Over the course of 1775, Loyalists within South Carolina were identified and effectively silenced by the better organized Patriots.

In July of 1775, the Council of Safety sent out Chief Justice William Henry Drayton and Rev. William Tennant to the backcountry to pursuade those citizens to sign the "Continental Association." Many settlers in the fork between the Broad and Saluda rivers had earlier refused to sign it. Drayton and Tennant were escorted by Col. William Thomson, commander of the SC 3rd Regiment of Rangers. This trip lasted until October of 1775, and it was instrumental in the Patriots determining who the most vocal Loyalists were in all areas of the province.

Later that year, many of these high-profile Loyalists were rounded up and taken to Charlestown, where they were imprisoned, tried, and mostly found innocent of any real charges. Some escaped this and went directly to the new Royal Governor, who was himself exiled to the man-o-war Tamar in the Charletown Harbor. To make a long story short, the Patriots had the upper hand throughout the province and state until Charlestown fell to the British army in May of 1780.

At that point in time, Loyalist fever surfaced and many companies and regiments were established, with the assistance of the British army, who wanted more and more to join their ranks. However, the Patriots were not yet defeated and they had five years of experience creating militias and communication among the various regiments. The Loyalists had no time to learn, for they were immediately faced with battle, whether they were ready for it or not. Some were, most were not.