The Society of Colonial Wars was founded 'to perpetuate the memory of those events (of Colonial History which took place from May13,1607 to April 19, 1775) and of the men' in military and civil positions who assisted in the establishment and preservation of the American Colonies, and who were in truth founders of our Nation.
The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of South Carolina is an organization that is dedicated to the preservation of South Carolina’s colonial history prior to the Revolutionary War. Our goal is to be a vibrant, purposeful society that enjoys congenial fellowship, but also to be a leader in educating Americans about South Carolina’s colonial history and the key role that South Carolina played in the formation of the United States. We want to ensure that Americans understand we are who we are in large measure because of our colonial history.
By continuing to engage in preserving and sharing our colonial history as well as the role our ancestors played in forging what would become our nation, we seek to perpetuate understanding of the events and the people that were instrumental in its creation.
Society of Colonial Wars SC
When most people think of “historic” South Carolina, and particularly Charleston, the images conjured are often those of Rhett Butlers strolling King Street alongside their Scarletts who delicately saunter down the cobblestone promenade shaded by their parasols. Putting aside the basics—Gone with the Wind takes place in Georgia, not South Carolina—and even that such images emanated from a Hollywood film and an imaginary world, such visions exist in the antebellum world of the 19th century and ignore the nearly two hundred years of European colonial history which preceded it and, of course, not to mention the thousands of years of Indigenous history prior to contact.
During the Colonial Era, Charles Town and, thus, Carolina served as one of the major ports of call in the tremendously vast and complex Atlantic World. The antebellum world of South Carolina simply pales in comparison to the bustling chaos and sensory assault which existed during the crucial era of history. Perhaps the complexities and interconnectedness are no better exemplified than by the polyglot, or “many tongued,” nature of Charles Town during the 18th century. If one strolled along the wharves of Charles Town, one would have heard a litany of European languages beyond English such as French, Dutch, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. Beyond European tongues, the languages of numerous tribes and peoples both Indigenous and African would have reverberated throughout.
Like the web of creeks and marsh outstretched across the Lowcountry, an extensive network of trade and trade routes projected out from the hub of Charles Town. These routes and networks provided tremendous wealth and wrought bitter conflict. In a fight for land and control, European imperial powers collided and allied with each other and with the Indigenous who had called North America home for millennia. Often, power struggles in Europe spilled over and fomented proxy wars in North America. These wars and struggles shaped the colonies. By the end of the 18th century, colonists would revolt against the British Empire and forge a new path towards independence.
Given how underrepresented and misunderstood this era is, we hope that the information below will prove useful to teachers and to students trying to gain a deeper appreciation for this critical time in American history. The timeline presented is by no means exhaustive. Rather, it is simply a roadmap to the highlights and some of the most important events which shaped and defined the Colonial Era. Within the list, we have provided links to primary sources available online as well as other resources which will allow students to do the work of the historian and, perhaps, add new voices and interpretations to the historiography. In doing so, we can all recognize how this important time is still shaping the world in which we live.
· 1514-1516 – EUROPEANS ARRIVED ON CAROLINA’S SHORES
While the exact date is unknown, Capt. Pedro de Salazar landed upon Carolina’s shores somewhere near modern-day Beaufort.
· 1565 – ST. AUGUSTINE ESTABLISHED
The Spanish established St. Augustine. It was the first European-established settlement in the southern region of North America. Established nearly 100 years later, Charles Town would rival St. Augustine and the two ports have an intricately intertwined history developed over the centuries.
· 1629 – LAND GRANTED FOR CAROLINA
In 1629, King Charles I of England granted the territory of Carolana (later named Carolina) to Sir Robert Heath, King Charles’ attorney general. The name meant “Land of Charles” and was derived from the Latin Carolus meaning “Charles.” The land stretched southward from Virginia to Spanish Florida and extended to the west across the entire continent. The desired settlement encountered setbacks at every turn throughout the 1630s. As historian Robert Weir writes, “The project foundered on lack of funds, poor management, and bad timing, for this was a period in which competition for settlers from Massachusetts, Virginia, and Maryland helped undermine the Carolina project.” In 1642, however, strife tore England asunder and would end King Charles I’s life before he could ever see his namesake’s land settled.
For more: A transcript of the original charter may be found HERE.
