“M” is for Moultrie, William (1730-1805)

“M” is for Moultrie, William (1730-1805). Soldier, governor. Born in Charleston, in 1752 Moultrie won election to the Commons House of Assembly. Over the next four decades he was a fixture in South Carolina government, representing various lowcountry parishes and royal, revolutionary, and state assemblies almost continuously until his retirement from public life in 1794. He achieved national fame on July 28th, 1776, when as commander he successfully defended Fort Sullivan against the British attack and saved Charleston from capture. After the war he was elected to the General Assembly in 1783 and two years later was elected governor. He then served in the state Senate before beginning a second tenure in the governor's chair in 1792. Leaving office in 1794 he retired from public life. The fort on Sullivan’s Island was renamed Fort Moultrie in his honor.