Key Facts
- Duration
- 28 days (May 22 – June 18, 1781)
- Continental attackers
- ~1,000 troops
- Loyalist defenders
- ~550 troops
- Key fortification
- Star Fort (earthen fortification)
- Site status
- Ninety Six National Historic Landmark
Strategic Narrative Overview
On May 22, 1781, Greene invested Ninety Six with approximately 1,000 Continental troops against a garrison of roughly 550 Loyalists. The siege focused on Star Fort, a well-constructed earthen defensive work. Despite numerical superiority, Greene's attempts to breach or undermine the fortification were repulsed. After 28 days, news arrived that Lord Rawdon was advancing from Charleston with a British relief column, forcing Greene to abandon the operation.
01 / The Origins
By 1781 the American Revolutionary War's southern theater was heavily contested between Continental forces and British-backed Loyalists. Ninety Six, a fortified village in western South Carolina, served as a key Loyalist stronghold. Continental Major General Nathanael Greene sought to reduce British and Loyalist positions across the Carolinas and targeted Ninety Six as a strategically important post whose capture would weaken Crown control of the interior.
03 / The Outcome
Greene lifted the siege on June 18, 1781, withdrawing without capturing the town. Lord Rawdon's relief force arrived shortly after, preserving the Loyalist garrison. The Crown subsequently evacuated Ninety Six, rendering the costly defense ultimately futile. Surviving Loyalists were later resettled in Nova Scotia, where they named their township Rawdon in honor of the commander who had rescued them.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Nathanael Greene.
Side B
1 belligerent
Lord Rawdon.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.