William Moultrie

William Moultrie was born in Charleston, South Carolina on November 23, 1730. His father, a prominent physician, had come from England in 1728. He lived on a 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 prominence after serving as a militia Captain in the Cherokee expedition under Lt. Colonel James Grant in 1761. 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 confident in the fort's capability.

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. 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. 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...