Thomas Sumter | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byRembrandt Peale (c. 1795) | |
| United States Senator fromSouth Carolina | |
| In office December 15, 1801 – December 16, 1810 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Pinckney |
| Succeeded by | John Taylor |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's4th district | |
| In office March 4, 1797 – December 15, 1801 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Winn |
| Succeeded by | Richard Winn |
| In office March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1793 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Richard Winn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1734-08-14)August 14, 1734 Hanover County,Virginia Colony |
| Died | June 1, 1832(1832-06-01) (aged 97) NearStateburg, South Carolina |
| Resting place | Thomas Sumter Memorial Park,Sumter County, South Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican Party |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Great Britain United States |
| Branch/service | Virginia militia Continental Army |
| Years of service | Virginia militia (1755) Continental Army (1776–1781) |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Commands | 2nd South Carolina Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734 – June 1, 1832) was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served in theContinental Army as abrigadier-general during theRevolutionary War. After the war, Sumter was elected to theHouse of Representatives and to theSenate, where he served from 1801 to 1810, when he retired. Sumter was nicknamed the "Fighting Gamecock" for his military tactics during the Revolutionary War.
Thomas Sumter was born inHanover County in theColony of Virginia.[1] His father, William Sumpter, was a miller and former indentured servant, while his mother, Elizabeth, was a midwife. His father was born in England, and Sumter was of English and Welsh descent.[2] Most of Thomas Sumter's early years were spent tending livestock and helping his father at the mill, not in school.[3] Given just a rudimentary education on the frontier, the young Sumter served in the Virginia militia,[1] where he was present forEdward Braddock's defeat.[4]
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At the end of theAnglo-Cherokee War, in 1761, Sumter was invited to join what was to become known as the "Timberlake Expedition", organized by ColonelAdam Stephen and led byHenry Timberlake, who had volunteered for the assignment.[5]: 38–39 The purpose of the expedition was to visit theOverhill Cherokee towns and renew alliances with theCherokee following the war.[6] 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.[5]: 38
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.[5]: 41–48 The party arrived in the Overhill town ofTomotley on December 20, where they were greeted by the town's head man,Ostenaco (or "Mankiller")[5]: 57–58 and soon found themselves participants in apeace pipe ceremony. In the following weeks, Sumter and the group attended peace ceremonies in several Overhill towns, such asChota,Citico, andChilhowee.[5]: 63–65
The party returned toWilliamsburg, Virginia, accompanied by severalBeloved Men of the Cherokee, arriving on the James River in early April 1762.[5]: 118–129
While in Williamsburg, Ostenaco professed a desire to meet the king of England,[5]: 130–133 and in May 1762, Sumter traveled to England with Timberlake and three distinguished Cherokee leaders, including Ostenaco. Arriving inLondon in early June, the Indians were an immediate attraction, drawing crowds all over the city.[7][5]: 130–136 The three Cherokee then accompanied Sumter back to America, landing in South Carolina on or about August 25, 1762.[5]: 143–147
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 inStaunton, Martin asked to spend the night with Sumter in jail. Martin gave Sumter tenguineas and a tomahawk. Sumter used the money to buy his way out of jail in 1766.[8]: xxvii When Martin and Sumter were reunited some thirty years later, Sumter repaid the money.
Sumter settled inStateburg, South Carolina, in the Claremont District (later the Sumter District) in theHigh Hills of Santee. He married Mary Jameson in 1767. Together, they opened several small businesses and eventually became members of theplanter class, acquiring ownership overslave plantations.
Sumter raised a local militia group in Stateburg. In February 1776, Sumter was electedlieutenant colonel of theSecond Regiment of theSouth 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.[4] He participated in several battles in the early months of the war, including the campaign to prevent aninvasion of Georgia. Perhaps his greatest military achievement was his partisan campaigning, which contributed toLord Cornwallis' decision to abandon theCarolinas for Virginia.
