C. Revolutionary War Era

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.

1775 Colonial Monetary Note | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 1

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During the American Revolution the colonies were cut off from their former trade routes and access to the financial centers of England. Always short of actual sterling (see Bill Of Exchange), many...

Revolutionary War "Association for Public Defense" | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 2

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This revolutionary war "Association for Public Defense" was a solemn promise to risk what Thomas Jefferson would later call "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor," rather than give in to...

The Constitution of 1776 | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 3

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The Constitution of 1776. Even before the Declaration of Independence was written, members of the Continental Congress recognized that, because the English officials had fled from Massachusetts and...

Fort Moultrie I | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 4

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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...

Fort Moultrie II | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 5

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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.

Sergeant William Jasper, Hero of Fort Moultrie | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 6

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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...

Old Powder Magazine | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 7

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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...

Siege of Charleston Plan | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 8

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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...

General Francis Marion, a.k.a. "Swamp Fox" | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 9

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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...

Battle Of Camden Map | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 10

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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...

Battle of Kings Mountain | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 11

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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...

Battle of Cowpens | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 12

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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...

Battle of Eutaw Springs | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 13

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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...