Science Source Stock Photo - Rebecca Motte and the Siege of Fort Motte, 1781

Rebecca Motte and the Siege of Fort Motte, 1781

Description: Rebecca Brewton Motte (1737-1815) was a plantation owner in South Carolina, patriot in the American Revolution, and namesake of Fort Motte. Her family were supporters of the American Revolution and supplied soldiers with rice, beef, pork, corn, and fodder from 1778-83. Brigadier General Marion and Lt. Col. Lee were sent by General Greene to capture Fort Motte. They arrived in May 1781 with about 400 men and an artillery piece. After 5 days of attack, Marion and Lee decided to burn the house which had a dry wood shingle roof. On May 12th, Mrs. Motte didn't hesitate to "burn her home" and even provided the arrows which would be lit and shot onto the roof of her house. In the 1790s Rebecca Motte continued to manage her affairs after paying off her family's war debts. She lived out her days with some of her grandchildren who remembered the old arrow quiver holding her knitting needles hanging on the back of her chair. The arrow symbolized a memory. A memory of Rebecca's days in the Revolutionary War. Engraving circa 1858.

Credit:

New York Public Library/Science Source

Unique identifier: SS2456930

Legacy Identifier: BS5159

Type: Image

Size: 2857px × 4011px (~32 MB)

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