During fighting in August 1780, he defeated a combined force ofLoyalists andBritish Army regulars atHanging Rock, and intercepted and defeated an enemy convoy. Later, however, his regiment was almost annihilated by forces led byBanastre Tarleton. He recruited a new force, defeated Major James Wemyss in November, and repulsed an attack by Tarleton, in which he was wounded.[4] Sumter was carried into the Blackstock house, where his surgeon, Dr. Nathaniel Abney, probed for and extracted the ball from under his left shoulder.[citation needed]
In 1781, in response to a low number of recruits, Sumter publicly implemented a bounty for Continental Army recruiters, which stipulated that anyone who managed to recruit a certain number of volunteers for theSouth Carolina Line would receive Loyalist-ownedslaves as a reward.[9] Sumter acquired the nickname "Carolina Gamecock" during the American Revolution, for his fierce fighting tactics. After theBattle of Blackstock's Farm, British Lieutenant ColonelBanastre Tarleton commented that Sumter "fought like a gamecock", and Cornwallis described the Gamecock as his "greatest plague".[10]
After the Revolutionary War, Sumter was elected to theUnited 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 theUnited States Senate, having been selected by the legislature to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of SenatorCharles Pinckney.[1] Sumter resigned from his seat in the Senate on December 16, 1810.[1]
Thomas' son, Thomas Sumter Jr., served inRio de Janeiro from 1810 to 1819 as theUnited States Ambassador to the Portuguese Court during its exile toBrazil. Thomas Jr.'s wife,Natalie De Lage Sumter (néeNathalie de Lage de Volude), was a daughter of French nobility, sent by her parents to America for her safety during theFrench Revolution.[11] She was raised inNew York City from 1794 to 1801 by Vice PresidentAaron Burr as his ward, alongside his own daughterTheodosia.[12][13] His grandson, ColonelThomas De Lage Sumter, served in the U.S. Army during theSecond Seminole War, and later represented South Carolina in the United States House of Representatives.[14]
Sumter's older brother, William Sumter, was a captain in theRevolutionary War.[15][16][17][18]
Sumter died on June 1, 1832, at his slave plantation "South Mount", which was located nearStateburg, South Carolina, at the age of 97. Sumter was the last surviving American general of the Revolutionary War.[19] He is buried at the Thomas Sumter Memorial Park inSumter County, South Carolina.[1]
The city ofSumter, South Carolina, originally incorporated as Sumterville in 1845, was named for Thomas Sumter.[20] The city has erected a memorial to him, and has been dubbed "The Gamecock City" after his nickname.
Prior to being renamedSumter County in 1868, Sumter District was commonly referred to as the "Old Gamecock District".[21] The use of this nickname continued after the name change, with the county thereafter being called the "Old Gamecock County".[22]
Counties in four states are named for Sumter. These areSouth Carolina,Florida,Alabama, andGeorgia[23] The unincorporated community ofSumterville, Florida is the former seat ofSumter County, Florida. Both are named for Thomas Sumter.
Fort Sumter inCharleston Harbor, a fort planned after theWar of 1812, was named in his honor. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating theAmerican Civil War were fired, at theBattle of Fort Sumter.
Sumter's nickname, "Fighting Gamecock", has become one of several traditional nicknames for a native of South Carolina. For example, theUniversity 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 costumed mascot of the University is referred to asCocky, short for "Gamecock".
Other schools within South Carolina have been named after Sumter or utilize a Gamecock as their mascot.
Dr. Anne King Gregorie published the first biography of General Sumter in 1931.[25]
Thomas Sumter and his actions served as one of the models for the fictional character of Benjamin Martin inThe Patriot, a motion picture released in 2000.[citation needed]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by District created | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's 4th congressional district March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1793 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's 4th congressional district March 4, 1797 – December 15, 1801 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from South Carolina 1801–1810 Served alongside:John C. Colhoun,Pierce Butler,John Gaillard | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Oldest living U.S. senator November 14, 1819 – June 1, 1832 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
