The South Carolina militia units in the American Revolution were established on January 17, 1775 by the South Carolina Provincial Congress. These militia units were subordinate to the South Carolina Council of Safety. Officers were selected by February 1775. In November 1775, the Militia units were renamed regiments. On March 28, 1778, the South Carolina General Assembly consolidated the regiments into four brigades, each led by a Brigadier General. [1]
The first sixteen militia were established in February 1775. While initially called just militia, they were renamed as regiments in November 1775. When Charlestown fell on May 12, 1780, most of the generals were taken as prisoners by the British and the regiments were left to fend for themselves. Most new regiments were Light Dragoons vice infantry. The known regiments, brigades, and independent units included: [1] [2]
| Unit Name | Subordination | Date established | Disbanded | Original Commander, Rank | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Brigade | Council of Safety | March 25, 1778 | May 12, 1780 | Stephen Bull, BG | [3] [4] |
| 2nd Brigade | Council of Safety | March 25, 1778 | May 12, 1780 | Richard Richardson, BG | [5] [6] |
| 3rd Brigade | Council of Safety | March 25, 1778 | May 12, 1780 | Andrew Williamson, BG | [7] [8] |
| 4th Brigade | Council of Safety | March 25, 1778 | May 12, 1780 | Alexander McIntosh, BG | [9] |
| Beaufort District Militia/ Regiment | 1st Brigade (1778–1780) | February 1775 | Stephen Bull, Col | [10] [11] | |
| Forks of Saluda District Militia/ Regiment [note 1] | 3rd Brigade | February 1775 | Robert Starke, Col | [12] | |
| Camden District Militia/ Regiment | 2nd Brigade (1778–1780) Col Sumter (backcountry) (1780) | February 1775 | Richard Richardson, Col | [13] [6] | |
| Little River District Militia/ Regiment | 3rd Brigade (1778–1780) | February 1775 | John Lindsay, Col | [14] | |
| Charles Town District Militia/ Regiment | 1st Brigade (1778–1780) | February 1775 | William Moultrie, Col | [15] [16] | |
| New Acquisition District Militia/ Regiment | 2nd Brigade (1778–1780) Col Sumter (backcountry) (1780) | February 1775 | Thomas Neel, Col | [17] | |
| Cheraws District Militia/ Regiment | 4th Brigade (1778–1780) Marion's Brigade (1781) | February 1775 | George Gabriel Powell, Col | [18] | |
| Upper Saluda District Militia/ Regiment [note 2] | 2nd Brigade | February 1775 | September 1775 | Thomas Fletchall, Col | [19] [20] |
| 1st Spartan Regiment | 2nd Brigade (1778–1780) | February 1777 | John Thomas, Sr., Col | [21] | |
| 2nd Spartan Regiment | 2nd Brigade (1778–1780) Col Sumter (backcountry) (1780) | February 1777 | Thomas Brandon, Col | [22] | |
| Georgetown District Militia/ Regiment | 4th Brigade (1778–1780) | February 1775 | Thomas Screven, Col | [23] | |
| Berkeley County Militia/ Regiment | 1st Brigade (1778–1780) Marion's Brigade (1781) | February 1775 | Richard Singleton, Col | [24] | |
| Ninety-Six District Militia/ Regiment [note 3] | 3rd Brigade | February 1775 | John Savage, Col | [25] | |
| Upper Ninety-Six Regiment | 3rd Brigade (1778–1780) | March 28, 1778 | Andrew Pickens, Col | [26] | |
| Lower Ninety-Six Regiment | 3rd Brigade (1778–1780) | March 28, 1778 | LeRoy Hammond, Col | [27] | |
| Colleton County Militia/ Regiment | 1st Brigade (1778–1780) | February 1775 | Joseph Glover, Col | [28] | |
| Orangeburgh District Militia/ Regiment | 3rd Brigade (1778–1780) Col Sumter (backcountry) (1780) | February 1775 | William Thomson, Col | [29] | |
| Craven County Militia/ Regiment [note 4] | Council of Safety | February 1775 | November 1775 | Job Rotmahler, Col | [30] |
| Upper Craven County Regiment | 4th Brigade (1778–1780) Marion's Brigade | November 1775 | George Hicks, Col | [31] | |
