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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Ninety Six in Greenwood County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic) |
Approach Trench
June 2, 1781
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By Brian Scott, May 13, 2010 | |
| | | 1. Approach Trench Marker | | |
Inscription.
"Not a man could shew his head but what he was immediately shot down."
General Nathanael Green
Approach trenches, called saps, connected one parallel to the next. These angled ditches allowed troops to move toward the fort without taking direct fire from the enemy. Sappers, or laborers who dug the tranches, broke through the hard red soil sometimes with only candlelight to gide them. Dangerous musket volleys often cost them their lives.
Erected 2009 by National Park Service.
Location. 34° 8.818′ N, 82° 1.107′ W. Marker is in Ninety Six, South Carolina, in Greenwood County. Marker can be reached from South Cambridge Street (State Highway 248). Click for map. Marker is on the battlegrounds of Ninety Six Historic Park. Marker is in this post office area: Ninety Six SC 29666, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Second Parallel (a few steps from this marker); Second Approach Trench (within shouting distance of this marker); The Artillery (within shouting distance of this marker); The Rifle Tower (within shouting distance of this marker); The British Fortifications (about 300 feet away, in a direct line); Siege Trenches (about 300 feet away); The Patriots Lay Siege to the Star Fort (about 300 feet away); Island Ford Road (about 300 feet away); Patriot Soldier (about 300 feet away); The Mine (about 300 feet away). Click for a list of all markers in Ninety Six.| | | | 
By Brian Scott, May 13, 2010 | |
| | | 2. Approach Trench Marker | | |
More about this marker. The marker shown in Photo 1 is the current version of the marker.
Also see . . .
1. Ninety Six National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service). Here 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 and abandoned to the elements, and two Revolutionary War battles that claimed over 100 lives took place here. (Submitted on September 7, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
2. Nathanael Greene. Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. (Submitted on July 11, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
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By Brian Scott, September 5, 2008 | |
| | | 3. Original Approach Trench Marker |
The Americans "appear to be advancing by regular approaches, working very industriously..." Cruger reported to Lord Francis Rawdon, the British commander in Charleston.
Cruger and his men watched the American tranches inch closer to the fort. Occasionally raids from the garrison were launched to harass and disrupt. Kosciuszko's sappers, but the American progress was relentless.
The approach trenches ran generally perpendicular to the Star Fort and allowed Patriot troops to move closer to it. The sappers and the assault troops were protected by the angles of the approach trenches and by gabions set along the edge of the trench. | | |
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By Brian Scott, May 13, 2010 | |
| | | 4. Paved Trail Leading to Approach Trench Marker | | |
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By Brian Scott, May 13, 2010 | |
| | | 5. Approach Trenches Zig-zagging Toward the Star Fort | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on September 7, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 500 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 11, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 3. submitted on September 7, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 4, 5. submitted on July 11, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
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