Ninety Six in the American Revolution

Ninety Six in the American Revolution. The War in the Southern Colonies. Ninety Six played a significant role in the struggle for American independence from British rule. It was the site of the first southern land battle of the Revolutionary War, in 1775, and the scene of its longest field siege, in 1781. Early in the war the British focused on conquering the North. However, they turned their gaze to the South after suffering setbacks in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia., The colonies of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina provided cash crops, including rice, indigo and tobacco, to markets in England. Because of this critical economic tie, many southern colonists remained loyal to British rule. They were called "Loyalists." The British Army recruited these Loyalists to help them fight the American revolutionaries called "Patriots," who wanted independence. The battles fought at Ninety Six were between Loyalists and Patriots, all of whom were born on American soil., The British found that the South was not so easily won. Here in the backcountry of South Carolina residents changed alliances frequently , siding with the Loyalists when it seemed to their advantage but supporting the Patriots when they felt oppressed by British rule. At Ninety Six the town was firmly in the hands of the Patriots in 1775, but became Loyalist territory by 1780, just before the siege of Ninety Six took place on these grounds., Emerging victorious in the southern battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens, the Patriots held their ground and pushed the British northward, forcing their surrender at Yorktown in October, 1781. But the war did not end immediately. Bloody battles of revenge between Patriots and Loyalists consumed areas of South Carolina, until a final peace treaty was signed between the United States and Britain in 1783.