The history of South Carolina

Preface

William Gilmore Simms, the editor's grandfather, wrote in' 1840 for his children and for use in the schools ''The History of South Carolina from Its First European Discovery to Its Erection into a Republic." In 1860 the third edition of the history was published in which Simms brought the narrative down to that date. The editor offers in the present volume a revised and enlarged edition of the third edition of the work, intended primarily for use as a textbook in the schools of South Carolina.

Since William Gilmore Simms gave his history of the State to the public, the researches of historians have brought to light many new facts about South Carolina's stirring past. In consequence, the editor has been obliged to make numerous changes in many places in the original text to bring it into accord with views accepted comparatively recently but of unquestioned soundness. Other changes have seemed desirable and have been made in the interests of clarity of style and simplicity of diction.- The editor trusts that these deviations from the text have not marred its graphic force nor sacrificed its virile interest.

On the other hand, in this edition of Simms' ''History of South Carolina," the editor has tried to preserve faithfully certain aims set forth by the author in his preface to his second edition. Chief among these the author said was to present such a history, "suited to the unprepared understanding and the ardent temper of the young" . . . "as will enable them to satisfy their own curiosity and the inquiries of others." It is as lamentable now as when Simms observed it in 1860 "to perceive the degree of ignorance in which our people live with regard to those events which made their ancestors famous, and which have given them

8 Preface.

equal station and security." It is the editor's earnest hope that this book may in some degree remove this reproach by imparting a knowledge of South Carohna's history to the rising generation of its citizens.

The narrative of the State's development has been divided into seven periods, the first six of which culminate in momentous changes in South Carolina and the last of which gives important events in our own day. Chapters have been revised and written to cover specific events and stages in South Carolina's history without arbitrary effort to make them uniform in length. Therefore, the editor suggests that teachers who use this book will find that the numbering of the sections in the chapters will aid in assigning lessons equal in length to the pupils' abihty.

The editor has spared no pains to make the text accurate. In this connection, she acknowledges her debt to practically all of the major historians who have written of South Carolina, as well as to a small host of pamphleteers and writers of historical articles. The editor lays no claim to settUng in this little volume points in dispute about South Carolina's history. She has studied both sides of questions on which divisions of opinion exist and made the text conform to the view best supported by the weight of evidence.

In conclusion, the editor wishes to render her thanks gratefully to Mr. A. S. Salley, Jr., Secretary of the Historical Commission of South Carolina, for his invaluable aid in the preparation of the first three periods of this edition of Simms' ''History of South Carolina," which he graciously read while they were yet in manuscript. Likewise, the editor's thanks are rendered to Professor A. G. Holmes, assistant professor of history at Clemson College; to Dr. Yates Snowden, professor of history at the University of South Carolina; to Mrs. Robert S. Bailey, teacher in the Barnwell Graded School; and to Mr. William Watts Ball of Columbia — each

Preface. 9

of whom read parts of the book in manuscript. Their suggestions and criticisms were most valuable. The editor is also grateful to Mrs. Thomas J. FickHng of Columbia, formerly professor of history at the College for Women, for her aid and constructive criticism, and to Dr. D. D. Wallace, head of the department of history and economics at Wofford College, for advice about the format of the book. The editor owes to many other friends a debt of gratitude for their encouragement and assistance in the preparation of this modest volume.

Columbia, S. C, May, igi?- M. C. S. 0.

CONTENTS I. SOUTH CAROLINA UNDER THE PROPRIETORS

Chapter Page

L Discovery and Settlement of Carolina 15

/ II. English Colony on the Ashley 24

III. Expansion of the Province 33

IV. Quarrels Between Proprietors and People 38

V. Wars in the Province 48

VI. Overthrow of the Proprietors 60

II. SOUTH CAROLINA UNDER THE ROYAL GOVERNMENT.

VII. Expansion Under the Rule of the King 67

VIII. Slavery and Colonization 75

IX. The Cherokee War 85

X. Provincial Life 92

XI. Royal Restrictions of Provincial Trade 102

XII. Breach Widens Between King and Carolina 109

XIII. The Province Becomes a State 118

HI. SOUTH CAROLINA DURING THE REVOLUTION- ARY WAR.

