Essential Facts
- Date: April 21-22, 1775.
- Location: Charleston, South Carolina.
- Organized by: South Carolina Secret Committee of Five (William Henry Drayton, Arthur Middleton, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, William Gibbes, Edward Weyman).
- Known Participants: Thomas Lynch Jr., Henry Laurens.
- Outcome: The Patriots seized gunpowder and weapons to be used by the militia to defend against British forces.
History
After Parliament refused to repeal the Intolerable Acts, Patriots throughout the 13 Colonies started to prepare for hostilities with Great Britain. In Massachusetts, the Provincial Congress and the Committee of Safety organized political and military affairs. Patriot leaders in South Carolina followed suit, establishing their own Provincial Congress in January 1775.
One of the members of this Congress was William Moultrie. Following the war, Moultrie wrote Memoirs of the American Revolution: so far as it related to the states of North and South Carolina, and Georgia, and described the events that led to the Charleston Powder Raid, and the Raid itself.
Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer
The Provincial Congress met at the State House on February 17, 1775, which was the day appointed by Congress as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer. Every place of worship in Charleston was crowded with the inhabitants. The members of Congress went to St. Philip’s in a body, from the State House, agreeably to their resolve, and most of them in their military array.
On their entering the church, the organ began a solemn piece of music and continued playing until they were seated. It was an affecting scene, as everyone knew the occasion, and all joined in fervent prayer to the Lord, to support and defend us, in this our great struggle in the cause of Liberty and our Country.
Rev. Dr. Smith — at the request of the Provincial Congress — delivered an excellent and suitable discourse upon the occasion; which very much animated the men; whilst the female part of the congregation were affected quite in a different manner; floods of tears rolled down their cheeks, from the sad reflection of their nearest and dearest friends and relations entering into a dreadful civil war; the worst of wars! and, what was most to be lamented, it could not be avoided.
Military Preparations in South Carolina
Agreeable to a recommendation of the Provincial Congress, the militia were forming themselves into volunteer uniform companies, drums beating, fifes playing, squads of men exercising on the outskirts of the town. A military spirit pervaded the whole country, and Charleston had the appearance of a garrison town. Everything wore the face of war, though not one of us had the least idea of its approach and more especially of its being so near to us, for we were anxiously looking forward to a reconciliation.
Battles of Lexington and Concord
On the 19th day of April, war was declared against America, by the British troops firing upon the inhabitants at Lexington, an account of which flew over the whole continent. Now, the hopes of a reconciliation were at an end, and recourse to arms was the only and last resort.
Weapons Seized
When the Battle of Lexington was fought, we were without arms or ammunition. There were some in the King’s stores, but we could not get them without committing some violent act.
A few gentlemen went to Capt. Robert Cochran (the King’s store-keeper) and demanded the keys of him. He said he could not give them up — neither could he hinder them from breaking open the doors. This hint was enough.
There was no time for hesitation, and that night, a number of gentlemen went and broke open the doors and carried away 1,200 good stand of arms. Lieutenant Governor Bull offered a reward of one hundred pounds sterling to any person who would discover the persons concerned in the business, but to no purpose.
AHC Notes
- In Memoirs of the American Revolution, Henry Drayton says the raid occurred on April 21, 1775.
- Moultrie says the action was taken in response to the news of the Battle of Lexington. However, various accounts indicate the news did not reach Charleston until May 8, 1775.
- David Ramsey, who wrote an early history of the war, says, “Within a few days after, a particular account of that bloody scene [Lexington] was brought to the general committee in Charleston.” Ramsey’s account of the Charleston Gunpowder Raid is below in the Appendix.
Gunpowder Raid
We had now got the arms but no ammunition. The next thing to be done, was the breaking open the magazines; as we were fairly entered into the business we could not step back, and the next day we broke open the magazines, and found in that at Hobcaw, 1,700 lb. at the Shipyard, 600 lb. some little at Fort Charlotte, in the Backcountry, and in private stores, the whole making about 3,000 lbs. of powder, which was all we had to begin our great Revolution.
Appendix
Official Account of the Charleston Raid
AHC Note — This account was published by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
In South Carolina, the Patriots seized the public arms and gunpowder in Charlestown. News had recently arrived from England that Parliament had not only refused to repeal the hated acts but was shipping additional troops to America to enforce them. South Carolina patriots assumed that the British meant war.
William Henry Drayton, Arthur Middleton, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, William Gibbes, and Edward Weyman were appointed a Secret Committee of Five to put the colony in a state of defense.
On the night of April 21, parties were sent to seize the public gunpowder in Cochran’s magazine on Charlestown Neck and in Hobcaw magazine on the east side of the Cooper River.
At eleven o’clock the same night, a group of patriots, presided over by such respected citizens as Thomas Lynch and Henry Laurens, broke into the State House armory and removed eight hundred stands of arms, two hundred cutlasses, and a quantity of cartouches, flints, and matches. The heavier part of this arment was carried no further than the basements of two brick buildings adjoining the State House, and the enterprise was completed in less than three hours.
