Carolina Day

The hail of British shot and the hot sun pounded defenders of Sullivan's Island on that June day in 1776. As the 270 British guns poured shells into the fort, one shot took down the flagpost bearing a blue flag with a white cresent. All day it had waved defiantly at the onslaught and let observers watching from the roofs in Charleston know that their men still held the English at bay. When it fell, so also did the hopes of a multitude of citizens.

One man was determined not to let it lie on the hot sand for long. William Jasper, a Georgian, was recruited to serve with the Second South Carolina Regiment by Francis Marion. Jasper was quickly advanced to sergeant by superiors who recognized in him a character well adapted for a martial career.

Well respected by his men, he was proving himself a hard fighter when the flag pole was shot down. "Colonel, don't let us fight without our flag!" shouted Jasper. "How can you help it? The staff is gone," Moultrie replied. Without another word, the sergeant then jumped out of the fort in the face of deadly fire, walked the entire length in full view of the British, and then cut the flag from its pole. Climbing the wall, he called for a sponge-staff to which he fastened the flag and planted it in the wall. Turning to the enemy, he then gave three cheers and returned to his gun. For this feat, President John Rutledge presented Jasper with his dress sword at a review held soon after the battle and offered him a commission. Jasper turned it down, instead preferring to serve as a scout for the American forces.

General Moultrie described Jasper as a "brave, active, stout, strong, enterprising man and a very great partizan" who was a master of disguise. Jasper made several trips into enemy lines, always returning with valuable information. Tragically, Jasper died at Savannah in 1779 while planting the colors of the Second South Carolina Regiment on the British lines. He was buried somewhere near the scene of the battle in a mass grave with many of his comrades. Later a statue was erected in his memory in one of the squares of Savannah, where it still stands today.

Eight counties and seven cities and towns throughout the nation are named for this great hero. In Charleston Jasper, grasping a spong-staff with the blue flag draped about his shoulders, stands atop a monument erected to the defenders of Sullivan's Island. His eyes are fixed on the harbor he helped defend and beneath him are inscribed his words: "We shall not fight without our flag."

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