“C” is for Campbell, Lord William (ca. 1730-1778). Governor. A younger son of the fourth duke of Argyll, William entered the navy. As captain of HMS Nightingale, he put into Charleston. There he successfully wooed and wed Sarah Izard, a wealthy heiress. In 1773 he was appointed governor of South Carolina. Campbell arrived in South Carolina in June 1775, but by then the Revolutionary Provincial Congress and its Council of Safety had usurped royal authority. His optimistic reports on the strength of Loyalists in the backcountry contributed to British decisions to attack South Carolina in 1776 and 1780. After Revolutionary leaders discovered his clandestine activities, Campbell was forced to flee. During the British naval attack on Sullivan’s Island in June 1776, Lord William Campbell, aboard HMS Bristol, received wounds that eventually led to his death.
“C” is for Campbell, Lord William (ca. 1730-1778).
