Ninety Six was the historic site farthest away from our campsite, but it was also one of the more interesting. The other two sites (Kings Mountain and Cowpens) were battlefields, but Ninety Six was more than that, it was also the site of a siege during the American Revolution.
We drover over the day after visiting the first two South Carolina sites. As I recall we tried to get an early site so we could be there shortly after it opened for the day.
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.
--from Ninety Six NHS website
When you leave the parking lot you can see a restroom building and a very small visitor center. We headed towards both buildings and ran into a squirrel on the way.
The siege of Ninety Six was an unusual event during the war. There weren't many sieges during the conflict between Britain and her former colonies and none as long as the one here.
In November 1775...the first southern land battle of the Revolutionary War was fought here in Ninety Six. Later, in 1781, the longest field siege of that war--28 days--took place at Ninety Six.
--from exhibit signs
Signs like this are very useful to place a site within the broader historical context, especially when we had recently been to two of the other highlighted sites.
It would have been nice to learn the definitive reason behind the name of the settlement of Ninety Six, but sadly it is still a mystery. According to the site one theory is that the location was "
96 miles from the Cherokee village of Keowee to the northwest, near present-day Clemson. The first known historical reference to Ninety Six is on a map of 1730, created by George Hunter, surveyor general of South Carolina."
What would a battlefield be without a cannon?
We headed into the visitor center but didn't stay long as the public area was just one room.
We swiftly started out on the trail around the site.
Several times we saw black silhouettes with accompanying signs that explained some of the early people who lived in or traveled through Ninety Six.
I found this sign that explained the change in the landscape over the years to be fascinating. While we don't have a recorded history as long as an area like Europe there have been plenty of changes in just the past three hundred years.
It was a peaceful and shady walk through the woods.
This area is the remnant of an old road and I think it is amazing to see that it is still around even after years of change.
The historic roadbed...the Island Ford Road, was an important travelers route from places east and north of Ninety Six. Years of heavy use and erosion caused the road's sunken appearance. A ferry was established at Island Ford, a shallow crossing of the Saluda River, as early as 1775. Travelers would cross there and take the Island Ford road about 10 miles southwest directly to Ninety Six. Revolutionary War Loyalist and Patriot troops used this route to transport supplies to Ninety Six.
--from site signage
Once we broke out into the open we saw a short observation tower that we could climb to get a better view of the area.
There was also a very handy map on the sign that explained the layout of the star fort used by the loyalists and the trench works the Patriot forces built to protect their troops during the siege.
When I got to the top I could see some of the fortifications in the grass, my family playing with a toy gun, and a NPS employee killing weeds along the path.
Just as at other battlefields it was amazing to think of how long the mounds and trenches have lasted--and also how different they must have looked when they were raw earth and not overgrown with manicured grass. This was an approach trench constructed during June of 1781. These "angled ditches allowed troops to move toward the fort without taking direct fire from the enemy."
June 13, 1781
In a single night--June 13--a 30-foot tower made of interlocking logs was erected under Kosciuszko's supervision. From the wooden platform marksmen could aim down into the fort. The Loyalists responded to this threat by making the walls nearly three feet higher with sandbags. The Loyalists tried unsuccessfully to burn down the tower by firing heated cannon balls.
--from exhibit signs
Under this site Patriot troops started to dig a mine (tunnel) towards the walls of the star fort. It was a remarkable accomplishment and likely would have helped conquer the fortification if the siege hadn't been called off before it could be finished.
This was the heart of the star fort that protected the Loyalist troops.
This was the location of a well that the besieged troops dug to try and find water as the town's water supply was quite a ways distant and well outside the protection of the fortification's walls. No water was ever discovered at this location however.
Somebody had a fantastic idea for delineating the site of the actual town of Ninety Six. When they mow a strip of taller grass is left along the line that marks the town boundary. It makes the area much easier to visualize as no buildings have been reconstructed inside the area. I'm sure it doesn't help during the winter, but during the growing season it is a fantastic help.
While nothing remains of the town it is interesting to think about how much was here and about the people that lived their lives here until the war tore them apart.
Past the town is a recreation of the stockade fort. While the main siege had to be abandoned due to the imminent arrival of British reinforcements troops under Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee did manage to capture the stockade just before the retreat.
There isn't too much inside the walls, but the kids enjoyed running around the fort.
After leaving the fort the trail was almost done as we approached the parking lot where we had began our walk.
After the Revolution, the American government confiscated land that belonged to prominent Loyalists. You are standing on such a tract, and it became the site of a new town of Ninety Six in 1783. The old town--near the Star Fort--never rebounded from its occupation by the Loyalists, who left the village in ruins after the siege of 1781.
--from site signage
The area later became the town of Cambridge, but it didn't last too long and had disappeared by 1850, partly due to the railroad not coming close enough. Instead the modern town of Ninety Six (the third one by that name) grew up around the railroad depot to the north.
This building is the Logan Log House built by Andrew Logan in the late 1700s. It was discovered nearby covered by modern siding and additions. It is now used for living history programs.
There were a few exhibits inside the visitor center that we saw after the conclusion of our walk.
The rest of the pictures that I took at the site can be seen
in this album.
~Matt
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