Charleston, SC
People
9 historical figures connected to Charleston during the Revolutionary War.
Patriots & Founders
Other Figures
General Henry Clinton
1730–1795
British general who commanded the land force intended to attack Fort Sullivan from Long Island. His troops discovered the crossing channel was impassable at the planned depth and could not support the naval bombardment. Clinton returned in 1780 with a completely different approach and captured Charleston.
Colonel William Moultrie
1730–1805
South Carolina colonel who commanded the garrison at Fort Sullivan on June 28, 1776. His calm conduct during the British bombardment and his effective direction of the fort's artillery made the victory possible. The fort was renamed Fort Moultrie in his honor.
Major General Benjamin Lincoln
1733–1810
Massachusetts general commanding the Southern Department who surrendered Charleston and its 5,500-man garrison to Clinton on May 12, 1780 — the largest American military capitulation of the war. Later served as Washington's Secretary of War.
Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton
1754–1833
British cavalry officer whose aggressive pursuit of Morgan led him into Morgan's prepared position at Cowpens. His decision to attack without adequate reconnaissance and without giving his men time to rest contributed to the most complete American tactical victory of the southern campaign.
Colonel Isaac Hayne
1745–1781
South Carolina militia colonel who signed a loyalty oath after Charleston's fall to protect his family from smallpox. He rejoined the Patriot cause when the British reneged on their terms; captured in 1781, he was executed by hanging without trial — an act that outraged Patriot opinion across the south.
Nathanael Greene
1742–1786
Rhode Island general who commanded the American forces at Hobkirk's Hill. His tactical plan was disrupted by a Maryland regiment's collapse and he ordered a retreat, technically losing the battle. Within two weeks the British had abandoned Camden, demonstrating that tactical defeat and strategic victory are not always the same thing.
Brigadier General Francis Marion
1732–1795
South Carolina partisan commander who was coordinating with Greene during the Camden campaign. Marion's operations in the lowcountry during the Hobkirk's Hill period cut British supply lines into Camden and contributed to Rawdon's decision that the post was untenable.
Lord Charles Cornwallis
1738–1805
British general whose response to Cowpens — stripping his army of wagons and racing north to catch Greene — led to the Guilford Courthouse campaign and his eventual decision to invade Virginia, ending at Yorktown.