Bladen County is rife with history and little known historic facts and battles. One such gem is the Revolutionary War Battle of Brown Marsh. The skirmish is thought to have taken place near present-day Clarkton.
“Why are the people who gave their lives (in the battle) not recognized?” asked Seth Lewis.
He said there are currently no plans for any type of recognition of the battle or the patriots who fought and died there. Lewis said there is no battle marker for the site nor an indicator there was a battle fought anywhere near Clarkton.
“I can’t believe nothing has been done or said about it, but there is nothing on the ground,” said Lewis. “I want something to be done (to recognize it).”
The Battle of Brown Marsh is thought to have been fought sometime in September 1781 in a location called Old Baldwin Field.
Albert Shaw of Clarkton said that based on historical documents and his own research, he believes that the Old Baldwin Field referred to in the battle accounts is located in what is today Columbus County.
“It was a pretty sizable affair as far as the number of people involved,” said Shaw.
Shaw said that the British captured Governor Burke at the Battle of Hillsborough and were bringing him to Wilmington. He said the Gen. Butler learned about the path the British soldiers were taking and took a contingent of a couple hundred men to meet them and rescue the governor.
Shaw said that the troops crossed at Waddell’s Ferry and arrived at Old Baldwin Field. Shaw said the British learned about Butler’s movements through spies scattered along Butler’s route and they dispatched General May to intercept Butler. Shaw said Gen. May had a unit of Provincials and part of the Highland Regiment with him. Gen. May attacked Butler’s troops at Baldwin’s Old Field.
An account written by James Shipman in his pension application described the battle. According to Shipman’s account, some members of the Back Country Militia fled as soon as the fighting began but Col. Owen’s Bladen Militia and the Sampson Militia under Capt. Dodd both stood their ground and fought until they ran out of ammunition.
Shaw said it was actually a sizable battle for the time. There are believed to have been more than 200 men involved in the skirmish, according to Shaw.
“We may have lost that battle, but we won the war (for independence),” said Lewis.
According to Shaw, Baldwin’s Old Field seemed to be a regular meeting place for soldiers during the Revolution, based on his research.
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