XIV. Opening of Hostilities with England 129

XV. The Fall of Charles Town 139

XVI. Rising of the Partisans 150

XVII. The Partisans Turn the Tide 166

XVIII. The Partisans Capture British Posts 175

XIX. The Partisans Drive British Coastward 185

XX. Victory for the Partisans 193

12 Contents.

IV. SOUTH CAROLINA AS A STATE IN THE

UNITED STATES.

Chapter Page

XXI . South Carolina Enters Union of States 203

XXII. Economic Development 212

XXIII. South Carolina in the War of 1812 220

XXIV. States' Rights Movement 229

XXV. The Palmetto Regiment in the Mexican War 243

XXVI. War Between the Sections Inevitable 252

V. SOUTH CAROUNA AS A STATE IN THE

CONFEDERACY.

XXVII. Outbreak of Hostilities 265

XXVIII. Progress of the War— 1862-63 275

XXIX. Progress of the War— 1863-64 286

XXX. Downfall of the Confederacy 298

VI. SOUTH CAROLINA DURING RECONSTRUCTION.

XXXI. South Carolina Under Radical Government.. 309

XXXII. Overthrow of Radical Government 320

Vn. SOUTH CAROLINA IN RECENT YEARS.

XXXIII. Retrenchment and Reform 335

XXXIV. Rebuilding the State 343

XXXV. Development: Political and Agricultural.... 347

XXXVI. Development: Social and Industrial 359

XXXVII. The World War 366

Chapter I. Discovery And Settlement Of Carolina

1. Carolina. The territory which came to be known as Carolina stretched along the Atlantic coast of North America as far north as Virginia and as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. Westward the territory reached for hundreds of miles into the forested interior of the continent.

2. The Indians. The first European visitors to this section of the North American continent found it peopled by the Indians, a race of red men, "we\\ formed in limb; having great and black eyes, with a cheerful and steady look; not strong of body, yet sharp-witted; nimble, and exceeding great runners." The Indians lived in log houses, covered with matting so as to be proof against rain and cold. They had boats, some of which were twenty feet in length, hollowed by flint and fire from mighty trees.

3. European Claims to Carolina. Three great nations of Europe contended on grounds of nearly equal justice for the right to the possession of this section of North America.

England laid claim, according to one group of writers, by virtue of a grant from the Pope. Another group of writers hold that her right to possess it was founded upon a supposed discovery of its shores in 1497-1498 by John Cabot and his son Sebastian — Italian sea captains, who were in the service of England.

Spain claimed this territory on the ground that Juan Ponce de Leon, under its commission, discovered, in 1512, a neighboring territory to which he gave the name of Florida. This name was made to cover a region of measureless extent. De Leon was beaten by the Indians and driven from the country. In 1520, Vasquez de Ayllon made the shores of this territory at the mouth of a river to which he gave the name of the Jordan. Here he was received, at first, by the natives with great timidity, the natural result of their wonder at the strange ships and strangely clothed visitors. Their fear soon subsided, and kindliness took its place. They treated the strangers with good nature and hospitality. The country they called Chiquola. The Spaniards easily persuaded the Indians to visit the ships. Watching the moment when the decks were most crowded, the treacherous Spaniards suddenly sailed away, carrying nearly 200 of the red men to sell as slaves.

The claim of France rested upon the discoveries of John Verazzano, who reached the coast of what is now North Carolina, in 1524. Here he found the country to his liking. The forests were n^le. The yellow sands seemed to him to promise gold, which was the chief thing he came to find. Verazzano describes the natives as ' 'gentle and courteous in their manners; of sweet and pleasant manners and comely to behold." They treated the European strangers with kindness. One of the crew of Verazzano, attempting to swim ashore, was so much injured in passing through the surf, that he lay senseless on the beach. The Indians ran to his relief, rescued him from the waves, rubbed his limbs, gave him food, and returned him in safety to the vessel.

