129:
209:. The British became informed about the presence of this cache and moved to seize it. As there was insufficient time to evacuate the gunpowder, Bratton instead blew it up, timing the explosion to coincide with the arrival of British forces sent to seize the cache. Confronted with threats of harsh punishment, she told the British: "Let the consequence be what it will, I glory in having prevented the mischief contemplated by the cruel enemies of my country".
213:
246:
family servant, prompting a surprise attack by
William's troops. The battlefield included her home; she put her son in the chimney to prevent him from being injured by stray gunfire. The victorious Americans housed a number of British prisoners of war in the Bratton home. Martha nursed both American
132:
The
Revolutionary House, built in 1776 by Colonel William Bratton (who fought in the Revolutionary War), was originally a one-room log house with a small porch. Later additions were added to the original structure, and clapboard siding was placed over the original
152:
Alive when
Bratton wrote her will were daughters Mary, Jean, Martha Foster, Ealie (Elsie) Sadler, Agnes McCaw, and Elizabeth Gavine, and sons John S. and William Bratton. Their daughter Alise (Elsie) was born on 1766 and son William was born in 1774 in
111:
questioned her as to her husband
William's whereabouts in June of that year, and a battle ensued after she used a slave to inform him of their movements. Their house, a girls' school after Bratton's death, is one of the properties of the
263:. After Bratton's death, her son inherited her home and later converted it into a school for girls. In her will, Bratton named 48 enslaved people that she owned. Brattonsville was named after the couple.
517:
512:
235:
231:
217:
108:
522:
243:
162:
117:
142:
84:
75:
Destroying a gunpowder cache, notifying her husband of
British military movements, and nursing wounded American and British combatants
220:
soldier threatening to kill
Bratton if she did not reveal the whereabouts of her husband. (Mid-nineteenth century illustration,
158:
113:
426:
260:
178:
96:
64:
238:, questioned Bratton as to her husband's location. She refused to reveal his position, even as a Loyalist soldier held a
138:
43:
527:
242:
at her throat. That night, Bratton sent a message to her husband about where
British forces were staying via Watt, an
174:
100:
451:
186:
502:
479:"Women heroes of the American Revolution : 20 stories of espionage, sabotage, defiance, and rescue"
371:
341:, Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution – via ancestry.com
128:
507:
256:
154:
194:
399:
222:
190:
315:
Lineage Book, NSDAR, Volume 162, 1920 for the North
America, Family Histories, 1500-2000
95:(née Robertson, c. 1750 – 1816) was an American woman who supported the
202:
478:
496:
206:
182:
146:
145:
there in 1765, becoming Martha
Bratton. William was born in Pennsylvania, or
337:"Col. William Bratton, application January 17, 1924, SAR membership 39652",
198:
104:
212:
239:
339:
Sons of the
American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970
211:
127:
255:
William died in 1815 and Bratton a year later. They both died in
379:
National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory
400:"Brattonsville Historic District, York County (Brattonsville)"
317:, Provo, Utah, 2016 – via Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.
107:
to prevent it from falling into British hands. Troops of the
357:
South Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980
247:
and British combatants who were wounded during the battle.
291:
Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1600-1889
518:
People of South Carolina in the American Revolution
406:. South Carolina Department of Archives and History
79:
71:
50:
25:
18:
359:, Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015
293:. Vol. I: Aaron - Crandall. pp. 360–361.
141:to Hugh Robertson and Luisa Steele She married
513:People from Williamsburg County, South Carolina
481:. Chicago, Illinois : Chicago Review Press
404:National Register Properties in South Carolina
8:
425:Silcox-Garrett, Diane (30 September 1998).
284:
282:
280:
278:
276:
15:
272:
446:
444:
442:
440:
350:
348:
427:"Heroines of the American Revolution"
332:
330:
328:
326:
324:
201:was stored at the Bratton's house in
137:In 1750 Martha Robertson was born in
7:
370:Ruhr, Nancy R. (February 14, 1971).
308:
306:
304:
302:
300:
205:in response to orders from Governor
177:, William was commissioned into the
163:National Register of Historic Places
118:National Register of Historic Places
477:Casey, Susan (Susan Mary) (2015).
