Battle of Raft Swamp
| Battle of Raft Swamp | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Great Britain Loyalist militia |
 Patriot militia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Colonel Duncan Ray Colonel Archibald McDugald Colonel Hector "One-Eyed Hector" McNeill [a] |
Gen. Griffith Rutherford[2] Major Joseph Graham | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 300 - 600 militia and regulars[3] | 930 - 1,400 militia[3] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
16 killed 50 wounded 15 - 20 captured | 1 killed[4] | ||||||
| [a] Hector "Old Hector" McNeil had been killed at the battle of Lindley's Mill, but Hector "One-Eyed Hector" McNeill had been put in his position to conceal the death of the old colonel. Col. Ray thought that if the men though that "Old Hector" was still alive they would continue to stay with his army.[5] | |||||||
The Battle of Raft Swamp was fought near Red Springs, North Carolina in Robeson County, on October 15, 1781 during the American War of Independence.[6] Raft Swamp was well known for being a refuge for Loyalists during the American Revolution. On October 15, 1781, in the course of Gen. Griffith Rutherford's expedition against Wilmington, the Patriot cavalry vanguard commanded by Maj. Joseph Graham[7] briefly engaged with some mounted Loyalists of Col. Hector "One-Eyed Hector" McNeill on Rockfish Creek.[8] Major Graham's cavalry charged and broke the Loyalist cavalry and led to fierce combat on the narrow causeway, as well as another clash on a second causeway. A series of charges and confused engagements resulted in the Loyalist forces scattering when darkness brought the action to a conclusion with the Patriots occupying the area. This would be the last battle fought in North Carolina. It took place four days before the British surrender at Yorktown.[9][10] Today, a state historic marker entitled with the name of the swamp denotes the site of the engagement. It reads as follows: "After the Tory victory at McPhaul's Mill, the Whigs routed the Tories near here on Oct. 15, 1781 and broke their resistance in the area."[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "Battle of Raft Swamp, Battle of McPhaul's Mill".
- ^ https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4624&context=gradschool_dissertations
- ^ a b https://uelac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Major-Samuel-Andrews-by-Sandra-Guinan.pdf
- ^ Chapter, John Sevier. "John Sevier Chapter". John Sevier Chapter.
- ^ "The American Revolution in North Carolina - Raft Swamp".
- ^ "Battle of Raft Swamp | American Revolution Tour of N.C." 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ "Joseph Graham | American Revolution Tour of N.C." 15 June 2020.
- ^ "The American Revolution in North Carolina - Raft Swamp". www.carolana.com. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ "List of Revolutionary War Battles, Raids & Skirmishes for 1781". American Revolutionary War. 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ "NC History – North Carolina SAR". 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Raft Swamp Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2023-05-13.