In the shadow of Lexington and Concord, away from Boston’s protests and the assembled New England militiamen, the American Revolution initially took hold in the Southern backcountry at Savage’s Old Fields. Situated near the township of Ninety-Six, South Carolina, this site witnessed a brief yet pivotal siege that underscored the fragile nature of political restraint in a divided colony and foreshadowed the brutal civil conflict that would soon engulf the region.

Before November 1775, South Carolina’s interior was mostly untouched by the revolutionary violence spreading through the northern colonies. A strong Loyalist presence, especially among Scotch-Irish settlers, and the region’s remote location created a tense, uneasy peace. In September of that year, Patriot leaders and backcountry Loyalists signed what was called the Treaty of Ninety Six, which aimed to maintain order and prevent open conflict. But the delicate peace didn’t last much longer.¹

Tensions escalated when a cache of gunpowder and lead, intended by the South Carolina Provincial Congress for trade with the Cherokee, was intercepted and seized by Loyalist forces. The congress, seeking to assert its authority and recover the supplies, sent Major Andrew Williamson with around five hundred and sixty militiamen to the backcountry. There, at John Savage’s plantation, Williamson hastily constructed a crude stockade of fence rails and split logs. It was this makeshift fort that would come under siege on November 19, 1775.²

The Loyalist response was swift. Led by Major Joseph Robinson and Captain Patrick Cuningham, a force estimated between fifteen hundred and two thousand men surrounded Williamson’s position. Despite the imbalance in numbers, both sides stayed cautious. The Patriots enjoyed cover and small swivel guns, whereas the Loyalists hesitated to start a full attack.

The resulting engagement was a tense three-day siege characterized by sporadic skirmishes and sharp exchanges of gunfire. When the Loyalists captured two South Carolina militiamen, a fierce two-hour firefight erupted.³ The Loyalists tried to burn the fort by setting fire to the surrounding fields, but the wet ground and Patriot resistance stopped them.

By November 21, a truce was reached. The Loyalists withdrew across the Saluda River, and the Patriots agreed to dismantle the stockade. Both sides exchanged prisoners, and, perhaps most notably, the swivel guns Williamson had deployed were later returned.⁴

Casualty figures were surprisingly low: one militiaman was killed and twelve wounded, while an estimated four Loyalists were killed and twenty wounded. These numbers are minor compared to the substantial tolls of later battles in the South. However, the significance of this siege lies not in the casualty count, but in the unmistakable indication that the Revolutionary War had reached the Southern colonies.

What makes Savage’s Old Fields noteworthy, despite its relative obscurity, is that it represents the moment when ideology began to solidify into armed factions in the Southern backcountry. The siege offers an early glimpse into what would develop into a bitter civil conflict within the Revolution, as neighbors turned against one another and militias clashed with each other.

In the aftermath, the South Carolina Provincial Congress initiated a larger crackdown against the Loyalist population. Colonel Richard Richardson led a sweeping expedition with more than four thousand militia, arresting many Loyalist leaders or forcing them into exile. The political restraint that had characterized South Carolina’s early revolutionary period was gone.⁵

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1 “Treaty of Ninety Six,” Robert Wilson Gibbes, ed., Documentary History of the American Revolution, 1764 – 1776 (New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1855), 184–186. 2 “Maj. Williamson to Mr. Drayton, Giving an Account of the Siege, Action, and Treaty At Ninety-Six,” Gibbes, Documentary History, 216–219. 3 John Drayton, Memoirs of the American Revolution: From its Commencement to the Year 1776, Inclusive; As relating to the State of South Carolina: And Occasionally Referring to the States of North-Carolina and Georgia (Charleston: A.E. Miller, 1821), 118–120. 4 “Maj. Williamson to Mr. Drayton, Giving an Account of the Siege, Action, and Treaty At Ninety-Six,” Gibbes, Documentary History, 218. 5 Franklin D. Rausch, “The Siege of Savages’ Old Fields: Halting Steps towards War,” Journal of the American Revolution, May 6, 2025, All Things Liberty, accessed July 7, 2025, https://allthingsliberty.com/2025/05/the-siege-of-savages-old-fields-halting-steps-towards-war/.