Battle of Stono Ferry The Battle of Stono Ferry was an American Revolutionary War battle , fought on June 20 , 1779 , near Charleston , South Carolina . The rear guard from a British expedition retreating from an aborted attempt to take Charleston held off an assault by poorly trained militia forces under American General Benjamin Lincoln . Background . The opening move in Britain ' s " southern strategy " to regain control of its rebellious colonies , was the December 1778 capture of Savannah , Georgia . This heightened concerns in Charleston , South Carolina , where General Benjamin Lincoln headed the Continental Army ' s southern command . The British garrison at Savannah was about the same size as his own . Throughout the early months of 1779 , Lincoln was reinforced by local militia as well as militia from North Carolina and Georgia . From a base at Purrysburg , South Carolina Lincoln directed these forces to monitor key points on the Savannah River between the coast and Augusta , Georgia , which fell into British hands in late January . This buildup of forces prompted the British to withdraw their force from Augusta back to Ebenezer , Georgia , across the river from Purrysburg . During these maneuvers a Loyalist force was defeated in the Battle of Kettle Creek , and a North Carolina militia force was defeated in the Battle of Brier Creek . By mid - April Lincoln felt strong enough to move in force with the goal of tightening the cordon around Savannah , cutting the British off from local resources . He marched from Purrysburg on April 23 toward Augusta . Lincoln was apparently unaware that the British supply situation was somewhat desperate , in part because American privateer activity had been successful in capturing British supply ships destined for Savannah and diverting them . His movement toward Augusta left the rich lands of coastal South Carolina protected by a minimal militia force . When British General Augustine Prevost learned of this movement , he decided to counterthrust against the militia forces at Purrysburg , marching 2 , 500 men out on April 29 . The militia , about 1 , 000 men under the command of General William Moultrie , fell back toward Charleston rather than engaging Prevost , and Moultrie sent messengers to Lincoln warning him of the British movement . As Moultrie retreated , local men deserted his force in order to protect their homes and plantations . Prevost decided to pursue Moultrie , and chased him to the gates of Charleston . On May 10 , companies from the two forces skirmished near Ashley Ferry , about seven miles ( 11 . 3 km ) from Charleston . Two days later Prevost intercepted a message from which he learned that Lincoln was rapidly marching back to Charleston , and decided to retreat . His army was slowed by having taken supplies en route , so he decided to leave a rear guard at Stono Ferry , between Johns Island and the mainland , removing most of his army to Savannah by boat on June 16 . Prevost placed Lieutenant Colonel John Maitland in charge of the rear guard , which numbered about 900 men . A bridgehead was established on the north side of an area now known as New Cut Church Flats ; this was meant to cover Stono Ferry . Three strong redoubt s were built , circled by an abatis and manned by Highlander s from the 71st Foot , Hessian s from the Regiment von Trumbach , and companies of Loyalists from North and South Carolina . Lincoln , on his arrival in Charleston , decided to mount an attack on this outpost . Even though he commanded five to seven thousand men , he was only able to raise about 1 , 200 men , primarily from the poorly trained local militia , for the expedition . General Moultrie led a smaller secondary effort to the east against a small group of British soldiers on Johns Island . Lincoln deployed his troops after a night march of eight miles ( 13 km ) from the Ashley Ferry , located in the present village of Drayton Hall . Immediately upon their arrival at dawn , they began struggling through thick woods . The Americans advanced in two wings ; General Jethro Sumner led his Carolina militia on the right , carrying two guns , while their right flank was covered by a company of light infantry , commanded by the Marquis de Malmady . Continental Army troops , under General Isaac Huger , made up the left wing ; they carried four guns into battle . With Huger was a group of light infantry under John Henderson , and it was these troops who , shortly before sunrise , made first contact with the enemy . Battle . The battle began well for the Patriots . They engaged the British positions with small arms and cannon fire for an hour , at which point they advanced to the abatis . Of the Highlanders , two companies resisted until only 11 men were left standing ; a Hessian battalion finally broke . Here Maitland shifted his forces in an attempt to counter the larger threat posed by Huger ' s wing . The Hessians rallied and returned to the fight , and reserves were brought across the bridge . Lincoln chose this moment to order a withdrawal . Aftermath . The American loss in the battle was 34 killed , 113 wounded and 155 missing . Among the dead was Hugh Jackson , brother of future President Andrew Jackson , who was felled by heat and exhaustion . Huger was severely wounded . The British casualties were 26 killed , 93 wounded and 1 missing . Maitland had decided almost a week prior to the battle to withdraw from the site , but his movement was delayed by a lack of water transportation . He finally began moving on June 23 towards Beaufort , although with little prompting from Lincoln ' s attack . The site of the battle is still visible today , at the end of S . C . 318 near Rantowles .