What:
Raid, Fort Dorchester, Lt.Col. Henry Lee, British fled, 15 Jul 1781
Raid, Capt. Geo. Cooper, drove off cattle at Dorchester Fort, 31 Aug 1781.
Skirmish, *MG Greene vs. SC Royalists, 1 Dec 1781

Other names:

Where: 32.946914, -80.170205

Maps: [map notes]

• 32.946914,-80.170205, Fort Dorchester
• ACME Mapper.
• National Map, simple. Click X to exit.  National Map how-to.
• Google.
• GNIS record: Fort Dorchester State Historical Park. Note mapping options.

Sources:

• Terry Lipscomb, "South Carolina Revolutionary War Battles", Part Seven, Names in South Carolina, XXVI, Winter 1979:
  

  [Ref 5 Jul 1781, Fort Dorchester]
  [p.33] Captain George Cooper with a party of mounted militia to create a diversion in the neighborhood of Charleston, while the Swamp Fox's main force was campaigning on the other side of the Edisto River. Cooper conducted a raid down the east side of the Ashley River. He routed a party of Tories at the Cypress Swamp, drove off the cattle from in front of the enemy's fort at Dorchester, and dispersed another party of Tories at a brick church twelve miles north of Charleston. Then he retreated by way of Goose Creek and rejoined Marion, who by this time was back at his camp on Peyre's plantation.

• Terry Lipscomb, "South Carolina Revolutionary War Battles", Part Six, Names in South Carolina, XXV, Winter 1978:

  [Ref 15 Jul 1781, Fort Dorchester]
  [p.31] When Greene retired to his camp at the High Hills, he left his cavalry and mounted militia detachments south of the Santee with orders to get behind Rawdon and strike directly toward Charleston, sweeping all the approaches to the city. The principal objectives were the British posts at Dorchester and Monck's Corner. This expedition was under the overall direction of Thomas Sumter, with Marion and Lee instructed to cooperate with him.

  Henry Lee took the road to Dorchester, but found that the British detachment there had already evacuated the post and moved to Monck's Corner. He did, however, capture a British convoy and a number of horses. On Sunday, July 15, Wade Hampton advanced from Goose Creek Bridge toward Charleston,...

• Terry Lipscomb, "South Carolina Revolutionary War Battles", Part Eight, Names in South Carolina, XXVII, Winter 1980:

  [Ref 1 Dec 1781, Fort Dorchester]
  [p.16] The approach of the Continental reinforcements enabled Greene to move his headquarters into the lower part of the state and drive the enemy into Charleston. On November 18, he broke camp at the High Hills of Santee and began his march southward. Greene led the mounted troops ahead of the main army, intending to strike at the British garrrison of Dorchester. Loyalist sympathizers informed the enemy that Greene was coming, frustrating his hopes of surprising them. On December 1, the British sent out a reconnoitering party on the west side of the Ashley River, which fell in with the American vanguard under Colonel Wade Hampton, and was driven back across the bridge with the loss of eight or ten killed, and fifteen or twenty wounded. The enemy took cover at the fort; shortly afterward, the cavalry sal1ied out, but Hampton's troops chased them back very rapidly. The British garrison made its escape under the cover of night, burning al1 the military stores and throwing the cannons into the river. This enemy force retreated to the Quarter House, where it rendezvoused with the main British army. Dorchester was located on the east bank of the Ashley River just off modern S.C. 642 about four miles due south of Summerville. The site is today a state park.

• Barefoot, p.92-4, 104.

• NBBAS:All
  15 Jul 1781, Raid, Fort Dorchester, Lt.Col. Henry Lee, British fled. Vol. Three, p.286, 289. Revlist post. Another Revlist post.
  31 Aug 1781, Raid, Capt. Geo. Cooper, drove off cattle at Dorchester Fort, Vol. Three, p.324, 327. Revlist post. Another Revlist post.
  [Aug 1781, Fort Dorchester, British strengthened. Vol. Three, p.344.]
  1 Dec 1781, Skirmish, Fort Dorchester, American victory. Vol. Three, p.402-403. Revlist post.

• Sherman, "Calendar...". Search for fort dorchester yields nothing. Search for Dorchester yields 77 returns, with varying relevance. Work ends before 1 Dec 1781 skirmish. To avoid long downloads, use option to "Save and view this PDF in Reader".

• RevWar75  
• Jul 1781 listing: 7/15/1781 Dorchester. Draw.
• Aug 1781 listing: 8/31/1781 Dorchester. Draw.
• Dec 1781 listing: 12/1/1781 Fort Dorchester. American victory.

  Related sites:
  Dorchester   Fair Spring   Horse Savannah   Dorchester Creek   Dorchester Road  

  Submitted by: Patrick O'Kelley.

  Confidence level: 5