The procedures and results of archaeological testing and mitigation at the site of Revolutionary war period Fort Independence, South Carolina (38AB218), are presented along with the procedures and results of exhaustive historical research on the site, including South Carolina back country settlement and the Revolutionary War as it affected that area. Initially a frontier plantation, Fort Independence was purchased by South Carolina in 1777 and garrisoned with an independent company detached from the state line. Functioning primarily as a deterrent to the restive Cherokees and Creeks and as one of the Whig enclaves in an area of strong Tory sentiment, Fort Independence was important in maintaining South Carolina's frontier at a critical time. The fort was burned by Tories in early 1779. Archaeologically, Fort Independence was found to be a square, log stockade with three bastions, surrounding a well-built log plantation house. Various aspects of these remains are described and discussed. Identifications and analyses of recovered artifacts are presented along with comparisons to other archaeologically known eighteenth-century occupations.
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