· 1642-1651 – CIVIL WAR IN ENGLAND
A series of conflicts known as The English Civil Wars erupted as a power struggle between the monarchy and parliament during the 1640s. Long-standing issues over the power of the monarchy, religious reforms, and finances led to this bloody decade of conflict. As these conflicts raged across British soil, the violence distracted from the settlement of Carolina which resulted in decades of delaying the planned settlement. King Charles I would not live to see his namesake settled by Britain.
For more: The UK’s National Army Museum provides an excellent overview along with accompanying source materials for further research.
· 1649 – CHARLES I EXECUTED
On January 30, 1649, the executioner’s sword fell upon the neck of King Charles I. In his trial, Charles argued for the divine right of his rule and that no court could hold jurisdiction over him. Convicted of high treason, Charles I’s execution was held outside of the Banquet House at Whitehall to symbolize his indulgence. In his place, Oliver Cromwell established himself as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England and began a new era of British rule imbuing the parliament with much greater authority. King Charles I is the only British monarch ever tried and executed for treason.
For more: The UK’s Historic Royal Palaces details events leading up to the execution along with supporting materials and documents.
· 1660 – RESTORATION OF CHARLES II
Oliver Cromwell’s time as Lord Protector was marred by political strife and uncertainty. Following Cromwell’s death, his son Richard took control as Lord Protector. Richard’s ineptitude ultimately led to Britain turning back towards monarchy. On May 14, 1660, King Charles II was restored to the throne setting the stage for the settlement of the Carolina colony.
For more: The UK’s National Archive Blog goes into great detail of the turmoil surrounding this period. It also serves as an excellent repository for primary and secondary sources.
· 1663 – THE EIGHT LORDS PROPRIETORS
On March 24, 1663, King Charles II signed the charter which granted the territory of Carolina, named for his father, to eight of his political allies who had supported his restoration. These men were: Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon; George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle; William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven; John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton; Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury; Sir George Carteret; Sir William Berkeley; and Sir John Colleton.
The king’s charter named these men as “true and absolute Lords Proprietors” of Carolina. Though none of these men ever set foot upon the land of Carolina, they now possessed vast and sweeping powers over this new land including tax collection along with game and mineral rights. Further, the charter guaranteed some religious and political freedoms—notably following a period of strife over these issues—for those who settled in this new colony. The Carolina colony had strategic importance as well as it could serve as a buffer and check on the Spanish in St. Augustine and Florida.
For more: Carolana is an excellent resource for all things Colonial Carolina.
1669 – THE FUNDAMENTAL CONSTITUTIONS OF CAROLINA
In 1669, The Lords Proprietors adopted The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina. Many scholars believe the document to be the work of all eight Lords Proprietors, but the final version was written in the hand of famed English philosopher John Locke who, at the time, served as the secretary to Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper. This document though never fully ratified proved influential in the development of Carolina. Its relatively liberal view on religious tolerance allowed for the influx of numerous groups including French Huguenots, Presbyterians, Anabaptists, and even Jews. In fact, Charles Town during the 18th century possessed the largest Jewish population in the American colonies.
As renowned South Carolina historian Walter Edgar puts it, writing, “The Fundamental Constitutions might be one of the more misunderstood documents in colonial American history…[It] was more than just a governmental framework; it was also a cleverly written document designed to attract settlers. In matters dealing with religious toleration, naturalized citizenship for aliens, property rights, land grants, and ‘titles of honor’ there was something in the document to appeal to almost anyone who might be looking for a new beginning.”
It is difficult to overstate the significance of this document. That it was never ratified does not diminish its impact on the settlement and development of the Carolina colony. In July of 1669, Locke and Ashley completed the document. In August, a fleet of three ships—the Carolina, the Port Royal, and the Albemarle—set sail across the Atlantic bound for the new colony. Forty years after King Charles I initially granted the land, settlers embarked on the journey towards that land.
For more: Yale Law School offers a complete transcription of The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina for all interested.
1670 – CHARLES TOWN FOUNDED
In late March of 1670, the three ships arrived at Port Royal. There they encountered Kiawah tribe of Native Americans. The natives advised the settlers that land to the north would be more advantageous for farming and better defended. The colonists headed the advice—also realizing it would provide more distance between themselves and the Spanish in St. Augustine—and sailed up the Carolina coast.
Finally, in April of 1670, British colonists turned their ships and sailed up the Ashley River—named for Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper—and landed upon a site known as Albemarle Point. There they established Charles Town in honor of King Charles II. Immediately, they planted crops and fortified their position.