4. The Influence of These Nations on Carolina. Thus it appears that England, France and Spain based their claims to this territory, later to be called Carolina, on the ground that certain of their subjects had visited its shores. In studying the early history of Carolina we must keep in mind the fact that to a great extent the history of these three European nations made Carolina's history. England, France, and Spain in time succeeded in establishing colonies in various parts of America, and whenever war occurred in Europe among these nations it was also fought in America by their colonies.

The settlements in Carolina were made either by Europeans in search of adventure or money, or by persons who had been troubled in their native lands because of their religion. These settlers did not cut themselves off entirely from their mother countries, so, naturally they felt every disturbance in their European homes. We will find Carolina often torn, too, by quarrels among her citizens, due to difference in their nationalities, as well as by disturbances in Europe. Thus, early Carolina history will in many phases be but a reflection, colored by its own local problems, of the history of the nations across the Atlantic Ocean.

5. Jean Ribaulfs Expedition. In 1561, Coligny, admiral of France, obtained from Charles IX, the French king, permission to plant a colony in Florida, one of the several names by which Carolina was then known. This was to be a place of refuge for the Huguenots, or French Protestants, who were being persecuted on account of their religion. The expedition was entrusted to Jean Ribault, an experienced sea captain, a brave soldier, and a good Protestant. With two ships Ribault set sail from France with a party of Huguenots, and one day in the spring of the year anchored in a magnificent bay. To this bay, ''because of the fairness and largeness thereof," Ribault gave the name of Port Royal.

The deUghted Huguenots landed upon the northern shore of the entrance to Port Royal. The mighty oaks, and the ''infinite store of cedars" drew their eyes, and as they passed through the woods they saw "turkey cocks flying in the forests, partridges, gray and red, little different from ours but chiefly in bigness." Being delighted with the place, "they set themselves to fishing with nets, and caught such a number of fish that it was wonderful."

6. The Meeting with the Indians. Having refreshed themselves with the fruits, the flesh, and the fish of Port Royal, the Huguenots went up the river about fifteen leagues, in their small boats, until they saw a group of red men, who, at their approach, "fled into the woods, leaving behind them a young lucerne (wild-cat), which they were turning upon a spit; for which cause the place was called Cape Lucerne."

Going farther, Ribault came to an arm of the river, which he entered. ''A little while after, they began to espy divers other Indians, both men and women, half hidden within the woods"; these ''were dismayed at first, but soon after emboldened, for the captain caused stores of merchandise to be showed them openly, whereby they knew that we meant nothing but well unto them, and then they made a sign that we should come on land, which we would not refuse." The savages saluted Ribault after their simple fashion, and brought skins, baskets made of palm leaves, and a few pearls, which they freely gave to the strangers. They even began to build shelter to protect their visitors from the sun; but the Huguenots would not stay.

7. Fort Charles. On an island,, subsequently owned by Colonel Alexander Parris, and now known as Parris Island, and where there are still the remains of a fortress which corresponds, in form and size, with the structure raised by the French, Ribault built a fortress, "in length but a sixteen fathom, and thirteen in breadth, with flanks according to the proportion thereof," in which he placed provisions and powder, and to which he gave the name of Arx Carolina (Fort Charles), in honor of the reigning monarch of France. At the persuasion of Ribault, twenty-six of his men consented to garrison this fort, and when he had provided, as he supposed, sufficiently for their safety, he set sail for France, leaving Captain Albert in command of the post.

8. The Life at Fort Charles. The twenty-six Frenchmen left at Fort Charles were lazy and thriftless, and instead of planting enough grain to supply their needs, they depended on their Indian neighbors for food. Audusta, a powerful chief, was in particular their friend. He invited them to his country and furnished them with provisions, but before long his supply failed and he was able to help the Frenchmen no longer. Then they turned to King Couexis and his brother, Ovade, who generously gave them a supply of corn, meal, and beans. King Ovade received the French

Port Royal Harbor Into Which Ribault Sailed.

"in a house hanged about with tapestry feathers of divers colors.'' He commanded their boats to be filled with provisions, and presented them with six coverlets like the one which decorated his own couch. The French had scarcely returned from their visit to King Ovade when their barracks were destroyed by fire and all their provisions lost. The kindly Indians hurried to help them rebuild the fort and to supply them again with food.

