This story is the reason why our museum exists. It tells of men who fought for their freedom and defied all odds for what they believed in. When I started working at the museum a year ago I was fascinated by the battle and its significance in American history. Up until now I thought the name “Canebrake” was just the name of a town where the battle took place. I learned this weekend that the name comes from nature and not a man made settlement.
Upon recently walking through the Congaree National Forest my husband and I were reading through a self guided tour about the park. At a sop along the way I read about a plant called switch cane that covers elevated floodplains of the forest floor. A dense growth of switch cane is called a “canebrake.” Early settlements used this phrase to mark were large amounts of switch cane were located. After reading this I immediately thought of The Battle of Great Canebrake! Since the battle took place near the Reedy River the land was most likely wet enough to grow switch cane. A thick grove of switch cane, a canebrake, would have been an ideal place for 300 men to hide out from the ensuing patriots.
Next time you walk outside think about how nature played a big role in the Revolution!