William Moultrie

William Moultrie
Portrait of William Moultrie by Charles Willson Peale, 1782
35th Governor of South Carolina
In office February 11, 1785 – February 20, 1787
Lieutenant	Charles Drayton
Preceded by	Benjamin Guerard
Succeeded by	Thomas Pinckney
In office December 5, 1792 – December 17, 1794
Lieutenant	James Ladson
Preceded by	Charles Pinckney
Succeeded by	Arnoldus Vanderhorst
10th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
In office February 16, 1784 – February 11, 1785
Governor	Benjamin Guerard
Preceded by	Richard Beresford
Succeeded by	Charles Drayton
Personal details
Born	(1730-11-23)November 23, 1730 Charlestown, Province of South Carolina, British America
Died	September 27, 1805(1805-09-27) (aged 74) Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Religion	Anglican/Episcopal
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain  United States of America
Service/branch	South Carolina militia Continental Army
Years of service	1761 1775 – 1783
Rank	Major General
Unit	2nd South Carolina Regiment
Battles/wars	Anglo-Cherokee War American Revolutionary War *Battle of Sullivan's Island *Siege of Savannah *Siege of Charleston

William Moultrie (/ˈmuːltriː/; November 23, 1730 – September 27, 1805) was a planter and politician who became a general from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War. As colonel leading a state militia, in 1776 he prevented the British from taking Charleston, and Fort Moultrie was named in his honor.

After independence, he advanced as a politician; Moultrie was elected by the legislature twice over a period of years as Governor of South Carolina (1785–87, 1792–94), serving two terms. (The state constitution kept power in the hands of the legislature and prohibited governors' serving two terms in succession.)

Moultrie was born in Charlestown in the Province of South Carolina. His parents were Dr. John and Lucretia (Cooper) Moultrie, and he was educated as a planter.

He fought in the Anglo-Cherokee War (1761). He was elected to the colonial assembly representing St. Helena Parish before the advent of the American Revolution.

In 1775 Moultrie was commissioned colonel of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment, in the state militia. In December of that year he led a raid on an encampment of runaway slaves on Sullivan's Island, killing 50 and capturing the rest. The island served as the main landing point for African slaves imported to Charleston; an estimated 40% of the total estimated 400,000 Africans brought to the United States as slaves landed here.

In 1776 Moultrie's defense of a small fort on Sullivan's Island (later named Fort Moultrie in his honor) prevented Sir Henry Clinton and Sir Peter Parker from taking Charleston. The Continental Congress passed a resolution thanking Moultrie. He was promoted to brigadier general and his regiment was taken into the Continental Army.