Col. Charles Pinckney

HISTORY TOLD WITH WIT AND SKILL

1758
Feb. 28 -- Lt. Col. Henry Bouquet, who author Walter J. Fraser Jr. (Charleston! Charleston!) called a "brash thirty-eight-year-old British soldier-of-fortune" demanded that the colonial Assembly pay for his officers' housing needs. The Assembly refused his request. Soldiers' housing would become one of colonists' complaints as the country moved toward revolution.

March 18 -- The Assembly denied Lt. Col. Henry Bouquet's demand that they pay for his soldiers' housing. Among those who were opposed were Peter Manigault, Christopher Gadsden, Charles Pinckney, Henry Laurens and Rawlins Lowndes, writing "Officers and Soldiers cannot, legally or constitutionally, be quarter'd in private Houses, without the special Consent of the Owners or Possessors of such Houses."

1760
Jan. 9 -- Gov. Lyttleton and his soldiers marched (somewhat) victoriously down Broad Street and at noon cannons fired to welcome the troops back to Charleston after having concluded a peace treaty with the Cherokees near Keowee. The treaty was hastily made as a raging smallpox epidemic was ravaging the tribe, and the soldiers feared catching it.

Jan. 12 -- Three days after Gov. Lyttleton's return, the worst epidemic to date of smallpox broke out within the colony.

1761
Dec. 17 -- Early Patriot leader Christopher Gadsden wrote an editorial in the Gazette accussing Lt. Col. James Grant, a Scottish officer in the British Army, of not having been aggressive enough in his attacks on the Cherokees, claiming he did not permit his men "to cut the throats of as many as they could have." In Charleston! Charleston!, author Walter J. Fraser Jr. suggests the criticism may have been fueled, at least in part, by "personal jealousies increasingly common in relations between British regular officers and provincial officers" (p. 95).

1764
Aug. 19 -- Arthur Middleton married Mary Izard, "a Lady who is one of the first of her sex for sense, politeness and every female accomplishment."

1765
Sept. 4 -- Christopher Gadsden, Thomas Lynch and John Rutledge set sail for the illegally called Stamp Act Congress in New York City. Gadsden, ever the ardent Patriot, served as chair of the committee that drafted resolutions condemning the act.

Oct. 24 -- An angry mob seeking the whereabouts of the destested tax stamps issued through the Stamp Act stormed a number of notable residences in downtown Charleston, including that of Henry Laurens, who said that under the guise of "Patriotism ... committed at length Burglary & Robbery." (Fraser Jr., West J. in Charleston! Charleston!, p. 109)

Oct. 26 -- Leaders of a rebel mob spread rumors that Charles Town's two local stamp agents, George Saxby and Caleb Lloyd, were hiding out at Fort Johnson on James Island. Over the next two days, the mob rampaged through the streets of Charles Town, threatening to kill the agents if they did not resign their office. (Source: Charleston, Charleston!, p. 109, by Walter J. Fraser Jr.)

Oct. 28 -- Because of the murderous threats by an angry rebel mob two days before, Charles Town's stamp agents, George Saxby and Caleb Lloyd, announced that to ensure the peace of the province (and save their lives), they would not enforce the hated Stamp Act. The Sons of Liberty poured into the streets and unfurled the blue flag of "Liberty." (Source: Charleston, Charleston!, p. 109, by Walter J. Fraser Jr.)

Dec. 17 -- Amid rumors of a possible slave rebellion, Acting Governor William Bull called an emergency Council meeting. A hundred militia men were deployed to patrol the city and the captains of ships moored in the harbor had their sailors stand sentinel at night. The holidays passed peacefully, though the patrols continued both day and night through early January (Charleston! Charleston! by West Fraser Jr., p. 113).

1766
Jan. 1 -- Becoming increasingly alarmed at the ratio of the enslaved vs. white population in Charles Town, the Assembly imposed heavy import duties on all slaves brought into the colony as of this date.

