William Moultrie

William Moultrie
Governor of South Carolina
In office February 11, 1785 – February 20, 1787
Preceded by	Benjamin Guerard
Succeeded by	Thomas Pinckney
Governor of South Carolina
In office December 5, 1792 – December 17, 1794
Preceded by	Charles Pinckney
Succeeded by	Arnoldus Vanderhorst

Grave of William Moultrie.

William Moultrie' (Template:PronEng), (November 23, 1730 – September 27, 1805)

Achievements

William Moultrie was a General from South Carolina who played a leading role in the American Revolutionary War most famously for his role in the Spectacular Victory against the British in the Battle of Sullivan's Island in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War.

It was this event ,that, when reported to Continental Congress on July 19, 1776, gave heart to those forefathers of the nation to sign and ratify a document that had lain dormant since first adopted 15 days earlier - the Declaration of Independence

General Moultrie received many recognitions during his Military career, among them being the re-naming of Fort Sullivan to Fort Moultrie.

He was elected Governor of South Carolina on many occasions. He was Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (1784 – 1785) , Governor of South Carolina (1785 – 1787) and Governor of South Carolina (1792 – 1794) .

• The State Flag of South Carolina , is named "Moultrie's Flag" in honour of this Victory in the Battle of Sullivan's Island for which he is most famously known.

• Carolina Day is a State celebration of this Victory by Moultrie and his heroic troops in the successful Defence of Charleston which resulted in keeping the British from the South for the next 4 Years.

• He was a Founder and President of the St. Andrew's Society of Charleston, South Carolina, the first St.Andrews Society .

Military History

He entered the Continental Army at the start of the Revolution. He was appointed a Captain in the militia to protect the frontier from the Cherokees Anglo-Cherokee War (1761).

This experience later proved valuable in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War, and he is most famously known for his role in the Victory against the British in the Battle of Sullivan's Island . He was made Brigadier General following his brilliant defense of Charleston against the British fleet on June 28th, 1776 and his regiment was taken into the Continental Army.

In 1775 he was commissioned colonel of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment. and assigned to Sullivan's Island to protect Charleston from Imminent invasion by a British assault force of 50 ships. It was his idea to fortify Sullivan's Island with Palmetto logs ,which absorbed the impact of the cannons. Reports of the Battle recall how the cannon balls were then recovered and used against the attacking British Fleet .

Captain Moultrie and his troops of 435 American Militia defeated the British Land army of 1,500 infantry , in addition to inflicting considerable damage against the British Fleet : 2 fourth-rates severely damaged, 2 frigates moderately damaged, 1 frigate grounded .The British frigate HMS Actaeon was scuttled a few days after being grounded during this battle . This Victory was responsible for keeping the British out of the South for the next 4 years in the American War of Independence.

General Moultrie was cited by the Continental Congress and fought with distinction during the rest of the war . Congress passed a resolution thanking Moultrie for his role the War and in honor of the magnificent defence, of Charleston , in the Battle of Sullivan's Island , subsequently named Fort Moultrie in Commemoration . General Moultrie again defeated the British at Beaufort, South Carolina.

When Charleston fell to the British in 1780, he was taken prisoner, to later be exchanged for a distinguished British General, John Burgoyne.

After the war, he served in the South Carolina Senate and was Governor for two terms. He was a member of the state convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution. His two-volume Memoirs of the American Revolution is excellent research material on the war. He died in Charleston on September 27, 1805.

Early Life: 1730-1776

William Moultrie was born in [[Charleston, South Carolina] on November 23, 1730 to prominant physician John Moultrie . Dr. John Moultrie of Culross, Fifeshire was the first Doctor to Graduate from the University of Edinburgh, had come from Scotland in 1728. They lived on their plantation in St. John's Berkeley County.

In 1749, he married Elizabeth Demaris de St. Julien. After her death, he would marry Hannah Motte Lynch.

Moultrie rose to prominance after serving as a militia Captain in the Cherokee expedition under Lt. Colonel James Grant in 1761. Even though William Moultrie was a political moderate, when the Revolution came, he joined the rebellion.

