On March 22, 1780, British and Hessian troops nearing Charleston were met by Patriot cannon fire near St. Andrew's Parish Church. They advanced on the church from the opposite side of Church Creek after reports that a Patriot detachment of 150 cavalry and 200 men was posted there. Hessian Capt. Johann Ewald led his men across the creek southwest of here, hoping to encircle the Patriots and ambush them from behind. The British decision not to return cannon fire spared the church from almost certain damage. Ewald's men became mired in the pluff mud, and a brief skirmish ensued as Patriots fled the church grounds. The British seized the church and camped in the yard while they rebuilt the damaged bridge over the creek. The skirmish was a prelude to the British capture of Charleston in May and the city's two-year occupation.
