of Colonel Harden’s Regiment was attacked at sunrise by a group of Loyalists. Captain Odom had sixteen men killed. The men were left to lie in the open and were not recovered until three days later.

  One of the killed was Patrick Cain. Family legend stated that his widow buried him at night. Since she did not have any digging tools, she put him in a hole left where a giant tree was uprooted by a storm.

  Some accounts state that all the Patriots were killed, but Benjamin Odom and his wounded brother Daniel both survived the encounter.

• Sherman, "Calendar...". Too late for this work. To avoid long downloads, use option to "Save and view this PDF in Reader".

• RevWar75   listing 12/22/1781 Slaughter Field (Windy Hill). British victory.

  Related sites:

  Submitted by: Jack Parker

  Confidence level: 3