Henry Woodward, a British physician, had arrived in the 1660s and had lived among the Native Americans building relationships which proved beneficial for the fledgling colony. Through Woodward’s connections, the settlers established trade with local tribes and garnered defensive support as well.
For more: Carolana provides a detailed history of Charles Town along with plenty of other sources.
1679 – CHARLES TOWN MOVED
Upon the orders of the Lords Proprietors, the colonists moved across the Ashley River and settled at Oyster Point. This site—the location of modern-day White Point Gardens—had been laid out in 1672 and colonists had been trickling over during those years. In December of 1679, the Lords Proprietors officially ordered the political capital moved to the site preferred by the colonists which sat at the confluence of the Ashley and the Cooper Rivers.
· 1702-1713 – QUEEN ANNE’S WAR ERUPTS
Queen Anne’s War, known in Europe as the War of Spanish Succession, arrived in the colonies as a consequence of the imperial struggle taking place between France, Spain, and Great Britain. Following the death of a childless Charles II of Spain, Louis XIV of France installed his grandson, Philip of Anjou, as the heir to the Spanish throne. The Grand Alliance of Austria, the Dutch Republic, and Great Britain contested this move by France and war erupted. The fighting in Europe spilled over into the colonies where tensions already simmered over valuable trade networks and land.
For more: NCPedia and Carolana provide excellent background and overviews of both the war and Queen Anne.
1702 – JAMES MOORE ATTACKS ST. AUGUSTINE
Amidst the larger conflict of Queen Anne’s War, Gov. James Moore attacked St. Augustine in late 1702. Moore despised the Spanish, and the arrival of war offered an opportunity to strike against them at their heart in St. Augustine. Granted funding by the Provincial Assembly, Moore led combined force of approximately 1200 colonists and Native American allies—estimates range from 800 to 1200—down the coast in the hopes of driving the Spanish out of their stronghold.
Moore and his men faced little resistance as they easily advanced upon St. Augustine. Governor Joseph de Zúñiga y Zérda commanded St. Augustine and heard of Moore’s advance. He ordered the Spanish and their allies to retreat into the well-fortified Castillo de San Marcos. From that defensive position, the Spanish awaited Moore’s arrival.
Disaster befell Moore, as he had come unprepared for a long siege. Without proper siege equipment and weaponry, Moore’s attacks proved fruitless as the Spanish were able to hold their position within the fort which easily repelled Moore’s small cannons. Both Moore and Zúñiga appealed for help from British Jamaica and Spanish Cuba, respectively. A Spanish fleet arrived first and Moore was forced to return to Charles Town in defeat and forced to resign his governorship.
1704 – GOVERNOR NATHANIEL JOHNSON
Following Moore’s defeat, the British appointed Nathaniel Johnson as governor. An experienced soldier and statesman, Johnson recognized Moore’s tempestuous nature along with Moore’s correct assessment of the Spanish threat posed from St. Augustine. Therefore, Johnson dispatched Moore on a campaign against Spanish missions and the Apalachee. Moore cut a path of destruction across modern-day Georgia and, in doing so, provoked French concern.
1706 – ATTACK ON CHARLES TOWN
In the late summer of 1706, a combined force of French and Spanish privateers led by Captain Jacques Lefebvre attacked the city of Charles Town. The initial plans of the attack had been created and drawn up by Pierre Le Moyne, sieur d’Iberville, a famed French-Canadian and founder of French Louisiana. Le Moyne feared the growing British presence in Carolina threatened French interests, stating, “at such a rate [British colonial expansion] that in less than less than a hundred years it [would] be strong enough to take all of America and force out all other nations.”
These fears led Le Moyne’s appeal to the French crown which provided funding for an attack to drive the British from Carolina’s shores. The French believed Charles Town to be weakened and vulnerable due to a yellow fever epidemic ravaging the town that year and planned to strike. However, in an ironic twist of fate, Le Moyne caught the dreaded disease while in Havana gathering Spanish allies. The feared Frenchman perished before he could even begin.
