Battlefield site to be named for African American veteran.
Harold Donnelly wears many hats. He is chairman of the Orangeburg County (S.C.) 250 Commission; president of the Eutaw Springs Battleground Association; and a member of Thomas Raysor Summers American Legion Post 4 in Orangeburg (and former District 20 commander). All three entities have come together to support a new project on the grounds to mark America’s 250th birthday: a new park named for a South Carolina native and veteran of that battle.
Eutaw Springs was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War in South Carolina, in September 1781. It was a Pyrrhic victory for the British, who retreated to Charleston until being evacuated the next year. A 12-acre piece of the grounds “holds particular historical importance,” according to Donnelly, “as it encompasses part of the original roadbed used by Gen. Francis Marion – known as the ‘Swamp Fox’ – and his troops.” Thanks to a grant that among other things will make the space ADA-compliant, plans are to turn it into a park as part of the state’s America250 commemoration and eventual 250th anniversary of the battle in 2031.
As for its namesake, Jim Capers was a drum major in his late 30s under Marion in the battle and lived to be 111, and the project is “believed to be the first public park on record named after an African American Revolutionary War veteran born into enslavement.” Capers was born on a plantation at Bulls Bay, S.C., in 1741, around 60 miles from the battleground, and served in several conflicts throughout the war. A report authored by Donnelly describes the role of the drum in that time period as “a vital means of communication, conveying commands to advance, retreat or change formation when verbal orders could not be heard above musket fire and cannon blasts. Drum majors like Capers were constantly exposed to enemy fire and were often deliberately targeted. In camp, the drum regulated daily military life, from reveille to drills and inspections.” He settled in Alabama after the war and raised six children with his wife; the report adds that his federal pension application was delayed but eventually granted to his widow after he died in 1853.
“The post is behind it,” Donnelly said of the park, and he regularly gives updates at meetings. The final dedication date will be announced.
- USA250