Ninety-Six Battlefield, South Carolina
In commemorating the 250th anniversary of America's transformation from colony to republic, I’ve chosen to honor not just the celebrated patriots—but the forgotten ones, especially those whose choices challenge our grade-school narratives.
The teaching of this period of history in grade school is often painted with brushes of idealism and patriotism. The British were tyrants and bad! The Colonist were enlightened and good! The truth is much more complicated and nuanced.
All of the ancestors I have discussed made choices based upon how they viewed their environments. Some, like Benjamin Brown and Edward Richardson, were motivated to defend the liberties of self-rule they and their ancestors had come to expect. Some, like Oliver Brown, were caught up in the revolutionary fever. Others, like Robert Goad and Francis Summers, simply chose to pay taxes. Southern soldiers, like Andrew Walker, were motivated because they associated the British with the Cherokee hostilities.
Naturally, when goals and motivations differ - decisions and choices differ. One discovered ancestor of mine made a decision that, in grade school, I would have been ashamed of. He was a LOYALIST! He supported the tyranny of King George! How could he make such an uninformed and unenlightened decision?
That ancestor was Joseph Carmichael. Joseph was an ancestor that I knew nothing about. I discovered him through Wikitree and the experience I have gained in searching records through my association with fellow genealogy enthusiasts I have encountered in that community.
My maternal great-grandfather was adopted from his birth mother, Melinda Hamil. Melinda's maternal grandfather was Joseph Carmichael, the son of my loyalist ancestor. The exact place and time of Joseph the Loyalist's birth is uncertain. His father, William, was born in Scotland and received a 300-acre land grant in 1762 in what is now Abbeville, South Carolina. Joseph was probably born in Scotland, but no record has been found.
Joseph found himself in a place of turmoil, the backcountry. This frontier of South Carolina was a law unto itself - blending the cultures of German, Scottish, and Irish settlers with native Cherokees. Lawlessness and vigilante behaviors were common - surviving meant picking the right sides at the right time. Loyalties were flexible.
Andrew Pickens is a notable revolutionary patriot soldier who lived in very close proximity to the Carmichaels at the time of the American Revolution. In fact, Joseph, served under Col. Richard King's Regiment, Long Cane Militia, Upper Ninety-Six Brigade - the same unit Pickens had commanded. It is possible he had served directly under Pickens before the militia unit was reorganized under Robert Cunningham.
Andrew fought the Cherokee in the 1760s under British command. He led a decisive victory at Kettle Creek in 1779 defeating Loyalist forces and disrupting British recruitment, but after the fall of Charleston in 1780 - he surrendered to the British and pledged neutrality. Then Loyalist raided his plantation, and he abandoned his pledge playing a key role at the Battle of Cowpens in 1781.
All the while, his neighbor and my ancestor, Joseph Carmichael chose to remain attached to the British forces. Afterall they would probably win. Charleston was taken. The market for his family's plantation was in Charleston. The British had repelled the patriot rebels at the fortifications at Ninety-six - right in his neighborhood. Betting on Britain was the logical choice.
Joseph spent time at Ninety-six. Unfortunately, Joseph seems to have died of injuries associated with the Nathaniel Greene's initiatives or some retaliatory violence. His wife, Eleanor, was a refugee as a result of the violence and loss of her husband prior to 10 August 1782 when she is identified as a widow. Somehow she managed to keep the family going and get reintegrated into the community, at least for a time, after the war. Nonetheless, their son moved to Captain Walker's District of Morgan County, GA before 1820.
Conclusion
In the northern campaign and along the coasts of the colonies - the fighting was inspired by desire for liberty of trade, from perceived tyranny, or a desire for self-determination. But in the backcountry of South Carolina fighting was for survival yet choosing alliances was simultaneously critical and precarious.
In the backcountry, choosing sides was not about ideology—it was about survival. What do we make of ancestors who chose wrong for the right reasons, or right for the wrong ones? How do you choose sides when choosing is mandatory but both choices are wrong?
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