During the American Revolution the colonies were cut off from their former trade routes and access to the financial centers of England. Many colonies resorted to printing paper money to pay their bills and to ensure the availability of currency within their province. South Carolina was no exception; this 1775 note issued by the Provincial Congress of South Carolina is for "ten pounds current money," and proclaims its authority with the Latin motto, "Et Deus Omnipotens."
Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
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Battle of Eutaw Springs. Fought late in September of 1781, this was the last significant battle of the Revolution in South Carolina. General Nathanael Green and his forces did not win, but forced the...
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The Battle of Cowpens has been called the "best planned battle of the Revolutionary War." "Bloody Tarleton" (see Banastre Tarleton), a fine British tactician, attempted to surprise a portion of...
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The Battle of Kings Mountain, engraved in 1859 by Johnson, Fry and Company from an original painting by Chappel. Although the leader of the British forces here was a Scotsman, Major Patrick Ferguson...
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A map of the Battle of Camden. After Charleston fell to the British in 1780, Lord Cornwallis established posts at a number of places in the interior of South Carolina to serve as a base for pacifying...
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General Francis Marion inviting a British officer to share his meal. With the British in charge of the city of Charleston, the war in South Carolina became one of guerilla warfare, with the British...
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Plan of the Siege of Charleston, 1780. The British did not capture Charleston in 1776, but when their strategy for winning the war shifted the military offensive from the north to the south in 1779...
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The "old powder magazine," built in 1703 as part of the northwest bastion of the city's original fortifications, was a storage area for arms as Charleston prepared for the Revolutionary War. Courtesy...
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When a British shot tore the South Carolina flag from its staff during the attack on Sullivan's Island, Sergeant Jasper, an Irishman, risked becoming a target himself to replace the flag, lest the...
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The British ships fired on Fort Moultrie on June 28, 1776, in an attack outlined in this map. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
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The heroic defense of the fort on Sullivan's Island from a determined attack in June 1776, by a British Fleet under Sir Peter Parker (see Sir Peter Parker) gave South Carolina its state symbol. The...