People of the American Revolution

William Moultrie's 2nd South Carolina Regiment successfully defended Charleston Harbor from the Royal Navy in the Battle of Sullivan's Island on June 28, 1776. This Patriot victory marked the beginning of a meteoric rise for Moultrie as he achieved the rank of general and later served South Carolina as governor.

Banastre Tarleton, a British army officer, famously commanded the British Legion, a provincial regiment composed of loyalist infantry and dragoons, in the southern theater under Lord Cornwallis during the Revolution. Feared for his ruthlessness by the patriots, his early successes in the field earned him notoriety. Defeated at the Battle of Cowpens by Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan, Tarleton's favor with Cornwallis declined. Tarleton was present at the surrender at Yorktown.

Alexander Leslie, a British Army officer, served throughout the American Revolution, playing significant roles in battles during the British capture of New York. He later oversaw the British evacuation of Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina in 1782 as the war neared its conclusion.

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis and 2nd Earl Cornwallis, served as a British general during the American Revolution and notably surrendered his army to General Washington's Continental army and the allied French forces at Yorktown, Virginia in October 1781. This surrender effectively ended hostilities between British and American forces and led to peace negotiations, ending the war and recognizing American independence. Cornwallis later governed in India.

Benjamin Lincoln, a major general of the Continental Army, was present at pivotal moments in the American Revolution. He oversaw the Continental Army's largest defeat when he surrendered 5,000 soldiers to the British in Charleston, South Carolina in May 1780. After being exchanged, he returned to the army and was present at the allied Franco-American victory at the Siege of Yorktown. He accepted the surrender of General Charles O'Hara's sword.

Charles Lee, former British Army officer, became the second highest ranking general of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. On June 28, 1776 he oversaw the victory at the Battle of Sullivan's Island in Charleston, SC. Two years later, his retreat on the field at the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse would result in his court martial and the end of his military career. Learn more about this controversial figure here.

Horatio Gates, a former British army officer, settled in Virginia in the 1770s and volunteered for service with the Continental Army after the American Revolution began. Commissioned a major general, Gates famously commanded the northern army that defeated British General John Burgoyne's army at Saratoga in 1777, a major turning point in the war. Gates, a favorite of Congress, was later assigned to the Southern Department where his military career ended in defeat at Camden.

General Sir Henry Clinton, the longest serving British general of the American Revolution, served as commander in chief from 1778 to 1782. In the years after the Revolution, Clinton defended his actions in writing and felt unfairly labeled as the scapegoat for British defeat. He died in London in 1795 before he was able to assume the post of governor of Gibraltar.

Nisbet Balfour was a capable British Army officer, who fought throughout the American Revolution and was hated by patriots in South Carolina for his conduct as commandant of Charleston.

William Jones joined the Continental Army at the outset of the American Revolution. H was at the American Fort Schuyler/Stanwix during the Siege of 1777 and saw combat at the 1779 Battle of New Town. Despite having served well for three years, Jones eventually left the new United States for Canada, never returning to the original nation he sided with.