Spongy Palmetto logs did not splinter – South Carolina State Quarter Coin

Today, the South Carolina State Quarter Coin remembers the first British attack, their occupation a few years later and their evacuation 233 years ago.

In the Guide to Charleston published in 1875, Arthur Mazyck compiled the following description of those early days in Charleston’s history.

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The first blood was shed in the memorable battle of Fort Moultrie, on the 28th of June, 1776.

On the first of that month intelligence was received that a large British fleet was making its way towards Charleston, and on the morning of the fourth, the main part of this fleet came to anchor just outside of the bar.

Preparations were immediately commenced to meet the expected attack.

About this time Maj. Gen. Charles Lee arrived in Charleston, and was invested by Gov. Rutledge with full command of all military affairs.

He was disposed to withdraw all the troops from Sullivan’s Island, but both Rutledge and Moultrie, who commanded the Island, dissuaded him from doing so.

Fort Johnson, on the opposite side of the harbor, was occupied by the first South Carolina regular regiment, commanded by Col. Gadsden; but it was their opinion that the chief defense of the city rested in Fort Sullivan, as it was then called.

This stood on the front beach of Sullivan’s Island, and commanded the main entrance to the harbor; it was a square structure, with a bastion at each angle, and was built of Palmetto logs, piled one on another in two lines, sixteen feet apart, the space between being filled with sand.

There was not sufficient time to carry out the plan of the fort, and only the wall on the front, and the southeastern and part of the southwestern sides were completed; some temporary defenses, built of plank, filled up the unfinished portions, but these were only available against a land attack.

The armament consisted in all of twenty-six guns; nine twenty-pounders, three eighteen-pounders, and fourteen twelve-pounders; on the southeast bastion was the plain blue flag, with white crescent, which from that day became so famous.

At the eastern end of the Island breastworks were erected, and Col. William Thompson was in command.

His whole force consisted of seven hundred and eighty men, and they were provided with one eighteen pounder and a field piece.

The British land forces, three thousand men, under Maj. Gen. Clinton, landed on Long Island, and having fortified themselves there, began preparations to cross Beach Inlet and attack Fort Sullivan in the rear.

On the morning of the 28th of June, the fleet, under command of Admiral Sir Peter Parker, and consisting of eight vessels, two of them fifty gun ships, crossed the bar and advanced towards the city; at the same time Sir Henry Clinton’s forces made a demonstration on the eastern end of the island, but were kept in check by Col. Thompson’s gallant riflemen.

Sir Peter Parker, supposing that the fort would offer but a slight resistance, opened a brisk fire upon it as he passed, from four of his ships.

The fire being as briskly returned, the engagement soon became general and lasted from a little before eleven in the forenoon to near nine o’clock at night, when the fleet retired, having suffered terrible losses.

Three of the vessels, having been sent round to attack the fort on the western side, went aground on the shoal known as the middle ground, and one of them, the Actaeon, could not be got off and was abandoned. The others escaped with severe losses. The Admiral’s ship was almost entirely destroyed.

The loss of the British was upwards of two hundred men; that of the Americans, was ten men killed and twenty-two wounded.

The material of which the fort was composed favored the defenders. The spongy Palmetto logs did not splinter when struck, and, as later experience has proved, sand is far superior to masonry for resisting cannon shot.

A morass in the interior of the fort did good service by putting out the fuses of many of the shells which fell into it.

One of the incidents of the day was the heroic rescue by Sergeant Jasper of the flag, which was shot away early in the action.

He leapt over on the beach and deliberately restored it to its place, under the heaviest fire of the enemy.

The defense of this fort was one of the most gallant actions of the whole war, and gained for Gen. Moultrie the highest reputation.

The fort was named, in honor of him, Fort Moultrie, which name it still bears. The present fort is built of brick, on the same site.

The repulse of the British forces left Charleston in a state of comparative peace, the blockade being removed, commerce flourished, and notwithstanding the terrible fire of 15th January, 1778, in which two hundred and fifty dwellings, besides stores and other buildings, were destroyed, the city continued to grow and prosper until 1780, when the British recommenced military operations against it.

On the 11th February, 1780, a British army, under Sir Henry Clinton, landed within thirty miles of the city and commenced to advance upon it.

Clinton formed a depot of supplies and built fortifications at Wappoo, on James’ Island. On the first of April he crossed the Ashley and invested the city, at the same time his fleet crossed the bar, and this time passing Fort Moultrie under a heavy fire, but without engaging it, sailed into the harbor.

The American forces of less than four thousand men, chiefly militia, under command of Gen. Lincoln, made active preparations for defense.

Strong lines of fortifications were thrown up across the Neck, and the works on South Bay, and other exposed parts of the city, strengthened and manned.

The British advanced by regular approaches, keeping up meantime a heavy bombardment; several skirmishes occurred between portions of the two armies, but there was no general engagement, and on the 12th of May, the enemy having carried the outer works, prepared for a general assault by land and sea, when the garrison, perceiving that further resistance was useless, and having already suffered heavily from sickness and want of food, determined to capitulate.

The British held the city until the 14th of December, 1782, and under their harsh rule the inhabitants had to endure many privations and indignities.

It was during this time that the execution of Col. Isaac Hayne took place. Col. Hayne was a planter of good family and high character.

He had commanded a troop of horse during the war, but on the fall of Charleston, this was disbanded, and he retired with his family to his plantation; a short time afterwards, he was, on some pretence, induced to go to Charleston, where he was seized and imprisoned, until, in order to return to his dying wife, he consented, under protest, to take the oath of submission to the British authority.

He had scarcely reached his home when a demand was made upon him to take up arms against his country.

Conceiving that the contract had been violated, he made his escape and joined the American forces in the neighborhood.

He was captured, and after a rigorous confinement for several months, in one of the rooms of the Exchange Building, on the 11th of August, 1781, he was taken thence to the place of execution, attended by an immense concourse of citizens, who had plead in vain for his release.

The indignation felt in the American army at this outrage was so great, that the officers addressed a memorial to Gen. Green, recommending immediate measures of retaliation, thereby exposing themselves to a similar fate in case of capture.

The occupation of the city by the British lasted, as we have said, until December, 1782.

At that time the commander, General Leslie, having leveled the walls of the town and of Fort Johnson, notified Gen. Greene of the intended evacuation; and an arrangement was made for the American troops to enter the town as the British left it, both parties pledging themselves to abstain from any hostile demonstrations.

On the morning of the 14th of December the march commenced; the Americans following the British at a distance of two hundred yards, down the King street road until they were within the lines, when the British filed off to the left, to Gadsden’s wharf, where they embarked in boats which were waiting to take them to the fleet.

The following day the fleet left the harbor.

As may be supposed, great rejoicings followed this war was virtually ended, and the general peace which was made soon after removed all further difficulties.

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The South Carolina State Quarter Coin shows against a painting depicting the British attack of June 28, 1776.

South Carolina State Quarter Coin