The patriots would have carried out the break-in in broad daylight but did not wish to offend the well-loved Lieutenant Governor William Bull. The next morning, Governor Bull, attempting to discover the perpetrators of the deed, interrogated the commander of the town watch and Mrs. Mary Pratt, the keeper of the State House. Although both of these individuals had seen and recognized the people involved, they protested their ignorance.
Bull proceeded to inform the Commons House of Assembly about the theft, although he was well aware that the principal culprits were members of that body. Upon receiving the governor’s message, the members of the Commons House first broke into laughter, then formally referred the matter to a committee which deliberated for two days. The governor finally received a copy of their report to the house, which stated: “That with all the inquiry your Committee have made, they are not able to obtain any certain Intelligence relative to the removal of the Public Arms and Gunpowder, as mentioned in His Honor’s Message; but think there is reason to suppose that some of the inhabitants of this Colony may have been induced to take so extraordinary and uncommon a step in consequence of the late alarming accounts from Great Britain.”
- William Gibbes owned two brick buildings at the northwest corner of the State House. This enabled the Patriots to raid the Royal armory in the upper story of the State House.
David Ramsay’s Account of the Charleston Raid
David Ramsay was an American physician, politician, and historian. Born in Pennsylvania, he trained under Benjamin Rush and then made his way to Charleston, South Carolina, where he served as a member of the South Carolina Legislature during the American Revolution. Afterward, he served in the Confederation Congress, briefly serving as President of Congress (November 23, 1785, to May 15, 1786). Ramsey wrote early accounts of the war, including History of the Revolution of South Carolina (1785) and History of the American Revolution (1789). Ramsay’s account follows, with minor text corrections and updates.
During the first three months of the year 1775, hopes were entertained that Great Britain would follow the same line of policy that had led her to repeal the Stamp Act. The sanguine friends of America presumed that a rigid adherence to their resolutions of non-importation and non-exportation would induce the mother country to recede from her demands. Warm with these expectations, they looked for the first vessels from Great Britain after the winter session of Parliament with an ardour not known before.
On the 19th of April, 1775, a packet from London reached Charleston, but with intelligence subversive of the pleasing hopes ot a speedy accommodation. On that same day, hostilities were commenced at Lexington, in Massachusetts, by a detachment from the royal army at Boston, against the inhabitants of that province. Within a few days after, a particular account of that bloody scene was brought to the general committee in Charleston.
- AHC Note — The Patriots in Charleston intercepted documents sent by British officials in London to colonial Governors. The documents showed that Parliament refused to repeal the Intolerable Acts, and troops were being sent to reinforce the garrison in Boston.
No event during the war seemed so universally to interest the minds of the people. All were struck with the new face of things and now viewed the contest in a much more serious light.
From every appearance, Great Britain, instead of redressing American grievances, was determined to dragoon the colonists into submission. The spirit of freedom, beating high in every breath, could not brook the idea, while reason, more temperate in her decisions, suggested to the people their insufficiency to make effectual opposition. They were fully apprized of the power of Britain.
— They knew that her fleets covered the ocean and that her flag had waved in triumph through the four quarters of the globe.
— They knew that they were exposed on their western frontiers to the irruptions of savage tribes, whose common rule of warfare is promifcuous carnage.
— and they were not ignorant that their slaves might be worked upon, by the insidious offer of freedom, to slay their masters in the peaceful hour of domestic security.
The province, through its whole extent on the sea coast, which is nearly two hundred miles, was accessible to the fleets and armies of Great Britain. For defense, it possessed but a few fortifications, too inconsiderable for particular notice, and even these were held by the officers of the King.
The royal governor was commander in chief of the militia, and all the officers, being of his appointment, held their commissions during his pleasure.
The inhabitants were quite defenseless — without arms — without ammunition — without clothing— without ships — without money — without officers skilled in the art of war.
The stores of the merchants afforded no supplies as the importation of arms had been restrained by the resolutions of Congress. That Great Britain would commence hostilities was not imagined — that America would have recourse to arms was not originally intended; of course, no exception was made to the general scheme of non-importation. Twelve hundred stand of muskets were in the royal magazine, but they could not be obtained without the commission of an overt act of treason.
However, this alarming crisis of public affairs dripped treason of its wonted terrors — All statutes of allegiance were considered as repealed on the plains of Lexington, and the laws of self-preservation left to operate in full force.
Accordingly, on the night after intelligence of actual hostilities was received, a number of the principal gentlemen in Charleston concerted a plan to take possession of the arms and accoutrements in the royal arsenal, which they instantly carried into execution. They removed them that night from the arsenal and afterwards distributed them among the men enlisted in the public service.
Lieutenant Governor Bull immediately offered a reward of one hundred pounds sterling to any person who would discover the persons concerned in this business. However, those who had the power had not the inclination, and the few who had the inclination were afraid to incur the risk of informing.