June 6 -- Elizabeth Thomas Broun dies and is buried in the St. James Goose Creek Chapel of Ease churchyard.

1768
Oct. 1 -- In preparation for the upcoming Assembly elections, Charles Town's mechanics nominated candidates who opposed the Quartering Act, Stamp Act, and Sugar Act. Led by Patriot Christopher Gadsden, they met at the Liberty Tree "where many loyal, patriotic and constitutional toasts were drank." The company then marched on to Dillon's Tavern to continue the celebration.

1769
July 22 -- The colonial Assembly appointed a Committee of Thirty-Nine, which included an equal number of merchants, planters and artisans, thus for the first time granting the laboring classes a significant voice in the colony's government. (Source: Walter J. Fraser Jr. in Charleston, Charleston!, p.125)

Dec. 8 -- The S.C. General Assembly voted to send 1,500 pounds Sterling to John Wilkes, a member of England's Parliament who had been arrested and imprisoned for criticizing the King. As Patriotic tensions here grew, they felt a kinship with Wilkes's cause. Unfortunately, the King's counselors saw the gift as a slap in the face to their sovereign, which did nothing to mellow the rebellous tensions that were brewing. (Source: Walter J. Fraser Jr. in Charleston, Charleston!, p.126)

1770
Jan. 30 -- Lt. Gov. William Bull recommended to the General Assembly the establishment of a provincial college, which became what we know today as the College of Charleston (and my Alma Mater).

Dec. 13 -- Charlestonians voted a local boycott against the importation of British goods (with the exceptions of tea and luxury items) as a result of the repeal of the Townshend Act. (Source: Walt Fraser in Charleston. Charleston! page 127)

1773
Jan. 12 -- Though authoritative accounts vary, what may indeed have been the first public museum in America was established, The Charleston Museum.

Nov. 19 -- The so-called "Club Forty-Five" met at the Liberty Tree to agitate for independence from English rule.

Dec. 2 -- The English ship London dropped anchor in Charles Town harbor with 257 chests of tea aboard. As the tension of the impending revolution filled the air, it was clear that if the colonists allowed the cargo to be delivered with its three-pence-per-pound duty collected as authorized by Parliament, it would be an admission that the colony was answerable to the governing body of England so far away. Christopher Gadsden was incensed. He and his friends posted handbills all over town calling for a meeting the next day at the Old Exchange Building to discuss what should be done. (Source: Charleston, Charleston! by Walt Fraser, p. 136)

1774
Oct. 22 -- Henry Middleton was elected President of the first Continental Congress.

1775
April 14 -- News reached Charles Town that Parliament was sending additional troops to enforce British policies (and taxation) in the colonies. (Source: Charleston, Charleston! by Walt Fraser, p. 141)

April 26 -- In response to the news that British troops were being dispatched to the colonies, the Secret Committee of Five, created by the Provisional. Congress and led by William Henry Drayton, seized the arms and powder that were being stored in local magazines and hid them in private houses throughout the city. (Source: Charleston, Charleston! by Walt Fraser, p. 141)

June 8 -- Two Charlestonians who remained loyal to the Crown, a small-time merchant named Laughlin Martin and another man named James Dealy, were tarred and feathered by locals calling for revolution, based on an accusation that they had cheered rumours that enslaved Blacks, Catholics, and Native Americans were to receive arms from British forces to help quell the rebellion. (Source: Charleston, Charleston! by Walt Fraser, p. 143)

June 16 -- A slave named Jemmy said in a depostion to Revolutionary authorities that he had been approached by his brother-in-law Thomas Jeremiah to "take a few guns" to a runaway slave named Dewar. The weapons, he said, were "to be placed in Negroes hands to fight against the inhabitants of this Province" to support the British. (Source: Charleston, Charleston! by Walt Fraser, p. 145)

