Outpost at Belleville Plantation/Col. William Thomson

Near the highway is the site of Belleville, a plantation on the banks of the Congaree River owned by William Thomson. Soon after the Siege of Charleston (1780), British forces took possession of Belleville and used it as a strategic outpost. They evacuated the property in the spring of 1781.

William Thomson (c.1727-1796) was a local Patriot leader. He commanded the 3rd S.C. Regiment (Rangers) which played a key role at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island (1776), an early major Patriot victory during the American Revolution. Known to his men as “Old Danger,” Thomson also served in the colonial S.C. and state legislatures. He lived most of his life at nearby Belleville Plantation.