Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734June 1, 1832) was a soldier in the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

; a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

in the South Carolina militia during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, a planter, and a politician. After the United States gained independence, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives and to the United States Senate, where he served from 1801 to 1810, when he retired. Sumter was nicknamed the "Fighting Gamecock" for his fierce fighting style against British soldiers after they burned down his house during the Revolution.

Early life

Thomas Sumter was born in Hanover County in the

. His father, William, was a miller and former indentured servant, while his mother, Patience, was a midwife. Most of Thomas Sumter's early years were spent tending livestock and helping his father at the mill, not in school. Given just a rudimentary education on the frontier, the young Sumter served in the Virginia militia, where he was present for Edward Braddock's defeat.

The Timberlake Expedition

At the end of the

Anglo-Cherokee War The Anglo-Cherokee War (1758–1761; in the Cherokee language: the ''"war with those in the red coats"'' or ''"War with the English"''), was also known from the Anglo-European perspective as the Cherokee War, the Cherokee Uprising, or the Cherok ...

, in 1761, Sumter was invited to join what was to become known as the "Timberlake Expedition", organized by Colonel

Adam Stephen Adam Stephen ( – 16 July 1791) was a Scottish-born American doctor and military officer who helped found what became Martinsburg, West Virginia. He emigrated to North America, where he served in the Province of Virginia's militia under Georg ...

and led by

Henry Timberlake Henry Timberlake (1730 or 1735 – September 30, 1765) was a colonial Anglo-American officer, journalist, and cartographer. He was born in the Colony of Virginia and died in England. He is best known for his work as an emissary from the Brit ...

, who had volunteered for the assignment. The purpose of the expedition was to visit the Overhill Cherokee towns and renew friendship with the

Cherokee People 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, th ...

following the war. The small expeditionary party consisted of Sumter (who was partially financing the venture with borrowed money), Timberlake, an interpreter named John McCormack, and a servant. According to Timberlake's journal, at one point early in the nearly year and a half long journey, Sumter swam nearly a half-mile in the icy waters to retrieve their canoe, which had drifted away while they were exploring a cave. The party arrived in the Overhill town of Tomotley on December 20, where they were greeted by the town's head man, Ostenaco (or "Mankiller") and soon found themselves participants in a

peace pipe A ceremonial pipe is a particular type of smoking pipe, used by a number of cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas in their sacred ceremonies. Traditionally they are used to offer prayers in a religious ceremony, to make a ceremonia ...

ceremony. In the following weeks, Sumter and the group attended peace ceremonies in several Overhill towns, such as Chota, Citico, and Chilhowee. The party returned to Williamsburg, Virginia, accompanied by several Beloved Men of the Cherokee, arriving on the James River in early April 1762. While in Williamsburg, Ostenaco professed a desire to meet the king of England, and in May 1762, Sumter traveled to England with Timberlake and three distinguished Cherokee leaders, including Ostenaco. Arriving in London in early June, the Indians were an immediate attraction, drawing crowds all over the city.''St James Chronicle'', July 3, 1762. The three Cherokee then accompanied Sumter back to America, landing in South Carolina on or about August 25, 1762.

Imprisonment for debt

Sumter became stranded in South Carolina due to financial difficulties. He petitioned the Virginia Colony for reimbursement of his travel expenses, but was denied. Subsequently, Sumter was imprisoned for debt in Virginia. When his friend and fellow soldier, Joseph Martin, arrived in Staunton, Martin asked to spend the night with Sumter in jail. Martin gave Sumter ten

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

and a tomahawk. Sumter used the money to buy his way out of jail in 1766. When Martin and Sumter were reunited some thirty years later, Sumter repaid the money.

Family life and business

Sumter settled in

Stateburg, South Carolina Stateburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in the High Hills of Santee in Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,380 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Sumter, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

, in the Claremont District (later the Sumter District) in the

High Hills of Santee The High Hills of Santee, sometimes known as the High Hills of the Santee, is a long, narrow hilly region in the western part of Sumter County, South Carolina. It has been called "one of the state's most famous areas".planters.

American Revolutionary War

Sumter raised a local militia group in Stateburg. In February 1776, Sumter was elected lieutenant colonel of the Second Regiment of the South Carolina Line of which he was later appointed colonel. in 1780 he was appointed brigadier general, a post he held until the end of the war. He participated in several battles in the early months of the war, including the campaign to prevent an invasion of Georgia. Perhaps his greatest military achievement was his partisan campaigning, which contributed to Lord Cornwallis' decision to abandon the

Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nort ...

for Virginia. During fighting in August 1780, he defeated loyalist and

British Regulars {{no footnotes, date=August 2015 Commonly used to describe the Napoleonic era British foot soldiers, the British Regulars were known for their distinct red uniform and well-disciplined combat performance. Known famously in British folklore as the ' ...

at Hanging Rock ( Lancaster County, South Carolina), and intercepted and defeated an enemy convoy. Later, however, his regiment was almost annihilated by forces led by

Banastre Tarleton Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB (21 August 175415 January 1833) was a British general and politician. He is best known as the lieutenant colonel leading the British Legion at the end of the American Revolution. He later served in Portug ...

. He recruited a new force, defeated Major James Wemyss in November, and repulsed an attack by Tarleton, in which he was wounded. Sumter was carried into the Blackstock house, where his surgeon, Dr. Nathaniel Abney, probed for and extracted the ball from under his left shoulder.(17) Sumter acquired the nickname "Carolina Gamecock" during the American Revolution, for his fierce fighting tactics. After the

Battle of Blackstock's Farm The Battle of Blackstock's Farm, an encounter of the American Revolutionary War, took place in what today is Union County, South Carolina, a few miles from Cross Anchor, on November 20, 1780. Background After the defeat of Major Patrick Fergus ...

