From the April 12th SCNow.com.
During the Civil War, Florence only had 100 people, but was at the junction of 3 major Confederate railroads: the Wilmington and Manchester (Sumter), the Cheraw and Darlington and the Northeastern.
Major railroad bridges crossed the Great Pee Dee and Santee rivers. The area provided food and naval stores to the Confederacy. As such, the region was a target of Union attack.
Defense of the area was left up to local militias, either young boys or old men.
Fort Finger, at the 90 degree bend in the Great Pee Dee River, was near present day Johnsonville. It was positioned with obstructions to stop Union gunboats. Manned mostly by conscripts not otherwise able to serve and when a youth at the fort turned 18, he was sent off to the Army.
The fort was established because of Gen. W.W. Harlee, a railroad man and founder of Florence.
Sometimes the installation was called Fort Nose because of the general's large nose (but I imagine not to his face). Another name for it was Camp Reliance.
Between a Finger and a Nose. --Old B-Runner
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