103:. In 1780, she blew up a cache of
14:
454:. National Women's History Museum
157:. Their house, a property of the
523:Women in the American Revolution
159:Brattonsville Historic District
114:Brattonsville Historic District
372:"Bethesda Presbyterian Church"
1:
65:Brattonsville, South Carolina
313:"Martha Robertson Bratton",
230:In June 1780, troops of the
139:Rowan County, North Carolina
44:Rowan County, North Carolina
544:
175:American Revolutionary War
169:American Revolutionary War
101:American Revolutionary War
116:, which is listed on the
236:Loyalist military unit
227:
179:South Carolina Militia
161:, is a listing on the
134:
215:
189:and seeing action at
131:
257:York, South Carolina
155:York, South Carolina
149:, Ireland in 1743.
195:Siege of Charleston
528:Women slave owners
355:"Martha Bratton",
289:"Martha Bratton".
228:
135:
259:, in what is now
193:. Prior the 1780
90:
89:
535:
489:
487:
486:
464:
463:
461:
459:
452:"Martha Bratton"
448:
435:
434:
422:
416:
415:
413:
411:
396:
390:
389:
387:
385:
376:
367:
361:
360:
352:
343:
342:
334:
319:
318:
310:
295:
294:
286:
251:Death and legacy
181:, serving under
61:
59:
40:
38:
30:Martha Robertson
16:
543:
542:
538:
537:
536:
534:
533:
532:
493:
492:
484:
482:
476:
473:
468:
467:
457:
455:
450:
449:
438:
424:
423:
419:
409:
407:
398:
397:
393:
383:
381:
374:
369:
368:
364:
354:
353:
346:
336:
335:
322:
312:
311:
298:
288:
287:
274:
269:
253:
223:Harper's Weekly
185:at the rank of
171:
143:William Bratton
126:
85:William Bratton
67:
62:
57:
55:
46:
41:
36:
34:
32:
31:
21:
12:
11:
5:
541:
539:
531:
530:
525:
520:
515:
510:
505:
495:
494:
491:
490:
472:
469:
466:
465:
436:
417:
391:
362:
344:
320:
296:
271:
270:
268:
265:
252:
249:
232:British Legion
218:British Legion
203:South Carolina
170:
167:
125:
122:
109:British Legion
93:Martha Bratton
88:
87:
81:
77:
76:
73:
72:Known for
69:
68:
63:
52:
48:
47:
42:
29:
27:
23:
22:
20:Martha Bratton
19:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
540:
529:
526:
524:
521:
519:
516:
514:
511:
509:
506:
504:
501:
500:
498:
480:
475:
474:
470:
453:
447:
445:
443:
441:
437:
432:
431:Baltimore Sun
428:
421:
418:
405:
401:
395:
392:
380:
373:
366:
363:
358:
351:
349:
345:
340:
333:
331:
329:
327:
325:
321:
316:
309:
307:
305:
303:
301:
297:
292:
285:
283:
281:
279:
277:
273:
266:
264:
262:
261:Brattonsville
258:
250:
248:
245:
241:
237:
233:
225:
224:
219:
214:
210:
208:
207:John Rutledge
204:
200:
197:, a cache of
196:
192:
191:Huck's Defeat
188:
184:
183:Thomas Sumter
180:
176:
168:
166:
164:
160:
156:
150:
148:
147:County Antrim
144:
140:
130:
123:
121:
119:
115:
110:
106:
102:
98:
97:Patriot cause
94:
86:
82:
78:
74:
70:
66:
53:
49:
45:
28:
24:
17:
503:1740s births
483:. Retrieved
471:Bibliography
456:. Retrieved
430:
420:
410:16 September
408:. Retrieved
403:
394:
382:. Retrieved
378:
365:
356:
338:
314:
290:
254:
229:
221:
172:
151:
136:
92:
91:
508:1816 deaths
384:8 September
173:During the
99:during the
497:Categories
485:2024-04-27
267:References
124:Early life
199:gunpowder
105:gunpowder
458:26 April
244:enslaved
187:colonel
56: (
35: (
240:sickle
80:Spouse
375:(pdf)
133:logs.
83:Col.
460:2013
412:2012
386:2012
234:, a
58:1817
54:1816
51:Died
37:1750
33:1750
26:Born
499::
439:^
429:.
402:.
377:.
347:^
323:^
299:^
275:^
216:A
165:.
120:.
488:.
462:.
433:.
414:.
388:.
226:)
60:)
39:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
