From May to June of 1781, Patriot General Nathanael Greene besieged the vital South Carolina post of Ninety Six. By the middle of June, Greene decided to launch an all-out assault but could not capture the garrison.
How It Ended
British Victory. After learning that a relief party from the British garrison at Charleston was almost a day’s march away from Ninety Six, Greene decided to launch an all-out assault on the British fort on June 18th. In the resulting action, Greene’s forces failed to capture the town and withdrew the following day.
In Context
In April 1781, Lord Cornwallis moved his British army into Virginia. American General Nathanael Greene responded by launching a campaign to retake the Carolinas. Greene’s forces soon drove the British from Fort Watson and Camden. The American general then turned his attention to the outpost at Ninety Six so named as it was thought to be 96 miles from the Cherokee village of Keowee in western South Carolina.
Before the Battle
By May 22nd, Greene’s army arrived on the outskirts of the town and found that it was defended by 550 Loyalists under Lt. Col. John H. Cruger. After surveying the area, Greene found that the town’s strongest defense was the star-shaped fort.
During the Battle
Following their arrival, Greene’s forces immediately began siege operations. Under the leadership of his chief engineer Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Greene’s forces focused their efforts on the star-shaped fort. Desperate to gain any sort of advantage, Greene constructed a Maham tower that his sharpshooters could fire into the fort when it was fully constructed. By June 11th, Greene learned that a British relief party, numbering nearly 2,000 men under the command of Lord Rawdon, was headed towards him. Realizing time was against him, Greene prepared to launch an all-out assault on the British garrison. On June 18th, the Patriot army launched its assault. The British, however, counterattacked and drove back Greene’s men.
Aftermath
After failing to take the British outpost, Greene learned that the British relief party was only thirty miles away. The following day, Greene retreated from the field, ended the siege, and fell back to the High Hills of the Santee below Camden.