| Lower Craven County Regiment | 4th Brigade (1778–1780) Marion's Brigade (1781) | November 1775 | Job Rothmahler, Col | [32] | |
| Fairfield Regiment | 2nd Brigade (1778–1780) Col Sumter (backcountry) (1780) | February 1775 | Joseph Kershaw, Col | [33] | |
| Granville County Militia/ Regiment | 1st Brigade | February 1775 | June 1780 | Benjamin Garden, Col | [34] |
| Upper Granville County Regiment | 2nd Brigade | June 1780 | William Harden, LTC, Col | [35] | |
| Lower Granville County Regiment | 2nd Brigade | June 1780 | William Stafford, LTC | [36] | |
| Kingstree Regiment [note 5] | 4th Brigade (1780) Marion's Brigade (1781) | December 1779, January 1780 | Archibald McDonald | [37] | |
| Kershaw Regiment | Col Sumter (backcountry) (1780) | June 1780 | James Postell, Col | [38] | |
| Turkey Creek Regiment | Col Sumter (backcountry) (1780) | May 1780 | Edward Lacey, Col | [39] | |
| Polk's Regiment of Light Dragoons | North Carolina's Mecklenburg County Regiment South Carolina State Troops [note 6] | July 1780 | William Polk, Col | [40] [41] | |
| Hampton's Regiment of Light Dragoons | Col Sumter (backcountry) (1780) [note 7] | July 1780 | Henry/Wade Hampton, Col | [42] | |
| Hill's Regiment of Light Dragoons | Col Sumter (backcountry) (1780) [note 8] | July 1780 | William Hill, Col | [43] | |
| 1st Brigade (after fall of Charleston) | Council of Safety | Aug 1780 | Thomas Sumter, Col/BG | [44] | |
| 2nd Brigade (after fall of Charleston) | Council of Safety | Aug 1780 | Francis Marion, Col/BG | [45] | |
| 3rd Brigade (after fall of Charleston) | Council of Safety | July 1781 | Andrew Pickens, BG | [26] [46] | |
| Horry's Light Dragoons | 2nd Brigade | February 16, 1781 | Peter Horry, LTC | [47] [48] [49] [50] | |
| Maham's Light Dragoons [note 9] | 2nd Brigade | Mar 1781 | Hezekiah Maham, Maj | [52] [53] [51] | |
| Hammond's Light Dragoons Regiment | 3rd Brigade [note 10] | April 1781 | Samuel Hammond LTC/Col | [54] | |
| 4th Brigade (after fall of Charleston) | Council of Safety | September 1781 | John Barnwell BG | [55] | |
| Independent Company of Rangers | Independent | 1775 | 1776 | John Bowie, CPT | [56] |
| Independent Company of Rangers | Independent | 1775 | Robert Ellison, CPT | [57] | |
| Independent Company of Rangers | Independent | 1775 | 1776 | Benjamin Tutt, CPT | [58] |
| Independent Company of Rangers | Independent | 1775 | 1780 | Ezekiel Polk, CPT | [59] |
| Indian Field Company | Independent | 1775 | John Fullerton, CPT | [60] | |
| Catawba Indian Company of Rovers | Independent | 1775 | 1776 | Samuel Boykin, CPT | [61] |
| Charles Town Artillery Company | Independent | 1775 | Owen Robert, CPT | [62] | |
| Racoon Company | Independent | 1776 | 1780 | John Allston, CPT | [63] |
| Indian Company of Rovers | Independent | 1776 | John Withers, LT/CPT | [64] | |
| Charles Town Artillery Company | Independent | 1778 | 1780 | Sims White, CPT | [65] |
| Independent Company | Independent | 1781 | 1781 | William Clay Snipes, Maj | [66] |
Notes:
For clarification and comparison purposes, the South Carolina provincial and state troop units are listed below: [67]
| Unit | Date established | Disbanded | Continental Line, Date | Original Commander, Rank | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Regiment (Infantry) | June 6, 1775 | May 12, 1780 | Yes, November 4, 1775 | Christopher Gadsden, Col | [68] |
| 2nd Regiment (Infantry) | June 6, 1775 | May 12, 1780 | Yes, November 4, 1775 | William Moultrie, Col | [69] |
| 3rd Regiment (Rangers) | June 6, 1775 | May 12, 1780 | Yes, July 24, 1776 | William Thomson, LTC | [70] |
| 4th Regiment (Artillery) | November 14, 1775 | May 12, 1780 | Yes, June 18, 1776 | Owen Roberts, LTC | [71] |
| 5th Regiment (Rifles) | February 22, 1776 | Feb. 1780 | Yes, March 25, 1776 | Isaac Huger, Col | [72] |
| 6th Regiment (Rifles) | February 28, 1776 | Feb. 1780 | Yes, March 25, 1776 | Thomas Sumter, LTC | [73] |
