The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
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10 SAR MAGAZINE By Stanley A. Evans Sr., Former Vice President General South Atlantic District (1996-97) L ocal attorney Paul H. Dietrich, presented a program to the Col. Benjamin Cleveland Chapter in Cleveland, Tenn., on Oct. 10, 2013, entitled "Mary Ramage Dillard, Heroine of the American Revolution." Toward the end of his presentation, he read a poem titled "Mary D'illard's Ride" that he had written about the heroine of his presentation. The poem received a tremendous response from the members and guests. During discussion afterward, it was compared to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," and considered much better than Longfellow's by those attending. Mary Ramage Dillard was born in 1757, the daughter of John and Jean Ramage. In 1774 she married James Major Dillard, and they soon had a son, John. Mary's father was a patriot, as was her maternal grandfather, Joseph Adair Sr. The Dillards lived on the Enoree River opposite the Musgrove Plantation in northwest South Carolina, about 30 miles from present-day Greenville. James Dillard was captain of the Little River Regiment, S.C. Militia, and Mary, along with son John, accompanied James on all his engagements. The major engagements included King's Mountain, Cowpens and the Siege of Ninety Six. 1 Mary is, in fact, listed in the South Carolina Archives as having received seven pay stubs verifying that she had earned a private's salary during the Revolutionary War. 2 Following are three documented acts of heroism by Mary Ramage Dillard, according to historians, all of which occurred in the fall of 1780. 1. From her home, which was on a main road the Tories used, Mary was to observe and calculate the number of Loyalists who were marching to confront the patriots in battle, counting the number of men in each file and multiplying the number of ranks. She was able to pass word to the patriots the precise number of the enemy to expect in an upcoming encounter. 2. During the heat of the Battle of Musgrove's Mill, Mary was credited with locating the Tories' horses, singlehandedly loosening them from their tethers, and leading them across the Enoree River to the patriots' side. When the Tories retreated, they were forced to do so on foot and abandoned three cannons, as well as supply wagons. 3. The most famous exploit for which Mary is known is her Midnight Ride. 3,4,5,6 On Nov. 20, 1780, she was visited by Gen. Banastre Tarleton, who commanded the British Light Cavalry. At that point, Tarleton had not lost a battle in the war and was credited with massacring patriots under a white flag at the Battle of Waxhaws on May 29, 1780, killing 113 of them. Mary and baby son John were alone when Tarleton arrived. She was ordered to prepare a meal for Tarleton's men, which she did. While preparing the meal, she listened in on their immediate plans, which were to attack the patriots at their encampment at Green Springs the following morning. Upon hearing these plans, Mary took her baby, placed his dressing gown under the bedpost to serve as a makeshift babysitter and quickly bridled a horse. She rode the horse bareback through the night, a distance of about 20 miles, to warn the patriots under the command of Gen. Thomas Sumter of the impending attack the following morning. Tarleton's cavalry of 200 men suffered its first defeat of the war and lost 96 men, compared with only three for the patriots. Although Tarleton escaped, only two months later—in January 1781— his cavalry was virtually destroyed in the Battle of Cowpens, one of the greatest patriot victories during the war. 7 Mary gave birth to seven children during her marriage to James. Her last child was born in 1795, and she died shortly thereafter. She is buried in Clinton, S.C. at Duncan Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery. References 1 Goldsmith, Joseph, Ph.D., "Joseph Kerr, Patriot Super-Spy" as presented to the Greenville, S.C., Sertoma Club, Sept. 10, 2006. 2 South Carolina Archives, Columbia, S.C., Series S108092, Reel 0034, Frame 00582, 19 of 169 records. 3 The Draper Collection at Duke University, identification #VV, pp. 11-13. 4 The Women of the American Revolution, by Elizabeth F. Ellet, published by Charles Scribner, 1853, pp. 291-294. 5 Distinguished Women of Laurens County, by Louise Jones DuBose. 6 The following 1873 letters to Lyman Copeland Draper from the surviving children of James and Mary Puckett Dillard from Katherine Reynolds, "The Dillard Family," Vol. I, pp. 19-21, which also is in the Draper Manuscripts, VV 11-13, Rev. W.P. Jacobs—Laurens Co., S.C. Letter from Nancy Dillard Boyce to Lyman Copeland Draper dated 1873 and letter from A.B. Byrd to Lyman Copeland Draper dated May 22, 1873. 7 Draper, Lyman C., King's Mountain and Its Heroes: History of the Battle of King's Mountain, October 7, 1780. 1978, p. 468. Honoring a Revolutionary War Heroine Paul H. Dietrich, who penned the poem commemorating Mary Ramage Dillard's midnight ride. WINTER_14_sar5-17 copy.indd 10 2/4/14 11:08 AM