9. Troubles Among the French. The Indians, thriftless themselves, had planted barely enough corn to last the season. Their generosity to the white men had exhausted their stock and they were forced to live upon roots until harvest time. While the colonists were thus hard pressed for food, other troubles arose. These began about a common soldier, a drummer who was hung without trial, by the orders of Captain Albert. This commander seems to have been of a stern and overbearing temper. His treatment of his men was usually harsh and irritating. While they were yet angry at the hanging of the drummer. Captain Albert aroused them still further by his treatment of another soldier, a favorite of the men, named La Chere. This man he banished to an island about nine miles from the fort and left him there to starve.

The result was mutiny. The colonists conspired together, rose suddenly and killed Captain Albert. This done, they brought the banished La Chere back from the island, where they found him almost dead for want of food.

10. Desertion of Fort Charles.^ By this time the French were in dire need of food. Hearing nothing from France, hope sickened within them, and they yearned to return to their homes. They resolved, finally, to leave the wilderness in which, however hospitable had been the natives, they had found little besides suffering and privation. Though without workmen of any kind, they commenced building a small boat. The boat rose rapidly under their hands. The great pines around them yielded resin and moss for calking. The Indians brought them cord for tackle; and their own shirts and bed Unen furnished the sails. The little ship was soon ready for sea, and, a fair wind offering, the adventurers departed.

11. Sailing for France. For a time fortune smiled upon their voyage. They had sailed, without mishap, a full third

The History of South Carolina.

of their way, when they were becalmed. For three weeks they made but twenty-five leagues; and, to add to their trials, their supplies failed them. Twelve grains of com daily were made to answer the cravings of their hunger; and even this amount lasted but a Uttle while. Their shoes and leather jackets became their only remaining food, and

The Rough Boat Built by Ribaulfs Men for Their Homeward Vojage from Port Royal. — From a Descriptive Draioing.

death appeared among them, relieving their misery by thinning their numbers.

12. The Sacrifice of La Chere. To add to their troubles, the boat began to leak. The men had to work day and night baiUng the water out. During all this suffering the man named La Chere, who had been exiled by Captaiu Albert and rescued by the soldiers, encouraged them by saying that in three days they would make land. At the end of this time there was no sight of land; and there remained no food. They were in despair. Then La Chere proposed that one of their number should die to save the rest. The lot fell to himself; and without a struggle or show of reluctance, he bared his neck to the stroke. His starving comrades greedily drank of his blood and distributed his flesh among them. La Chere's sacrifice enabled them to live until they were picked up by an English vessel.

13. Fort Caroline. The little garrison which Ribault had left at Fort Charles had not been heard of in France, so three ships, under the command of Rene Laudonniere were dispatched to its aid. Laudonniere reached America in 1564, and finding that Fort Charles had been abandoned, he proceeded to Florida, where he built a fort on what is now the St, John's River. This fort he called Fort Caroline, and the surrounding country was known as La Caroline.

This colony met a disastrous end. Spaniards, under a fierce captain named Menendez, had made a settlement, which later they called St. Augustihe. The Spaniards claimed this territory under the general name of Florida, and regarded the French as trespassers. Menendez was a fanatical Roman Catholic, and as Fort Caroline was a Protestant settlement, he fell upon it and massacred its entire population. The story goes that beneath the trees on whose branches Menendez hung the French he placed an inscription, ''We do this not to Frenchmen, but to heretics." This massacre was avenged by the Chevaher de Gourges, who sailed from France with an expedition raised at his own expense for this purpose. He hung the Spaniards, to the same trees, and changed the inscription to read, 'T do this not to Spaniards, or Catholics; but to traitors, robbers and murderers."

Thus ended the first attempts to plant a colony in Carolina.

CHAPTER 11.

ENGLISH COLONY ON THE ASHLEY.

