Battle of Raft Swamp

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. 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 briefly engaged with some mounted Loyalists of Col. Hector "One-Eyed Hector" McNeill on Rockfish Creek. 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. 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."