"Militia marching" by U.S. National Park Service , public domain
Ninety SixNational Historic Site - South Carolina |
Ninety Six National Historic Site, also known as Old Ninety Six and Star Fort, is located about 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Greenville, South Carolina. It was established to preserve the original site of Ninety Six, South Carolina, a small town established in the early 18th century.
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Map of the U.S. National Park System. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System with DOI's Unified Regions. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
brochures
Official Brochure of Ninety Six National Historic Site (NHS) in South Carolina. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.nps.gov/nisi/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety_Six_National_Historic_Site
Ninety Six National Historic Site, also known as Old Ninety Six and Star Fort, is located about 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Greenville, South Carolina. It was established to preserve the original site of Ninety Six, South Carolina, a small town established in the early 18th century.
Settlers struggled against the harsh backcountry to survive. Cherokee Indians hunted and fought to keep their land. Two towns and a trading post were formed then abandoned to the elements. And two Revolutionary War battles claimed over 100 lives. Come discover the 18th century history of South Carolina.
2 miles south of Ninety Six, SC on Hwy 248. For more detailed information, click on "Directions Details" below.
Ninety Six National Historic Site
Open Wednesday-Sunday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, closed Monday and Tuesday. Museum contains a reproduction 3-pounder cannon, artifacts found on the battlefield, and other exhibits. "Ninety Six: Crossroads" is a 22-minute video shown on request. Sales Outlet operated by America's National Parks offers books, postcards, and theme-related souvenirs.
2 miles south of Ninety Six, SC on Hwy 248. For more detailed information, please click on "Directions Details" below.
Cannon and Maham Tower
A cannon is in the left foreground with the Maham rifle tower in the distance.
Cannon and Maham Tower
Exhibit in the Fog
A corten steel figure of a Native American stands sentinel in the fog.
A corten steel figure of a Native American stands sentinel in the fog.
1781 Battlefield View
The walking trail winds past a cannon and a rifle tower.
The walking trail winds past a cannon and a rifle tower.
Road Signs
A wooden sign shows the direction of important places in 1781.
A wooden sign shows the direction of important places in 1781.
Birmingham Monument
A monument to James Birmingham, the first South Carolinian to die in the American Revolution
A monument to patriot James Birmingham, the first South Carolinian to die in the American Revolution
Tent Row
A British regimental coat hangs on a tent.
A British regimental coat hangs on the middle tent during a special event.
Divine Service
Reenactors listen as another reenactor presents and 18th century church service.
Reenactors sit in chairs in front of the Black Swan Tavern as another reenactor presents and 18th century church service.
Flag at Stockade
A British flag flies over the stockade fort.
A British flag flies over the stockade fort.
Sign and Flag
A blue Liberty flag is in the right foreground with the park entrance sign behind it.
A blue Liberty flag is in the right foreground with the park entrance sign behind it during a special event.
NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Ninety Six National Historic Site, South Carolina
Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park.
historic sunken Island Ford Road
Intrusted to a Letter
Harry Dana procured a unique assortment of letters from the American Revolution, largely related to George Washington’s time in his Cambridge headquarters. Now in the collections of Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, these letters provide insight into what people chose to “intrust to a Letter."
signature block of letter
Districts to Counties
How the districts and counties of South Carolina changed since the 1700s.
1775 map of North and South Carolina showing towns, boundary lines, and geological features.
Southern Campaign of the American Revolution Junior Ranger Program
Explore the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution with this Junior Ranger program that features five units of the National Park Service!
Green cover of Junior Ranger Program with five photographs of different parks.
Thomas Young
Discover the life of patriot soldier, Thomas Young.
Tombstone of Thomas Young
The Adventures of Ranger Cow!
Follow Ranger Cow's journey to American Revolutionary War sites!
Crochet Cow in Park Ranger uniform
Black Powder Weapons of the Southern Campaign
Discover black powder weapons of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution.
Grasshopper cannon with blue wheels
National Park Service Maintenance Action Teams, A Revolutionary Approach to Trail Rehabilitation
The impact of MAT projects extends far beyond immediate maintenance needs at parks. A project at Ninety Six National Historic Site addressed critical facility needs and improved accessibility and recreational opportunities at the park.
A photo collage of trail users at Ninety Six National Historic Site.
Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park System
To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation.
A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera.
Ninety Six
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
National Historic Site
South Carolina
The Star Fort was the heart of British
defenses at Ninety Six and the stone
upon which Gen. Nathanael Greene's
well-planned siege stumbled. Although
Greene and his patriot army were
unsuccessful, the victorious loyalists
soon abandoned the post and moved
their garrison toward the coast.
