The 3rd South Carolina Regiment was an infantry regiment of the

South Carolina Line 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 ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. Raised in the western part of South Carolina, the regiment fought in the

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutena ...

and the

Siege of Charleston The siege of Charleston was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town (today Charleston), the capital of South Carolina, between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The Britis ...

, surrendering to British forces in the latter.

History

The regiment was originally designated as the South Carolina Regiment of Horse Rangers and authorized on 6 June 1775 as part of the South Carolina State Troops. It was organized in the following months at Ninety Six among other places and ultimately consisted of nine companies recruited in the western part of the state. The Regiment of Horse Rangers was redesignated as the 3rd South Carolina Regiment on 12 November 1775, and joined the Southern Department of the Continental Army on 24 July 1776. Simultaneously, the Independent Company of Captain

Ezekiel Polk Ezekiel Polk (December 7, 1747 – August 31, 1824) was Americans, American soldier, settler, pioneer and the paternal grandfather of President of the United States, President James K. Polk, James Knox Polk. Early life Ezekiel Polk was the n ...

was absorbed into the regiment as its 10th Company.

Officers

The regiment had one commander, Lieutenant Colonel/Colonel William Thomson, although Major James Mayson served as the initial highest-ranking member of the regiment. William Cattell, James Mayson, and William Henderson served as Lieutenant Colonels. Known Majors include Lewis Golsan, Jr., Hugh Middleton, Thomas Pearman, John Purvis, unknown Speers, and Samuel Wise. Regimental Adjutants included John Eason, John Knapp, Merry McGuire, and John Purvis.

Engagements

The 3rd South Carolina participated in the First Siege of Charleston in 1775–1776, and became part of the 1st South Carolina Brigade on 23 November. It fought in engagements in the

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and transferred to the 2nd South Carolina Brigade on 26 August 1778. Detachments of the regiment served in the

Cherokee War of 1776 The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

and in the expeditions to Florida during 1777 and 1778. The 3rd South Carolina was relieved from the latter on 3 January 1779 and became part of the South Carolina Brigade on 1 February. The regiment fought in the

from 16 September 1779 to 18 October 1779 and was reduced back to nine companies on 11 February 1780. Between March and May it participated in the

, and surrendered to the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

there on 12 May 1780, together with the rest of the Southern Department. The regiment was disbanded on 1 January 1781. Known engagements: * 12 July 1775, Fort Charlotte * 18 September 1775, Sullivan's Island * 31 October 1775, Congaree River * 3 November 1775, Mine Creek * 19–21 November 1775,

Siege of Ninety-Six The siege of Ninety Six was a siege in western South Carolina late in the American Revolutionary War. From May 22 to June 18, 1781, Continental Army Major General Nathanael Greene led 1,000 troops in a siege against the 550 Loyalists in the f ...

* 22 December 1775, Battle of Great Cane Brake * 23–30 December 1775,

Snow Campaign The Snow Campaign was one of the first major military operations of the American Revolutionary War in the southern colonies. An army of up to 3,000 Patriot militia under Colonel Richard Richardson marched against Loyalist recruiting centers in ...

* 26 June 1776, Cherokee Indian Towns * 28 June 1776, Battle of Fort Moultrie/Sullivan's Island * 28 June 1776. Breach Inlet Naval Battle * 15 July 1776, Battle of Lindley's Fort * 1 August 1776, Seneca Town * 8–11 August 1776, Cherokee Towns * 10 August 1776, Tugaloo River * 12 August 1776, The Ring Fight * 12 August 1776, Tamassee * September 1776, St. Augustine Expedition, Florida * 14 October 1776, Altamaha River, Georgia * 23 February – 15 Mar. 1777, Fort McIntosh, Georgia * 29 December 1778,

, Georgia * 6–10 January 1779, Fort Morris, Georgia * 3 February 1779, Battle of Beaufort/Port Royal Island * 3 March 1779, Battle of Briar/Brier Creek, Georgia * April - July 1779, Prevost's March * 3 May 1779, Coosawhatchie * 20 June 1779,

Battle of Stono Ferry The Battle of Stono Ferry was an American Revolutionary War battle, fought on June 20, 1779, near Charleston, South Carolina. The rear guard from a British expedition retreating from an aborted attempt to take Charleston held off an assault by ...

* 16 September – 18 Oct. 1779,

, Georgia * 12 March 1780, Two Sisters' Ferry * 28 March – 12 May 1780,

References

* * *Continental Army Payroll Records, 1779, Book 89, pp. 164ff
Bibliography of the Continental Army in South Carolina
compiled by the

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Ar ...

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2013 Military units and formations established in 1775 Military units and formations disestablished in 1781 South Carolina regiments of the Continental Army

History

Officers

Engagements

See also

References