Military
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On the night of May 22, Greene began constructing an assault position only 70 yards from Star Fort, hoping to overrun the fort quickly with a frontal attack. Heavy cannon fire and an attack party from the fort led by Lieutenant John Honey drove the Americans away and captured their tools. Greene and his chief engineer, Lieutenant Colonel Thaddeus Kosciuszko, then began digging siege trenches about 220 yards from the Star. Construction of the American siegeworks took twenty-seven days and included approach trenches, parallels, and artillery batteries, intended to let Patriot troops, supported by cannon fire, move close enough to the Star to make a successful assault. The original trenches were dug according to procedures developed in Europe, where siege warfare was common.
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Ninety Six, South Carolina · United States
