Redcoat riflemen defend against Patriot attack. Christian Huck was a really bad man. He was born in Germany, emigrated to Pennsylvania, and set up shop as a Philadelphia lawyer. When the American Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain, Huck joined the British army, became a captain of dragoons, and joined General Cornwallis and Col. Banastre Tarleton to teach the South Carolina patriots a lesson after the fall of Charleston in 1780.

Captain Huck and his Tory militia looted and burned Presbyterian churches in the backcountry (the area around present- day York and Chester Counties). He destroyed a patriot ironworks, burned farms of the rebels, and threatened women and children.

As Gen. Thomas Sumter gathered his forces to strike at Tarleton, Huck initiated a plan to frighten the local people into giving up the cause of independence. He profaned Presbyterian preachers and stole their horses. He even robbed the women of their shoe buckles, rings, and neckerchiefs. These atrocities had the opposite effect. More men joined Sumter and the patriot forces.

At left, British troops surrender to Col. Bratton's Patriots. On July 11, 1780, Huck raided the home of Col. William Bratton and forced Mrs. Bratton to prepare a meal for him and his officers. That night Huck's 115 men set up camp at the nearby Williamson farm.

In the early morning of July 12, Col. Bratton attacked the Huck's camp with 250 men. The Brits were taken by surprise. Huck rode back and forth behind his men urging them to counterattack. However, before the Redcoats could get organized, Capt. Huck was struck in the head by two sharpshooter's musket balls. When he hit the ground, his troops threw down their weapons and begged for mercy. The Battle of Huck's Defeat was over.

The patriot victory was reenacted at Brattonsville July 12, 2008. The rebel yells, the gunshots, the horse charges were real, but this time no one was killed. When Capt. Huck fell, though, the crowd of 200 shouted their approval. The event was sponsored by the Historic Brattonsville branch of the Cul- ture & Heritage Museums.

Daniel Sosbee and friend listen to Patriot sol- dier's story of the Battle of Huck's Defeat. At right, a British rifleman shoots at charging Patriots. The British dragoons charge the Patriot lines at the Battle of Huck's Defeat in Brattonsville. British troops pose for photos after the battle.