August 11 -- The slave Thomas Jeremiah went on trial under the Negro Act of 1740 for helping to arm other enslaved Blacks in support of the British cause. Found guilty, he was sentenced "to be hanged, and then burned to ashes." (Source: Charleston, Charleston! by Walt Fraser, p. 145)

August 12 -- A local mob seized a British soldier "for some insolent speech he had made," tarred and feathered him, and "putting him in a cart paraded through the Town ... using him very cruelly all the time." But the afternoon, the crowd had grown to 400, who roamed through the streets, stopping at the houses of suspected Crown sympathizers, using the soldier to demonstrate what their fate might be if they continued their support of the Crown. (Source: Charleston, Charleston! by Walt Fraser, p. 145)

August 17 -- Jemmy, the slave who testified against his brother-in-law Thomas Jeremiah, recanted his testimony that Jeremiah had been involved in transporting British arms to this enslaved colleagues. (Source: Charleston, Charleston! by Walt Fraser, p. 146)

August 18 -- Despite his brother-in-law's recanted tesimony that he was distributing British arms to enslaved Negros, Thomas Jeremiah was hanged anyway, then burnt to ashes as his sentence decreed. He had maintained his innocence to the end. S.C. Gov. William Campbell believed Jeremiah was innocent, as did the Royal Attorney General, saying Jeremiah was the victim of local hysteria. (Source: Charleston, Charleston! by Walt Fraser, p. 146)

1776
June 3 -- S. Smith published "A View of Charles-Town, the Capital of South Carolina, from an Original Picture Painted at Charlestownin the Year 1774," painted by Thomas Leitch and engraved by Samuel Smith.

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COLONEL CHARLES PINCKNEY

March 7, 1731 (?) - Sept. 22, 1782

We visit the memorial box tomb memorial of Col. Charles Pinckney on our French Santee Tour.

Sharing the history of the Pinckney family can be a real challenge, as pretty much every Pinckney son is named either Charles or Thomas, each of whom in turn named their sons Charles and Thomas, though occasionally with a William thrown in, down through the generations. The family continues to do so today. It is quite common, I've found in researching various sources, for geneologists and writers to confuse details of the lives of the various fathers and sons, even occasionally having one married to a woman from the next or previous generation. You've got to carefully scrutinize the dates of the Pinckney about which you are speaking to make sure that the actions attributed to that Pinckney are indeed plausible within their lifespan.

I've tried my best to keep them all separated and in their historical places, and have even given them nicknames that help keep fathers and sons (and mothers and daughters for that matter) straight. No disrepect is intended, and it does help distinguish one from another of the same name. And truly, if you see where I've perpetuated any confusion by attaching a spouse or action to someone that is inaccurate, I appreciate your letting me know.

The subject of this entry is for Col. Charles Pinckney, born March 7, sometime around 1732 - sources variously list his birth year as 1731, 1732 or 1733. He was the son of S.C. Commissary General William Pinckney and Ruth Brewton Pinckney (b. Jan. 6, 1703), a sister of wealthy merchant Miles Brewton and Patiot Rebecca Brewton Motte. Col. Charles' father, William, served as Master of Chancery, before joining his older brother, also named Charles, in setting up the first fire insurance company in America, the Friendly Society. Though the brothers' venture was profitable, Charleston's Great Fire of 1740 resulted in high damages, and William suffered financially. He sent his son to be cared for and educated by his wealthier brother Charles.

Col. Charles became a prominent lawyer and planter before being commissioned as a Colonel for the Charles Town Militia. He married his wealthy first cousin, Frances Brewton, (Col. Charles' mother [Ruth] and Frances' father [Robert] were siblings) and was very active in public life. The Pinckneys had several children, Charles (who I will refer to as Constitution Charlie), Thomas (of course), Miles Brewton, Mary and Rebecca.