14. The English Lords Proprietors. With the disaster at Fort Carohne, the French gave up their claim to CaroUna, and it was more than a hundred years after their abandonment before another settlement was made in this section. In the meantime, England had successfully planted colonies in Virginia and Massachusetts, and Dutch settlements had been made in New Amsterdam and elsewhere. Claiming that the explorations of Sebastian Cabot, in 1497-1498, gave Great Britain sway over that portion of America lying between the 31st and 36th degrees of north latitude, Charles I, on October 30, 1629, granted it to his attorney general, Sir Robert Heath, for the founding of a province to be known as Carolina. Sir Robert did nothing toward settling his province, and, on March 20, 1663, Charles II, by letters-patent, granted the territory between the same parallels of latitude, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to eight of his political supporters — the Earl of Clarendon; the Duke of Albemarle; William, Earl of Craven; Anthony, Lord Ashley; John, Lord Berkeley; Sir George Carteret; Sir William Berkeley; and Sir John Colleton.

These noblemen formed a company known as the Lords Proprietors. The settling of Carolina was to be a simple business scheme with them, from which they hoped to make money. The grant which they obtained comprised a territory out of which subsequently the several provinces (now States) of South Carolina, North Carohna, and Georgia were formed. Of this immense region King Charles made them absolute lords and proprietors, reserving to himself simply sovereignty of the country.

15. The Fundamental Constitutions. Before sending a colony out to settle in Carolina, the Lords Proprietors in London framed a system of laws for its government. John Locke, a great English philosopher, who was employed as secretary by Lord Ashley, prepared a code of laws called the Fundamental Constitutions, the most striking feature of which was the provision for the creation of a nobihty in Carolina. Besides the proprietors, the nobihty was to consist of Landgraves and Cassiques, the title of Cassique being derived from that of the Indian chiefs. A stated amount of land was to go with each title. Each Landgrave was to have four baronies and each Cassique two baronies. A barony consisted of 12,000 acres. The titles were to be conferred upon such inhabitants of the province as the Proprietors saw fit.

Among other things, the Constitutions provided for the estabhshment of eight Supreme Courts, and for the calling of a Parliament. No laws were to be passed without the consent of the colonists, and entire freedom of religion was to be allowed.

16. A Colony Sent Out by the Lords Proprietors. In 1665 an attempt was made by the Proprietors to plant a colony at Cape Fear, in what is now North Carolina. This colony was sent out from Barbadoes, with Sir John Yeamans as its governor, and proved wholly unsuccessful. In 1669, they made a second attempt. They fitted out a fleet of three ships for a settlement at Port Royal, and gave the command of it to Joseph West. He was directed to go first to Barbadoes to Sir John Yeamans, and to take further orders from him. At Barbadoes Sir John joined the expedition, went with it as far as Bermuda, and there leaving it, appointed William Sayle as governor. Arriving at Port Royal, Sayle was met by an Indian Chief, the Cassique of Kiawah, who told him that Port Royal was harried by the fierce Westo Indians, whom he described as cannibals, and persuaded

The History of South Carolina.

the expedition to go to his country to settle. The colonylanded in April on the western bank of the Kiawah, which

river we know as the Ashley, and called the place Charles Town in compliment to the King.

17. The Life of the Colonists. The colonists, with the aid of negro slaves which they brought with them, immediately began to erect fortifications, to lay out streets and town lots, and to build houses. The country proved good beyond their expectations.

Deer, turkeys, rabbits, turtles, and fish were abundant. However, new settlers in all countries are subjected to terrible hardships. They had to cut down forests, build houses, and clear the ground for raising crops. In this low, flat country the sultry climate proved a great burden. The Europeans also suffered from the fatigue of unaccustomed labors under a hot sun.

18. Foes to the Colonists. The Kiawahs, whose chief had welcomed the English to the country, were always friendly to them, but they were not strong enough to protect them from other warlike tribes who were daily becoming more jealous of their white neighbors. Carolina is said to have been occupied at this time by twenty-eight Indian tribes. United, they could bring 50,000 warriors into the field. To

Charles II, the English King, Who Granted the Territory Nanaed "Carolina" to Eight of His Political Supporters in 1663.

this infant colony in Carolina, these savages suggested constant alarm and danger. The Westo and Stono tribes, as they were nearest, were the most troublesome. Their attacks were doubly dangerous and annoying, as it was found difficult to provide against them. The superiority of the musket over the bow and arrow, in a dense and primitive forest, was very small. Concealed in the thicket, the Indian launched his shaft before the European had dreamed of the presence of an enemy.