He was elected to the 1st Continental Congress in 1774, but did not serve. On June 17, 1775, he was given the commission of Colonel in the 2nd South Carolina Regiment.

Fort Sullivan: June 28, 1776

In 1776, William Moultrie was second-in-command of Charleston, South Carolina's defenses. He was charged with construction of Fort Sullivan, which had been planned out in January 1776. Moultrie did not have stone available to construct the walls, so he used palmetto logs to build two parallel walls sixteen feet apart and filled in the gap with sand. At the time of the British arrival on June 2nd, only the south and east walls were complete. The new Southern Department Commander, Maj. General Charles Lee arrived a couple of days later on June 4th.

General Lee inspected the incomplete fort and felt that it should not be defended, but South Carolina Governor John Rutledge overruled him. Moultrie himself was also confindent in the fort's capability. Meanwhile, Maj. General Henry Clinton landed on the adjacent Long Island, planning to ford the two islands and attack Fort Sullivan from that direction, but he was having difficulty crossing over. Moultrie ordered fortifications built there, so that even sending troops across by the few boats he had was now out of the question.

At 11:00 A.M., on June 28, 1776, Commodore Peter Parker began his bombardment of the fort with around 100 guns and the Battle of Fort Sullivan had begun. When three ships attamped to move into the harbor west of the fort, they got stuck on a shoal. Moultrie began a steady reply with his guns. The fort itself withstood the assault thanks to the spongy palmetto logs and the sand, which absorbed the cannon balls. Under his command that day were Lieutenant Thomas Sumter and Major Francis Marion. When General Lee visited the fort during the action, he was pleasantly surprised with how well the fort was withstanding the assault. The action ended at 9:30 P.M. and the beaten British ships slipped away at 11:00 P.M.

Revolutionary War: 1776-1782

When word of Moultrie's stout defense of Charleston reached the other colonies, it gave the rebels new hope in their cause. Moultrie became a national hero. However, his easygoing manner allowed some criticism to begin that he had been somewhat derelict in his preparations. This criticism would continue. On September 16, 1777, Moultrie was commissioned a Brigadier General in the Continental Army. However, he did not participate in any significant field opperations until after the British capture of Savannah, Georgia on December 29, 1778.

Under Southern Commander Maj. General Benjamin Lincoln, Brig. General Moultrie was given a measure of independence of command. He commanded at Beaufort (Port Royal Island), South Carolina on February 3, 1779 where he defeated 200 British troops.

This defeat discouraged Colonel (later Maj. General) Augustine Prevost from pursuing operations north into South Carolina until May 1779. Moultie helped organize Charleston's defenses when General Prevost threatened the city on May 11-12, 1779.

Moultrie was involved in the American defeat at Stono Ferry, South Carolina on June 20, 1779. He was again elected to the Continental Congress, but declined to serve.

In 1780, Moultrie was captured following the Siege of Charleston on May 12, 1780 and remained inprisoned for the next two years. He was exchanged for Maj. General John Burgoyne in February 1782. On October 15, he was promoted to Major General, the last such appointment of the war to that grade.

After the Revolutionary War (1782-1805)

Following the war, Willliam Moultrie was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1783.

In 1784, he served as Lieutenant Governor. He was then elected governor for a two-year term in 1785.

While governor, he created the county court system and the capital was moved from Charleston to Columbia in 1786.

He was elected to the State Senate in 1787.

He was elected to his second two-year term as governor in 1792.

He retired from public office 1794. In 1802, his Memoirs of the American Revolution were published in two volumes.

Fort Sullivan was renamed Fort Moultrie in his honor.

When he died, on September 27, 1805, he was buried in the family burial ground at Windsor Hill Plantation. In 1977 his remains were reinterred at Fort Moultrie, the historical fort which was had been renamed in his honor

References

• Ward, Harry M. "Moultrie, William". American National Biography Online, February 2000.
• http://chicagoscots.net/Great%20Scots/Moultrie,%20William.htm
• http://www.windsor-hill.org/gatetext.htm
• http://www.patriotresource.com/amerrev/people/patriots/moultrie.html

External links

• SCIway Biography of William Moultrie
• NGA Biography of William Moultrie
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)