The Real Story of the American Revolution 

Military Units from South Carolina

Latest Changes: 07Nov13 - created /

The following is based on "South Carolina's Mounted Toops in the Backcountry", by Michael C. Scoggins in Caroloue Vol. 23, No. 2 (Summer, 2007), pp 8-11. 1775 June: The South Carolina Provincial Congress established the First and Second Regiments of infantry (foot soldiers, recruited from the low country) and the Third Regiment of Rangers (mounted riflemen, recruited from the backcountry) The infantry regiments were assigned to guard Charleston, while the ranger regiment was assigned to patrol the back country and protect against Indian and Loyalist uprisings. The Third Regiment (maximum roster 600 men) was organized as twelve companies and commanded by Col. William Thompson of the Orangeburg District. 1775 June: The larger chartered districts wre split into smaller electoral districts, and each electoral district was expected to raise at least one militia regiment. Until June 1780 the state commander of militia was Andrew Williamson, who was commissioned brigadier general in 1778. 1776 Feb: The state established the Fourth Regiment of Artillery and the Fifth and Sixth Regiments of mounted riflemen. The Sixth was led by Lt. Col. Thomas Sumter of the upper Santee District. 1776 July: All six South Carolina regiments became part of the Continental Army. All saw action, but none served in the northern district of the war. The Third participated in Sullivan's Island (1776) and Cherokee campaign (1776). It then converted to an infantry (foot) regiment and participated in Florida (1778), Stono Ferry (1779), and Savannah (1779). Gradually the number on the rolls of the regiments declined as officers and men stayed home to fight in local militia units. 1780 Feb: Gen. Benajmin Lincoln consolidated the five SC Continental Regiments of infantry into three regiments. These participated in the failed defense of Charleston (1780), which with the SC Artillery Regiment and the rest of Lincoln's army were captured. The foot soldiers were held in prison camps on islands off the SC coast, and the four regiments were officially disbanded in 1781 Jan. The loss of these regiments led to reorganization of the militia into a partisan brigade in the back country under Thomas Sumter (now a Brigadier General) and other partisan units. In the low country Col. Francis Marion (later elevated to Brig. Gen.) formed several partisan units, including ranger regiments under Col. William Bratton and Col. Edward Lacey. Many of these men rode horses and many had muskets rather than rifles. In general they dismounted to fight, but Sumter had a group that fought as cavalry against British cavalry. In 1780 these partisan groups participated at Williamson's Plantation, Rocky Mount, Hanging Rock, Musgrove Mill, Kings Mountain, and Blackstock's Plantation. In 1781 they fought at Fort Watson. As militia the men were available for drill or battle only when called out, and they had no fixed term of service. In the spring of 1781 Sumter reorganized his units to provide seven regiments of light dragoons (mounted infantry) under Lt. Cols. Samuel Hammond, Henry Hampton, Wade Hampton, William Hill, Charles Myddleton, William Polk, and John Thomas. The men in these units had ten-month enlistments. They fought many battles in the spring and summer of 1781; then Sumter turned the command over to Col. William Henderson. In 1781 Sept The regiments participated in action at Eutaw Springs and were commended by Gen. Nathaniel Greene for bravery. 1781 Oct: After the surrender of the British Army under Cornwallis at Yorktown it seemed that the war would soon end, and many men left for home. The seven regiments were consolidated into to one infantry regiment and one mounted regiment (of 300 men, led by Col. Wade Hampton). 1782 Jan: Continental Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Wayne led a force (that included Hampton's Regiment) against a British-Creek allied force in southern Georgia. When enlistments ran out in March Hampton recruited a new unit, consisting of both foot and mounted troops, and thus called a legion. The state also established another regiment of dragoons under Col. James Conyers and a regiment of infantry under Samuel Hammond. The latter was part of Brig. Gen. Andrew Pickens' punitive expeditions agains the Cherokee Indians in northern Georgia in 1782 March and 1782 October. A mounted regiment under Col. Hezekiah Maham was also formed. 1782 Aug: The three units under Hampton, Conyers, and Maham were consolidated into one legion under Conyers, but this was disbanded in December when the British evacuated Charleston SC. For a bibliography of DE in the Revolution see U.S. Amy. Historical Resources Branch.

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