Charleston Harbor in the Days of Sailing Ships, courtesy of the South Carolina Historical Society After the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763 to end the French and Indian War, the British stationed troops and ships in the colonies to prohibit the Spanish and French from regaining territory. To fund this action, Prime Minister George Grenville encouraged taxing items that the colonies imported. Since regular customs officials had difficulty stopping colonial smugglers, the British deputized commanders of Royal Navy vessels as customs officers. Most of the British ships were stationed near no ..read more

Portrait of Banastre Tarleton, courtesy of the South Carolina Historical Society In the winter of 1779, the British decided to expand their presence in the South with a third attempt to take Charleston. General Sir Henry Clinton was in command of the British forces and sent approximately 10,000 troops to reclaim the city. They arrived by ship in February 1780, and landed 30 miles south of Charleston. By the end of March, the British encircled the city. On April 12, Clinton ordered Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton and Lt. Colonel James Webster to head inland to defend the British and cut Charles ..read more

Image from Acts of the General Assembly of South-Carolina (1783-1786) from the collections of the South Carolina Historical Society. The American Revolution presented enslaved people an opportunity to gain their freedom if they joined the British forces or spied for the American side. A handful of primary sources document the actions of a few enslaved spies who served the American cause. One of them was a man named Antigua (alternatively spelled Antego and Antigo) who was enslaved by John Harleston (1755/56 -1781) of St. John’s Parish in Berkeley County. Harleston’s will made provisions for ..read more

“The Execution of Isaac Hayne” by Caroll N. Jones, property of the South Carolina Historical Society. On the morning of August 4, 1781, Colonel Isaac Hayne was led from the Exchange building through the streets of Charlestown to meet his fate at the gallows. He chose to walk instead of ride in the wagon with his coffin. The night before, the coffin was placed in the jail cell with him as a reminder of his impending execution. At the place of execution, according to witnesses, he placed the hood on his own head and signaled he was ready. Hayne’s execution was met with controversy and anger fr ..read more

After completing the line from Charleston to Columbia, the SC Railroad Co. added a rail connection off of that line to Camden. This stock, dated 1850, supports the Camden extension. Courtesy of the SC Historical Society. The South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company (SCC&RR) was chartered in 1827 and began constructing a line from Charleston to Hamburg in 1830. The railroad was built on piles, as that was less expensive than embanking. That 136-mile road was completed in 1833, with stops in Summerville, Blackville, Branchville and Aiken. As the company looked to expand, it was clear tha ..read more

Record of the first meeting of the German Friendly Society from the collections of the South Carolina Historical Society. On January 15, 1766, Michael Kalteisen held a meeting in his home in Charleston with Daniel Strobel and fourteen other German men. This constituted the founding and first official meeting of the German Friendly Society. Since the beginning of European settlement in South Carolina, German people have been a constant. German-speaking immigrants settled on James Island in 1674, west of the Ashley River at Albemarle Point. They also settled in many other South Carolina Townsh ..read more

William Henry Drayton, Head of the Secret Committee that seized British gunpowder and weapons on April 21, 1775. From the collections of the South Carolina Historical Society. After Britain passed the Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts, in 1774, dissatisfaction rose among the American colonists. The day after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, South Carolinians moved to arm themselves. Charles Pinckney, the President of the Provincial Congress, appointed a Secret Committee to be headed by William Henry Drayton. The Committee was instructed to seize the British government’s ..read more

Christopher Gadsden (pictured here) was denied the oath of office by Governor Boone in 1762. He would later serve in the Stamp Act Congress, the First Continental Congress, and, eventually, as a brigadier general in the Continental Army. On December 16, 1762, the South Carolina legislature resolved to do no further business with the governor until he recognized the rights and privileges of members of the Commons House of Assembly. The governor at that time was Thomas Boone. Born in England, Boone’s father was a merchant whose family owned a great deal of land in South Carolina. His older bro ..read more

The Henry Laurens House, at 320 East Bay Street in Charleston, was demolished in 1914. Image courtesy of The Charleston Museum, Charleston, South Carolina. Under the guidance of Lord Grenville, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act in March 1765. This was the first direct tax on the American colonies and was intended to reduce the debt that Great Britian had incurred during the French and Indian War. The act required that Americans pay an extra duty on all newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents, and other paper items, including playing cards. The British stipulated that the act would g ..read more

In 1780, the British shifted their strategy from fighting in the Northern colonies and focused on the South. They captured Charleston at the end of March and searched for established strongholds throughout the colony. Upon entering the Georgetown District, the Redcoats expected to find loyal subjects who would support their war effort. While they did find numerous Loyalists among the population, they also found many Patriots. Unhappy with the lack of loyalist support, the British began a campaign to punish local Patriots and others who refused to cooperate. In an effort to “strike terror into ..read more