, British Lieutenant Colonel

commented that Sumter "fought like a gamecock", and Cornwallis described the Gamecock as his "greatest plague".

Political career

After the Revolutionary War, Sumter was elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1793, and from March 4, 1797, to December 15, 1801. He later served in the United States Senate, having been selected by the legislature to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator

Charles Pinckney Charles Pinckney may refer to: * Charles Pinckney (South Carolina chief justice) (died 1758), father of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney * Colonel Charles Pinckney (1731–1782), South Carolina politician, loyal to British during Revolutionary War, fath ...

. Sumter resigned from his seat in the Senate on December 16, 1810.

Death

SC Revolutionary War generals monument in Columbia IMG 4797

Sumter died on June 1, 1832, at his plantation, South Mount, near

, at ninety-seven years old. Sumter was the last surviving American general of the Revolutionary War. He is buried at the Thomas Sumter Memorial Park in Sumter County, South Carolina.

Family

Thomas' son, Thomas Sumter Jr., served in Rio de Janeiro from 1810 to 1819 as the United States Ambassador to the Portuguese Court during its exile to Brazil. Thomas Jr.'s wife, Natalie De Lage Sumter (' Nathalie de Lage de Volude), was a daughter of French nobility, sent by her parents to America for her safety during the French Revolution. She was raised in New York City from 1794 to 1801 by Vice President

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexan ...

as his ward, alongside his own daughter Theodosia. His grandson, Colonel

Thomas De Lage Sumter Thomas De Lage Sumter (November 14, 1809 – July 2, 1874) was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina, and a grandson of American Revolutionary War General Thomas Sumter. Early life Sumter was born in Pennsylvania, in the Germantown area of ...

, served in the U.S. Army during the Second Seminole War, and later represented South Carolina in the United States House of Representatives. Sumter's older brother, William Sumter, was a captain in the Revolutionary War. Arkansas state legislator and military colonel, John J. Sumpter, was a great grandson of Capt. William Sumter and therefore great-grand-nephew of Sumter.

Namesakes

The city of

Sumter, South Carolina Sumter ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. Known as the Sumter Metropolitan Statistical Area, the namesake county adjoins Clarendon and Lee to form the core of Sumter-Lee-Clarendon Tri-county (or ...

, originally incorporated as Sumterville in 1845, was named for Thomas Sumter. The city has erected a memorial to him, and has been dubbed "The Gamecock City" after his nickname. Prior to being renamed Sumter County in 1868, Sumter District was commonly referred to as the "Old Gamecock District". The use of this nickname continued after the name change, with the county thereafter being called the "Old Gamecock County". Counties in four states are named for Sumter: * Sumter County, South Carolina *

Sumter County, Florida Sumter County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population is 129,752. It has the oldest median age (68.3 years) of any US county and the highest percentage of residents aged 65 ...

* Sumter County, Georgia * Sumter County, Alabama The unincorporated community of Sumterville, Florida, the former seat of

, is also named for Thomas Sumter. Fort Sumter in

Charleston Harbor The Charleston Harbor is an inlet (8 sq mi/20.7 km²) of the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina. The inlet is formed by the junction of Ashley and Cooper rivers at . Morris and Sullivan's Islands shelter the entrance. Charleston H ...

, a fort planned after the War of 1812, was named in his honor. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the

Battle of Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender by the United States Army, beginning the American Civil War. Follo ...

. Sumter's nickname, "Fighting Gamecock", has become one of several traditional nicknames for a native of South Carolina. For example, the University of South Carolina's official nickname is the "Gamecocks". Since 1903, the college's teams have been simply known as the "

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...

". The costumed mascot of the University is referred to as Cocky, short for "Gamecock". Other schools within South Carolina have been named after Sumter or utilize a Gamecock as their mascot. *The mascot of

Sumter High School Sumter High School is a co-educational four-year public high school serving grades 9 through 12 in Sumter School District located in the south side of Sumter, South Carolina, United States. With an enrollment of approximately 2,300 students, Sumt ...

is a "Gamecock" and the school's sports teams refer to themselves as the "Sumter High Gamecocks" in honor of Sumter. *Thomas Sumter Academy, a private school within Sumter County, was founded in 1964. Their mascot is known as "the General" but does not visually resemble Thomas Sumter and is typically depicted as wearing a Civil War era uniform. In August of 2022, it was announced that the University of South Carolina's live rooster mascot, "Sir Big Spur" was being renamed "The General" in honor of Thomas Sumter after legal dispute arose regarding the previous name. Three days after the announcement, the past and present owners of the live mascot reached an agreement and changed its name back to "Sir Big Spur".

References

17. Oscar E. Gilbert and Catherine R. Gilbert, page 194. ISBN 978-1-61200-328-3, ''True for the Cause of Liberty: The Second Spartan Regiment in the American Revolution''

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sumter, Thomas 1734 births 1832 deaths People from Hanover County, Virginia Virginia colonial people Anti-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from South Carolina American planters American slave owners High Hills of Santee People from Stateburg, South Carolina 19th-century American politicians People of Virginia in the French and Indian War Militia generals in the American Revolution People of South Carolina in the American Revolution United States senators who owned slaves