Thus surrounded by these unfriendly Indian neighbors, the Carolinians were compelled to stand always ready to fight. While one party slept, an equal number watched. He who felled a tree in the forest, was protected by another, who stood ready with his musket in the shade; and so persevering were the Indians, that the settler dared not lay aside his weapon, even while gathering oysters on the shores of the creeks. From the woods the settlers were almost wholly excluded by reason of the red skins who infested them; and, but for the fish from the rivers, the colonists would have perished of famine. Their scanty crops were raised, not only by the sweat of their brows, but at the peril of their lives; and, when raised, were exposed to the plundering of the Indians. A single night frequently lost to the farmer the dearly bought products of a year of toil.

19. The Temporary Laws. It was soon found that the Fundamental Constitutions were too elaborate in their provisions for so simple a colony as that which came to Carolina. For a settlement of not more than 200 inhabitants, the Constitutions had proposed to maintain a grand council, parHament, courts and many high offices. Realizing the impossibility of these requirements, the Lords Proprietors sent out a set of Temporary Laws to meet the demands of the colony.

The History of South Carolina.

20. The Death of the First Governor. Governor Sayle had shared in all the hardships of his fellow adventurers, and had encouraged them in every way in his power. From hard work and exposure, his health failed and he died. His commission had given him the right to choose a successor,

and he had nominated Joseph West governor of the colony until the Proprietors should send some one to succeed him.

21. The Kussoes.

The chief trouble during Governor West's brief term arose with the tribe of Kussoe Indians who were influenced by the Spaniards against the English. It must be remembered that the Spaniards in Florida claimed all of Carolina under the name of Florida, and resenting the settlement of the Eng- Ush on the Ashley, were continually urging the Indians to fight them. The English colonists were in constant state of defense, and at last the Kussoes became so insolent and bold that Governor West declared war against them. Invading the Indian country, the colonists took many of them captive and subdued the tribe.

22. Removal to Oyster Point. The Proprietors had not commissioned Joseph West as governor, and in 1672 they sent out a commission to Sir John Yeamans who had re-

Anthony, Lord Ashley, the Lord Proprieter for Whom the Indian River, Kiawah, Was Re-named.

cently come to Carolina from Barbadoes. The first act of his administration was to lay off, at the command of the Proprietors, a new town on the Ashley to which the seat of government was to be transferred. The site then occupied was too low and unhealthy, and could not be approached by large vessels at low tide. A neck of land called Oyster Point was chosen, at the confluence of two bro^d and deep rivers, the Kiawah and the Etiwan, which in comphment to Lord Ashley had been called after him, the Ashley and Cooper. The new site on Oyster Point they also named Charles Town.

23. Needs of the Colonists. The miserly Proprietors quarreled with Governor Yeamans because of a debt of several thousand pounds which he incurred at the beginning of his administration. He placed the colony in a state of security against invasion, mounted cannon, armed the inhabitants, and enrolled six companies of soldiers. The Proprietors wished to be repaid for the money they had put into the settling of the colony. The needy colonists, who were struggling for a living, were asked to repay the Proprietors by sending them cargoes of timber. Unless the colonists did so, they threatened that they would send them no more ammunition and provisions. The colonists were largely dependent on England for provisions because of the difficulty of clearing enough land to plant, and often their little fields were robbed of their crops by the Indians.

24. The O'Sullivan Riot. Failing to receive supplies from England, the colonists were in despair. When a people are discontented there will not long be wanting some unruly spirit to take advantage of their sufferings; and Florence O'SuUivan, to whom the island at the entrance of the harbor, which now bears his name, had then been entrusted for defense, deserted his post and joined the malcontents in Charles Town. A riot followed which threatened the ruin

The History of South Carolina.

of the colony. The prudence and firmness of Governor Yeamans, however, prevented violence. O'Sullivan was arrested, the people quieted, and vessels were dispatched to Barbadoes and Virginia for supplies. A timely ship from England, bringing provisions and new settlers, revived the spirits of the people and cheered them to renewed efforts.

25. The Spaniards. While these events were in progress, a new enemy started up, to add to the many dangers and