Gen. Nathanael Greene
commanded the southern
Continental Army.
The Siege of Ninety Six, 1781
The siege of this frontier post grew
out of one of the great dramas of the
American Revolution—the second
British attempt to conquer the South.
Their first campaign in 1775-76 had
failed. This second campaign began
in late 1778 with an assault on Savannah,
Ga. On May 12,1780, loyalists—Americans loyal to British interests—captured
Charleston, S.C., America's fourth largest city and commercial capital of the
South. By September 1780 loyalists held
Georgia and most of South Carolina.
A powerful army under Gen. Lord Cornwallis was poised to carry the war northward. British forces seemed unstoppable.
Surprises for the Loyalists In the fall
of 1780 American patriots—those seeking independence from British rule—
turned the war against Cornwallis. On
October 7 he lost his entire left offensive
arm and its commander Maj. Patrick
Ferguson at Kings Mountain, S.C. On
January 17,1781, he lost his right striking force under the command of Col.
Banastre Tarleton at Cowpens. By early
1781 Cornwallis faced a resurgent Con-
tinental Army under the command of
Gen. Nathanael Greene. Cornwallis
drove Greene and the patriots from the
field at Guilford Courthouse, N.C., in
mid-March, but at such a cost that he
and his loyalist army had to retreat to
the coast. Greene did not pursue Cornwallis but set out to reduce the chain of
backcountry posts held by the British.
non and musket fire from its top. Then,
Greene learned that a relief column of
2,000 British troops was marching to
Cruger's aid. He resolved to storm the
post before he was trapped between the
two forces.
June 18—The Attack at Noon The
onslaught began at noon. Col. Henry
"Light-horse Harry" Lee's legion captured the Stockade Fort west of the
village. Greene launched his attack on
the Star Fort from the third parallel.
Troops in trenches moved forward,
inching four 6-pounder cannon toward
the fort. But the cannon fire was not
powerful enough to breach the 10to 12-foot-thick earthen wall. Greene
ordered 50 soldiers forward to prepare
the way for the main army. Men with
axes cut through the sharpened stakes
that extended from the fort's walls, and
those with hooks attempted to pull
down sandbags. Cruger ordered troops
into the ditch that surrounded the fort.
Fighting hand-to-hand, loyalists drove
off the patriots with both sides taking
great losses.
Critical Crossroads The hamlet
named Ninety Six, a vital political and
economic center in the South Carolina
backcountry, was garrisoned by 550
American loyalists led by Lt. Col. John
Cruger. When Cruger took command
in 1780, he used loyalist soldiers and
slaves from nearby farms to reinforce
the walls of the town's stockade and
build the Star Fort.
Greene and his patriot army of 1,000
regulars and a few militia arrived at
Ninety Six on May 21,1781. One look
at the formidable defenses, along with
Greene's lack of heavy artillery, ruled
out a quick, direct assault. Only a siege
could bring down Ninety Six.
Greene focused on the Star Fort. Col.
Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a military engineer and aide to Greene, directed the
siege operations. Sappers (trench diggers) began digging a system of parallels
and approach trenches through the
hard clay—an exhausting labor made
worse by intense heat, mosquitoes, and
cannon fire from the fort. They completed the first parallel on June 1, the
second on June 3, and the third on June
10. Now they were within musket range
of the loyalists.
Col. Henry Lee, father of Robert E. Lee,
earned the nickname "Light-horse Harry"
for his skillful command of cavalry units.
This repulse decided the contest. The
rescue column was too near for Greene
to organize a general attack. Greene
and his army slipped away before dawn
on June 20, moving north up the Island
Ford Road and across the Saluda River
before the loyalists could give chase.
Although Greene lost the siege, his
offensive weakened Cruger's stronghold
in the backcountry. By July the loyalists
abandoned Ninety Six and moved to a
post nearer the coast.
During the night of June 13 Greene's
men built a 30-foot tower of logs close to
the fort, hoping to suppress loyalist can-
PORTRAITS OF N A T H A N A E L GREENE (TOP RIGHT) A N D HENRY LEE (LEFT) 8 Y CHARLES W I L L S O N
PEALE PORTRAIT OF T H A D D E U S KOSCIUSZKO (LOWER RIGHT) BY JULIAN RYS COURTESY: INDEPENDENCE N A T I O N A L HISTORICAL PARK, PHILADELPHIA, PA
Understanding the Earthworks
The loyalists' Star Fort survived as you see
it today. In 1973 and 1974 archeologists
found evidence of the patriots' siege trenc