It's great to hear that someone is taking the initiative to try to have NC and SC recognized for the important role they played in winning the Revolution. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that the outcome would have been very different had the Southern Campaign not gone the way it did. Several pivotal battles that oc- cured on Carolina soil made the victory at Yorktown possible and, in the process, exacted a heavy toll on the people of that area. Civil war is always the worst kind of war, and it literally raged in the upcountry. One site that I visited several years ago has weighed heavily on my mind. The Blackstock Plantation area was an unpopulated area overgrown with trees with nothing but a small monument, minus the bronze plaque which had been stolen, which looked as if it was only being used for weekend partying and parking when I was there. I saw it as a golden opportunity for either the state of SC or the Federal Government to buy the land before it gets taken up by developers and covered over with subdivisions. Even though I'm a Tennessean, I wrote a couple of letters in that regard at the time but go no replies. I've often hoped since then that someone would take the initiative and preserve that important landmark before it's too late! I have no idea what the status is now but I would love to hear that some preservation efforts are taking place. Maybe this will be the opportunity that can be used to full advantage. I love visiting the Rev. War battle sites of the area. To me, it's an inspirational ex- perience, and one I hope will be available to our descendants. Regards, Mack Smith SmokyMtn43@aol.com

At 09:00 PM 6/6/2002 -0400, you wrote: >The Blackstock Plantation area was >an unpopulated area overgrown with trees with nothing but a small >monument, minus the bronze plaque which had been stolen, which >looked as if it was only being used for weekend partying and parking >when I was there. I saw it as a golden opportunity for either the state >of SC or the Federal Government to buy the land before it gets taken >up by developers and covered over with subdivisions. Even though I'm >a Tennessean, I wrote a couple of letters in that regard at the time but >go no replies. I've often hoped since then that someone would take >the initiative and preserve that important landmark before it's too late! >I have no idea what the status is now but I would love to hear that >some preservation efforts are taking place. Maybe this will be the >opportunity that can be used to full advantage. I love visiting the >Rev. War battle sites of the area. To me, it's an inspirational ex- >perience, and one I hope will be available to our descendants. >Mack Smith >SmokyMtn43@aol.com Mack: You will be pleased to learn that the private group Palmetto Conservation (associated with Palmetto Trails) obtained rights to the Blackstocks Plantation and is in the process of cleaning it up, adding parking, clearing trails, etc. http://www.palmettoconservation.org/blackstock_release.html Once the group is confident that the state will assume responsibility for maintaining it, it will likely be turned over to the state of SC. There is no intent for it to be a manned park, but it will likely be under the oversight of the new Musgrove Mill park a few miles away. The Musgrove Mill park also came into being largely through the efforts of the above group. This park will open sometime this year. http://www.discoversouthcarolina.com/sp/spproduct.asp?PID=3888&CT= When I made my listing of what of significance is happening in my area to promote the learning and teaching of history of the Rev War, this activity was included (high!) in my list. John Robertson