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Student Worksheet Packet

The Backcountry Civil War: Ninety Six and the War Within the War

Ninety Six, SC

Grades 6-9·2-3 class periods

The Revolutionary War in South Carolina was simultaneously a war of independence and a civil war between Patriot and Loyalist neighbors. This lesson uses Ninety Six as a case study for understanding what that internal conflict looked like: who chose sides and why, how violence between communities escalated, and what happened to the losers when the war ended. Students analyze why the backcountry civil war was more brutal than the conventional military campaigns and examine the fate of Loyalist civilians displaced from the Ninety Six district.

This Packet Includes

  • Learning Objectives & Essential Questions
  • 5 Primary Source Analysis Worksheets
  • 3 Reading & Activity Handouts
  • Assessment Quiz (5 questions)
Unit:The Backcountry Civil War: Ninety Six and the War Within the War — Lesson Overview
History is for Everyone
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Learning Objectives

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Students will explain the origins of the Patriot-Loyalist conflict in the South Carolina backcountry
  2. Students will analyze why neighbors chose different sides in 1775–1776 and what factors drove those choices
  3. Students will trace the escalation of violence in the backcountry civil war and identify what made it different from conventional military operations
  4. Students will evaluate what happened to Loyalist families after the British abandoned Ninety Six and connect that displacement to broader patterns of the war's aftermath

Essential Questions

Keep these questions in mind as you work through this packet:

  • When a revolution divides a community, what determines which side people choose?
  • Why does civil war — neighbors fighting neighbors — tend to be more brutal than conventional military conflict?
  • What do we owe to people who chose the losing side of a political conflict?
Unit:The Backcountry Civil War: Ninety Six and the War Within the War — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 1 of 5
Document Information
DocumentGeneral Nathanael Greene's Correspondence: Siege of Ninety Six, May-June 1781
SourceUniversity of North Carolina Press (Papers of Nathanael Greene)
TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Ninety Six, SC? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:The Backcountry Civil War: Ninety Six and the War Within the War — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 2 of 5
Document Information
DocumentLord Rawdon to Sir Henry Clinton: Dispatch on the Relief of Ninety Six, June 1781
SourcePublic Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)
TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Ninety Six, SC? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:The Backcountry Civil War: Ninety Six and the War Within the War — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 3 of 5
Document Information
DocumentNinety Six National Historic Site
SourceNational Park Service
TypeINSTITUTIONAL
Ninety Six National Historic Site

Ninety Six National Historic Site

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What is the institution's mission?

  5. How does that mission shape the presentation?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Ninety Six, SC? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:The Backcountry Civil War: Ninety Six and the War Within the War — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 4 of 5
Document Information
DocumentPension Applications: Ninety Six Garrison and Siege Participants, 1820s-1840s
SourceNational Archives and Records Administration
TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Ninety Six, SC? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:The Backcountry Civil War: Ninety Six and the War Within the War — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 5 of 5
Document Information
DocumentSouth Carolina Backcountry District Records: Ninety Six, 1775-1782
SourceSouth Carolina Department of Archives and History
TypePRIMARY
South Carolina Backcountry District Records: Ninety Six, 1775-1782

South Carolina Backcountry District Records: Ninety Six, 1775-1782

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Ninety Six, SC? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:The Backcountry Civil War: Ninety Six and the War Within the War — Ninety Six Event Timeline
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:

Ninety Six Event Timeline

timeline

Students place key events in chronological order and add details

# Ninety Six Revolutionary Timeline


Instructions: Place the following events in order and add one detail about each.


  • [ ] Battle of Kings Mountain
  • [ ] British Abandon Ninety Six
  • [ ] Final American Assault on Star Fort
  • [ ] Greene Begins Siege of Ninety Six
  • [ ] Rawdon Relieves Ninety Six

---


| Event | Date | Significance |

|-------|------|-------------|

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

Unit:The Backcountry Civil War: Ninety Six and the War Within the War — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source Analysis

graphic organizer

Structured analysis of Revolutionary-era documents

# Primary Source Analysis Worksheet


## Source Information

  • Title: _________________
  • Author: _________________
  • Date: _________________
  • Type: _________________

## Observation

What do you notice? (List 3 things)

1.

2.

3.


## Reflection

What do you wonder? (List 2 questions)

1.

2.


## Analysis

What does this source tell us about Ninety Six during the Revolution?


_______________________________________________


## Perspective

Whose voice is represented? Whose might be missing?


_______________________________________________

Unit:The Backcountry Civil War: Ninety Six and the War Within the War — Key Figures Profile
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Name: Date: Period:

Key Figures Profile

worksheet

Research template for Revolutionary figures

# Revolutionary Figure Profile


## Basic Information

  • Name: _________________
  • Birth/Death Years: _________________
  • Occupation(s): _________________

## Role in the Revolution

### Major Patrick Ferguson

The only British regular at Kings Mountain, commanding 1,100 Loyalist militia. Inventor of the Ferguson breech-loading rifle and one of the army's most capable officers. His ultimatum to the Overmountain settlements triggered the campaign that killed him.


My questions about this person:

1.

2.


### Lord Francis Rawdon

British general commanding in South Carolina who marched from Charleston with reinforcements to relieve Ninety Six in June 1781. He arrived in time to force Greene's withdrawal but then ordered the evacuation of Ninety Six, recognizing the post was indefensible against continued partisan and Continental pressure on his supply lines.


My questions about this person:

1.

2.



## Reflection

Which figure interests you most and why?


_______________________________________________

Unit:The Backcountry Civil War: Ninety Six and the War Within the War — Assessment
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:

Ninety Six in the American Revolution

Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history.

  1. 1.  What makes Ninety Six significant in Revolutionary history?

  2. 2.  Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.

  3. 3.  Name one event that occurred in Ninety Six during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.

    Answer:

  4. 4.  Why is it important to consider multiple perspectives when studying history?

  5. 5.  Describe one connection between this town and another Revolutionary-era town we discussed.

    Answer: