Martha Bratton (née Robertson, c. 1750 – 1816) was an American woman who supported the

Patriot cause A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. In 1780, she blew up a cache of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

to prevent it from falling into British hands. Troops of the

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British Charitable organization, charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. ...

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

Brattonsville Historic District The Brattonsville Historic District is a historic district and unincorporated community in York County, South Carolina. It includes three homes built between 1776 and 1855 by the Brattons ( William Bratton and Martha Bratton), a prominent fam ...

, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Early life

In 1750 Martha Robertson was born in

Rowan County, North Carolina Rowan County ( ),Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Carolina Col ...

to Hugh Robertson and Luisa Steele She married

William Bratton William Joseph Bratton CBE (born October 6, 1947) is an American businessman and former law enforcement officer who served two non-consecutive tenures as the New York City Police Commissioner (1994–1996 and 2014–2016) and currently one of ...

there in 1765, becoming Martha Bratton. William was born in Pennsylvania, or

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

, Ireland in 1743. 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

York, South Carolina York is a city in and the county seat of York County, South Carolina, United States. The population was approximately 6,985 at the 2000 census and up to 7,736 at the 2010 census. York is located approximately southwest of Charlotte, North Ca ...

. Their house, a property of the

, is a listing on the

American Revolutionary War

During the

, William was commissioned into the South Carolina Militia, serving under

Thomas Sumter Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734June 1, 1832) was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served in the Continental Army as a Brigadier general (United States), brigadier-general during the American Revolutionary War, Revolution ...

at the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and seeing action at

Huck's Defeat Huck's Defeat or the Battle of Williamson's Plantation was an engagement of the American Revolutionary War that occurred in what is now York County, South Carolina, on July 12, 1780, and was one of the first battles of the southern campaign to b ...

. Prior the 1780

Siege of Charleston The siege of Charleston was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town (today Charleston), the capital of South Carolina, between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The British ...

, a cache of

was stored at the Bratton's house in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

in response to orders from Governor

John Rutledge John Rutledge Jr. (September 17, 1739 – June 21, 1800) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, politician, and jurist who served as one of the original Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States ...

. 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 the forces sent to seize the cache. Confronted with threats of harsh punishment, she told the arriving troops: "Let the consequence be what it will, I glory in having prevented the mischief contemplated by the cruel enemies of my country". In June 1780, troops of the

, a Loyalist military unit, questioned Bratton as to her husband's location. She refused to reveal his position, even as a Loyalist soldier held a

sickle A sickle, bagging hook, reaping-hook or grasshook is a single-handed agricultural tool designed with variously curved blades and typically used for harvesting or reaping grain crops, or cutting Succulent plant, succulent forage chiefly for feedi ...

at her throat. That night, Bratton sent a message to her husband about where nearby Loyalist forces were staying via Watt, an enslaved 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 prisoners of war in the Bratton home. Martha nursed the wounded from the battle.

Death and legacy

William died in 1815 and Bratton a year later. They both died in

, in what is now Brattonsville. 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.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bratton, Martha 1740s births 1816 deaths People from Williamsburg County, South Carolina People of South Carolina in the American Revolution Women in the American Revolution Women slave owners