Soldiers from Edgefield and Ninety Six District at the
Battle of Stono Ferry, South Carolina, 20 June 1779
Judith F. Russell
[Note: Dr. Russell transcribed this muster roll while researching the life of Samuel Walker, whose name appears on the list. She is always interested in hearing from others studying old Edgefield families. Address: 1051 Forrest Hills Drive, Bogart, GA 30622. Email: jruss95@aol.com]
More than forty Edgefield and Ninety Six District men fought at the Battle of Stono Ferry, 20 June 1779, "one of the lesser known major battles of the Revolution in South Carolina" (Lipscomb and Jones, 1981, p. 371). General Augustine Prevost and the Royalists made a raid into South Carolina in May and June of 1779 and the Stono Ferry skirmish took place near the end of the campaign. Prevost was forced to abandon a three-day siege of Charleston when he discovered that General Benjamin Lincoln was approaching with the Continental Army. Withdrawing his forces to John's Island, Prevost left a garrison of several hundred men, including a substantial contingent of Hessians, (Lipscomb and Jones, 1981, p. 371) at Stono Ferry, twelve miles west of Charleston. The site was important since it controlled navigation on the Stono River and covered Prevost's line of retreat through the sea islands.
The Patriots had information that there was a ferry made of boats at the enemy position. About seven in the morning of 20 June 1779, (Salley, 1904, p. 90) the patriot army advanced. Finding boats, but no ferry, they drove to within sixty yards of the British line when they were halted by cannon and musket fire. General Lincoln's Continentals could advance no further, but the militia under Generals John Butler and Andrew Williamson pressed the Hessian position. Their plan to storm the garrison was dropped when they learned that the Hessians were going to be reinforced by Carolina Royalists. They did not realize that the enemy troops were so short of ammunition that the last charges were already in their weapons (Lipscomb and Jones, p.374).
Although neither side had a clear victory, four days later General Lincoln wrote to General William Moultrie that the enemy had abandoned Stono Ferry and were retreating on John's Island (Stockman Family Newsletter, 1993). The retreat continued, but the Royalists were able to capture Charleston and eventually force the surrender of General Lincoln.
Captain John Ryan's Company of General Williamson's Brigade consisted of 45 friends and neighbors from Edgefield and Ninety Six District. They were among the 2000 Patriots commanded by General Lincoln (Salley, 1904, p. 90) at the Camps near Stono in 1779. The paybill for their services is in Ryan's Accounts Audited file (South of South Carolina Accounts Audited Claims Growing out of the Revolution. Number 6703. John Ryan/John Ryans, frames 500-501). Pay rates varied according to rank. Although the column in which the rate is recorded is not completely legible, the privates appear to have received two pounds a day for their service.
A Paybill for Captn Ryan Company who did Duty in the Camps near Stono on horse back by orders of General Williamson from the 20th of April till the 12th of July 1779
| Captn John Ryan | 89 Days | at 7 [?] day | 311 [?] [?] |
| Lieut Lacon Ryan | 89 Days | a 5 [?] day | 244 15 [?] |
| Sergt Lewis Nobles | 65 Days | a 4 [?] 6 [?] day | 154 15 2 |
| Sergt Champ Shurley | 65 Days | a 4 [?] 6 [?] day | 154 15 2 |
| Sergt Nathan White | 89 Days | [?] | 211 7 6 |
| Howel Sellers | 89 Days
65 at private 24 acted as sergt |
the whole
amount |
187 [?] |
| Samuel Walker | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| James Thomas | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Jacob Youngblood | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| John Richardson | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| George Randolph | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Jonathan Richardson | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Absalam Jackson | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Archabald Gibson | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Gunrod Coleman | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Benjamin Darby | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Lewis Clark | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Benjamin Ryan | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Fredrick Tilman | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Artha Thomas | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| James West | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Thos Wood | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Jacob Wise | 89 Days | a 4 [?] day | 178 |
| Rolley Rowbuck | 65 Days | a 4 [?] day | 130 |
| Littlebery Tilman | 65 Days | a 4 [?] day | 130 |
| John Randolph | 72 Days | a 4 [?] day | 144 |
| Carry over to next page | 4594. 2. 6 | ||
| Amount brot forward | 4594. 2. 6 | ||
| Flood Mitchel | 65 Days | a 4 [?] day | 130 |
| Gidean Thomas | 30 Days | a 4 [?] day | 60 |
| John Coley | 30 Days | a 4 [?] day | 60 |
| Benjaman Drumman | 35 Days | a 4 [?] day | 70 |
| John Wise | 35 Days | a 4 [?] day | 70 |
| Samuel Thomas | 35 Days | a 4 [?] day | 70 |
| William Thomas | 35 Days | a 4 [?] day | 70 |
| Par[?]trick Brady | 30 Days | a 4 [?] day | 70 |
| John Williams | 30 Days | a 4 [?] day | 30 |
| Walter Jackson | 20 Days | a 4 [?] day | 40 |
| Solomon Lewis | 60 Days | a 4 [?] day | 120 |
| Gasper Coleman | 60 Days | a 4 [?] day | 120 |
| John Dolton | 60 Days | a 4 [?] day | 120 |
| John Milliner | 40 Days | a 4 [?] day | 80 |
| Abraham Scott | 40 Days | a 4 [?] day | 80 |
| John Daugherty | 75 Days | a 4 [?] day | 150 |
| Absolam Tilley [?] | 75 Days | a 4 [?] day | 150 |
| Joel McClendal | 61 Days | a 4 [?] day | 122 |
| Par[?]brick Duncan | 12 Days | a 4 [?] day | 24 |
| 6260 2 6 |
State of South Carolina | Personally appeared Captn John Ryan before
Ninety six district | me William Jones one of the justices for said
District and being duly sworn sayeth that the above acct is just
and true to the best of his knowledge [Signed] John Ryan
Sworn to this 9th of dec 1779
before me. Will Jones
I do Certify that the services set forth in this above paybill was performed....LuRoy [?] [?]
**************
Works Cited
Lipscomb, Terry W., and George Fenwick Jones. "A Hessian Map of the Stono Battlefield." South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine 82 (October 1981).
"The Revolutionary War in South Carolina." The Stockman Family Newsletter 8 (March 1993).
Reprinted at: <http://www.zianet.com/stockman_allen/Revwar.html>
Salley, Alexander Samuel. "Battle of Stono." South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine 5 (April 1904): pp. 90-94.
South of South Carolina Accounts Audited Claims Growing out of the Revolution. Number 6703. John Ryan/John Ryans. War Film 2813, Frames 494-502. Columbia, SC: South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Frames 499-501.