Fair Lawn Plantation was an enormous property granted to Sir Peter Colleton, oldest son of Sir John Colleton, one of the original eight Lords Proprietors of the Carolina colony. During the Revolutionary War, the British army first occupied the plantation in July 1781, turning the mansion, known as Colleton House, into a hospital and armory. Over the course of the summer, British troops (and probably black slaves from the area) fortified Colleton House with an abatis ~ a row of sharp stakes pointed outward to defend against an attack ~ and constructed Fort Fairlawn about half a mile away. Of primarily earthen construction and garrisoned by about fifty soldiers, Fort Fairlawn was designed to guard the plantation's Cooper River landing.
In September 1781, the plantation was an important staging ground for the Battle of Eutaw Springs, and afterwards it was one of the few posts outside of Charleston where the British maintained a strong presence. On November 17, when Whig militiamen under the command of Col. Hezekiah Maham and Col. Isaac Shelby attacked Colleton House, the outnumbered troops inside Fort Fairlawn made no move to defend their comrades. On November 24, the British abandoned the fort.
Among the few Revolutionary War structures in South Carolina that are still visible, the well-preserved remains of Fort Fairlawn are currently under private ownership.
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