Important men and battles in SC of the American Revolution

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Three Great Men

The lives and service of Thomas Sumter, Andrew Pickens, and Francis

Marion

Thomas Sumter

General Thomas Sumter was born in Virginia, August 14, 1734

Nickname: “The Fighting Gamecock”

Thomas Sumter

• Was present at the attack on Charleston in September of 1776.

• Became involved with the war, but in 1778, he resigned his position.

• Hearing that Colonel Tarleton was on his way, Sumter put on his uniform and took off

• When the British arrived at his home, they carried his wife into the yard to watch the home burn.

• After the British burned his home, he became involved extremely involved, organizing guerilla militias to attack, thus earning the nickname “The Fighting Gamecock”

After the War…

• In 1778 he was elected by his people to the first General Assembly under the new Constitution, and after his "War Days" was elected to the state Senate which met in Johnsonborough, SC in 1782.

• Also served in the U.S. Congress.

Andrew Pickens

Andrew Pickens was born in 1739 in Pennsylvania.

His nickname: “The Wizard Owl”

Andrew Pickens

• Received his nickname from the Cherokee• Fought during the Revolutionary War as a

militia captain.• Fought in the Battle at Ninety-Six.• Fought in the Battle of Cowpens.

After the war

• After the war he served in the state assembly and Congress

Francis Marion

Marion was born on February 26, 1732, at Goatfield Plantation in St. James Parish, Berkeley County, South Carolina

His nickname: “The Swamp Fox”

Francis Marion

• In 1775, he was a member of the South Carolina Provincial Congress, and on June 21, 1775 was commissioned captain in the 2nd South Carolina Regiment under William Moultrie, with whom he served in June 1776 in the defense of Fort Sullivan and Fort Moultrie, in Charleston harbor.

• Fought in many battles all over the state.• Known for his “sneak attacks” in the swamps of

the low country.• This is how he earned the nickname “Swamp Fox”

After the war

• Marion served several terms in the South Carolina State Senate, and in 1784, in recognition of his services, was made commander of Fort Johnson, practically a courtesy title with a salary of $500 per annum.

William Jasper

• Fought in the Battle of Sullivan’s Island.

• Well known for saving the flag during the Battle of Sullivan’s Island even when cannon fire was still looming around him.

• Was eventually killed in the Siege of Savannah, doing the very same thing.

Battles in SC

Battle of Sullivan’s Island

• The British wanted to use Charles Town as a base for planning attacks on other colonies.

• Colonel William Moultrie lead a regiment in the fight against the British at Sullivan’s Island.

A map of Sullivan’s Island

Sullivan’s Island

• The fort, made of palmetto logs and sand, was able to absorb the bombardment from British naval vessels and remained undamaged.

• The British ships, which became stuck on a sand bar, sustained significant damage.

Sullivan’s Island

• The Patriots were victorious.• The British were unable to take over Charles

Town at this point.• Fort Sullivan was renamed Fort Moultrie in

honor of William Moultrie.

Siege of Charles Town

• In 1780, British troops finally were able to take hold of the city of Charles Towne.

• They forced Charles Towne men to sign an oath of loyalty to England.

• They also made them sign an oath to fight for the British.• They put people in jail for no reason and stole from homes.• Many men escaped and became soldiers for the Patriot

cause.• Many joined guerilla warfare militias that were led by

Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter.

Battle of King’s Mountain• King’s mountain is on the

border of SC and NC.• The Patriots surrounded and

defeated a force of Loyalists.• The Loyalists tried to surrender

peacefully, but remembering a brutal attack on the Patriots in an earlier battle, the Patriots killed as many Loyalists as possible.

• This victory was a turning point in the war for the Patriots.

Battle of Cowpens• The American militia, led by

Andrew Pickens, faked a strategic retreat.

• Seeing the Americans flee, a frequent occurrence, the British elected to advance on the retreating militia.

• However, the British were surprised to find the Continental Army, commanded by General Daniel Morgan, lined up behind the fleeing militia.

• Surrounded, the British suffered a major defeat.

• This battle forced the British to abandon their backcountry efforts.

Battle of Cowpens map

Battle of Eutaw Springs• American General Nathaniel

Greene defeated the British at Eutaw Springs, which became the last major battle of the American Revolution in South Carolina.

• The British marched out of the state making their way to the Virginia coast to await rescue by the British Navy.

• There they were surrounded by the Continental Army at Yorktown.

• Surrender by Cornwallis came soon after.