In his place, Capt. Jacques Lefebvre decided to carry out the attack. Without LeMoyne’s skilled leadership, however, the attack was not the grand strike against France’s imperial enemy which had been envisioned. Further, an ally of Charles Town stumbled upon the force coming out of St. Augustine and raced up the coast to warn the Carolina colony of the impending attack. Despite the threat of yellow fever, militias from across the Lowcountry answered the call and arrived to defend the port city from the enemy. It proved to be a decisive victory for Charles Town solidifying Gov. Nathaniel Johnson’s leadership and heralding a new hero in William Rhett.
For more: SC Battleground Preservation Trust's report for the Town of Mt. Pleasant details the entire attack in episodic fashion along with thorough background and context leading up to it.
1708 – FORT JOHNSON CONSTRUCTED
Following the attack of 1706, the colonists recognized the need for a defensive position on James Island. The fort at Sullivan’s Island alerted Charles Town of the approaching ships, but without a position on James Island the French and Spanish ships settled nearby without fear of harassment. Therefore, the Commons House of Assembly funded the project to build Fort Johnson and named it after the beloved Gov. Nathaniel Johnson.
For more: American Battlefield Trust covers the fort’s origins and later importance during the American Revolution and Civil War.
· 1711 – CRISP’S MAP
Edward Crisp published the famed “Crisp Map.” This map showed the famed “walled city” of Charles Town and that of its rival St. Augustine.
For more: The "Walled City" Task Force provides an excellent overview of the importance of this map and the inauthentic, but oft cited, 1809 copy produced by James Akin.
· 1715 – THE YAMASEE WAR
In April of 1715, Thomas Nairne camped with the Yamasee tribe in an effort to placate troubles between the tribe and European colonists. The tribe tortured Nairne for three days before ultimately killing him and setting off the Yamasee War. Nairne’s map of the Southeast shows his intricate knowledge of Native American trading networks.
· 1718 – Edward Teach, “Blackbeard,” blockaded Charles Town with his fleet. He did not attack the city, rather he looted ships approaching the port and even captured several prominent citizens bound for London. Teach held them for ransom, which primarily consisted of medicine for his crew. The government relented and after receiving medical supplies, Teach released his prisoners after robbing them of their valuables.
· 1718 – William Rhett, who played an important role in the defense of 1706, captured Stede Bonnet “The Gentleman Pirate.” Bonnet was brought to Charles Town but escaped and sailed to North Carolina. Rhett pursued and recaptured Bonnet. Bonnet was again brought to Charles Town and hung on December 10 in White Point Gardens.
· 1719 – Revolution of 1719. This bloodless revolution overthrew the Lords Proprietors and transformed the colony from proprietary rule to royal rule. One of the primary impetuses for this was the colonists belief that the Lords Proprietors had not provided adequate protection during the Yamasee War. This began the era of South Carolina as a royal colony which would continue until the fateful year of 1776.
1739 – The Stono Rebellion – Led by an enslaved man named Jemmy (some reports call him Cato which likely referred to the family who enslaved him), a group of approximately 20 enslaved men marched south from the Stono River bound for Spanish Florida which promised freedom to those who made it. The men were armed and their numbers swelled to nearly 80 as they recruited others along the way. As they marched, the men killed over 20 whites before being intercepted by Lt. Gov. William Bull and a militia at the Edisto River. In the melee, 23 of Bull’s militia and 47 enslaved men were killed. Those not killed in the fight were taken to Charles Town for execution or to be sold to plantations in the West Indies.
· 1739-1748 – The War of Jenkins’ Ear – This war was primarily a naval war fought in the Caribbean Sea with some minor fighting in Georgia and Florida. Again, this war was a proxy fight in the larger War of Austrian Succession further demonstrating how the western colonies were often inextricably linked to their home countries across the Atlantic. Prisoners of the war were held at Fort Johnson with the fort and the city of Charles Town serving as a site for prisoner exchanges.
· 1756 – 1763 – French and Indian War – This war was again a spillover from the European conflict known as the Seven Years War. British and French forces collided alongside their Native American allies as they fought over territory primarily in the Northeast. While there was little to no fighting in South Carolina, the colony did send military support and men. During this war, many young officers cut their teeth and honed their skills. This included a young Virginian named George Washington. It would be these men who would come to lead the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
· 1765 – Stamp Act – This act was passed under the auspices of paying for military troops stationed in the American colonies following the French and Indian War. Many colonists vehemently disagreed with this tax and the act served to add fuel to the embers of revolution already smoldering. Shots would not be fired in the American Revolution for another 11 years, but the road to it truly began at this point.
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