The owner of several plantations already, including some along the Ashley River, Col. Charles Pickney bought Snee Farm plantation (715 acres at the time of purchase) on Sept. 17, 1754, from the widow of John Allen and soon afterward built a house there. A favorite family seat, the Pinckneys grew rice and indigo, and later sea island cotton. Snee Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, though today about 90 percent of it has been developed for suburban residential use.

The historic house complex is operated by the National Parks Service as a national historic site, though no buildings or vegetation remain from the Colonel's ownership. Archaeology, however, has revealed the structural foundations of his house, as well as that of the plantation's slave village.

Col. Charles was elected to the General Assembly, the lower house of provincial government in South Carolina. In 1775, he was elected president of the South Carolina Provincial Congress.

An American Patriot, Col. Pinckney was captured by the British when the city fell in 1780, and afterward was among more than 160 men in Charles Town who swore an oath of loyalty to the British in order to protect his properties from being confiscated. Unfortunately, when the Americans ultimately prevailed, they did not look kindly upon the Colonel's defection and in February 1782 fined him a 12 percent penalty to keep his lands.

Now a broken man, Col. Pinckney died later that year. His obituary states that he was a "Counsellor [sic] at Law; a gentleman equally admired through life not more for professional knowldge and integrity than unbounded philanthroy which marked his character and influenced his behavior toward all ranks of men." He left Snee Farm to his son Charles, who went on to become a key framer of the U.S. Constitution. Unfortunately, Constitution Charlie spent more time on governmental matters than he did his business affairs, and therefore had to sell Snee Farm in 1817 to settle his debts.

So where is Col. Charles buried? Contemporary news reports said he was buried at St. Andrew's Church in West Ashley near where he died. His will, however, indicated that he was to be reinterred at St. Philips Church downtown. There his tombstone reads (spelling and punctuation as is): "Sacred to the Memory of The Honorable Charles Pinckney For Many years an eminent Counsellor at Law in thie City. The unbounded philanthropy made him respected And beloved and his benevolence and affability rendered Him a valuable friend and agreeable acquaintance. He died at Ashley River Universaly lamented on Sunday the 22nd of September 1782. Etat 50. In grateful rememberance of The virtues of a beloved parent, his affectionate son has caused this monument to be erected...." Most people accept that he was interred (or at least reinterred) at St. Phillip's.

Yet here we find an additional memorial stone to Col. Charles in Christ Church. This memorial stone was originally erected at Snee Farm and some note was perhaps placed there rather than at his burial site because it lists his birth year incorrectly. When Snee Farm passed out of the family's ownership in the mid-19th century, the stone was moved to Christ Church.

Col. Pinckney's memorial stone in Christ Church churchyard reads in a somewhat confusing manner to me as it references dates and information about his relatives more than about the Colonel himself. It reads:

Father of Charles Pinckney Born Oct. 26, 1757
and died Oct. 29, 1824, Governor of South Carolina and Signer of the Constitution. He was the husband of Frances Brewton born June 11, 1733.

He was the son of SC Commissary General William Pinckney {1703-Dec 3, 1766} and Ruth Brewton {6 Jan 1703-d.Sept 15, 1770} {daugther of Miles Brewton}. William Pinckney was the son of Thomas Pinckney {5 May 1666-d.April 1705} and Mary Cotesworth.

Col. Pinckney's memorial stone is just to the front right of the church's entrance.

Col. Pinckney built the principal section of this house on his Snee Farm Plantation in 1754. Today, the plantation is a major subdivision and golf course in Mt. Pleasant.

Ruth Brewton Pinckney, born Jan. 6, 1703, was the mother of Col. Charles Pinckney. She was a sister of wealthy merchant Miles Brewton, Rebecca Brewton Motte and Robert Brewton, whose daughter Frances married Col. Charles Pinckney.

For many years, Col. Pinckney's memorial stone stood upright at Snee Farm plantation. The memorial was moved across the street when the plantation was sold. Some have speculated that the stone was not used on his actual grave because it incorrectly lists his birth year as 1731.