| Light Dragoons | February 1779 | May 12, 1780 | No | Daniel Horry, Col | [74] |
| 1st Regiment of State Dragoons | April 1781 | 1783 | No | Wade Hampton, I, Col | [75] |
| 2nd Regiment of State Dragoons | April 1781 | 1783 | No | Charles Myddleton, Col | [76] |
| Hampton's Regiment of Light Dragoons | April 1781 | 1783 | No | Henry Hampton, LTC | [42] |
| Polk's Regiment of Light Dragoons | April 1781 | February 1782 | No | William Polk, LTC | [40] [41] |
| Hill's Regiment of Light Dragoons | April 1781 | 1782 | No | William Hill, Col | [43] |
| Hammond's Regiment of Light Dragoons | September 1781 | 1782 | No | Samuel Hammond, Col | [54] |
| 3rd Regiment of State Dragoons | October 1781 | 1783 | No | Hezekiah Maham, LTC | [77] |
| 4th Regiment of State Dragoons | October 1781 | 1782 | No | Peter Horry, LTC | [50] |
Allen Jones was an American planter, American Revolution brigadier general of the Halifax District Brigade, and statesman from Edgecombe County, North Carolina.
The North Carolina Line refers to North Carolina units within the Continental Army. The term "North Carolina Line" referred to the quota of infantry regiments assigned to North Carolina at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. The concept was particularly important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state.
The South Carolina Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "South Carolina Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to South Carolina at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. The concept was particularly important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state.
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Francis Locke Sr. (1722–1796) was a plantation owner, businessman, politician, and a participant in the American War of Independence, where he led the American Patriots to the decisive victory at Ramseur's Mill, which turned the tide of the American War for Independence in the south.
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The Edenton District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disbanded at the end of the war.
The Halifax District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disbanded at the end of the war.
The Wilmington District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disbanded at the end of the war.
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The Morgan District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War. This unit was established by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 17, 1782, and disbanded at the end of the war. The commander was Brigadier General Charles McDowell.
North Carolina state troops in the American Revolution were the initial military units created in a transition from the Province of North Carolina under British rule to independence from British rule. Most units did not last long as such and were either transferred to the Continental Army or state militia instead.
The Orange County Regiment was authorized on September 9, 1775 by the Province of North Carolina Congress. On April 22, 1776, the unit was split into the Northern Orange County Regiment and the Southern Orange County Regiment, which retained most of the original men. Both regiments were subordinated to the Hillsborough District Brigade of militia on May 4, 1776. When the North Orange County Regiment was renamed the Caswell County Regiment on May 9, 1777, the Southern Orange County Regiment name reverted to the Orange County Regiment. The regiment was engaged in battles and skirmishes against the British during the American Revolution in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia between 1776 and 1782. It was active until the end of the war.
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