Towns

SC, USA

Charleston

Historical figures connected to Charleston.

9 People

General Henry Clinton

1730–1795 · British General · Land Force Commander · Future Commander-in-Chief

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 · Continental Army Colonel · Fort Sullivan Commander · General and Governor

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 · Continental Army General · Southern Army Commander

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 Commander · British Legion Commander

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 Officer · Patriot Martyr

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 · Continental Army General · Southern Department Commander

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 · Partisan Commander · Continental Army Officer · Swamp Fox

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 · Southern Army Commander · Lieutenant General

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.

Christopher Gadsden

1724–1805 · Patriot Politician · Continental Congress Delegate · Merchant

South Carolina Patriot leader and designer of the Gadsden Flag — the rattlesnake banner — who was a leading advocate for South Carolina's defense in 1776. He was present during the preparations for the Fort Sullivan defense as one of the colony's most prominent Patriot figures.