SC, USA
Execution of Isaac Hayne
August 4, 1781
British authorities in Charleston hanged Colonel Isaac Hayne without trial, charging him with treason for rejoining the Patriot cause after having signed a loyalty oath. Hayne's case was legally and morally complex — he had signed the oath under duress, with the understanding that he would not be required to bear arms against the Patriots, a condition the British subsequently violated. His execution without a proper hearing or trial outraged Patriot opinion throughout the south and contributed to the hardening of resistance in 1781.
People Involved
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.