Thomas Sumter – Revolutionary War General

The people of South Carolina have taken the name “Gamecock” as their own. It is the nickname of the University of South Carolina athletic teams and  state natives are sometimes referred to as Gamecocks. The origin of the name goes back to 1780. 

Thomas Sumter had fought in the French and Indian War. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, he recruited a local militia unit and was elected lieutenant colonel of the  Second South Carolina Riflemen. 

The Continental Army’s southern strategy was to avoid battles with the British as much as possible, to draw them away from their sources of supplies and to use partisan tactics. Promoted to general over the South Carolina militia, Sumter’s men harassed Cornwallis’s troops to the point they fled South Carolina and turned north. Cornwallis (or perhaps Tarleton, stories differ) called Sumter ‘the Carolina gamecock’ because of his relentless fighting spirit and persistent tactics.

General Thomas Sumter, on courthouse lawn, Sumter, SC    CC BY-SA 3.0

After the war, Sumter served in the U.S. Congress.  When he died in 1832, he and Lafayette were the last surviving generals of the Revolution. 

South Carolina has honored Sumter by naming a town and a county for him. Most famously, Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, saw the first shots of the Civil War.

Connection: Thomas Sumter was my first cousin 7x removed.

Thomas Sumter – 1762

London, England, August 1762 – It was quite a scene. The two groups stared at each other. The King of England and the lords and ladies of his court saw before them the emissaries of the Cherokee Nation, faces painted, tomahawks or pipes in their belts. But surely appearing equally odd were the English, every man in a powdered wig, every lady corseted and bustled. The circumstances that brought the Cherokee chiefs to England began several months before.

The Cherokee had fought on the side of the British during the French and Indian War. After the war there were occasional raids by both the Cherokee and colonists over disputed territory. Then the land settled into an uneasy peace filled with distrust and suspicion. In 1761 in order to improve relations and guarantee cooperation, two Virginians, Sergeant Thomas Sumter and Lieutenant Henry Timberlake, along with servants and an interpreter visited the Overhill Cherokee villages. They met and befriended a war chief, Ostenaco, a man evidently of great curiosity and sense of adventure.  He, too, was determined to work for peace. “The bloody tomahawk, so long lifted against our brethren the English, must be buried deep, deep into the ground.” After successful diplomatic negotiations, he escorted them out of Cherokee lands and accompanied them to Williamsburg, Virginia.   The party met the governor and then attended a dinner in their honor at the College of William and Mary. Ostenaco, seeing a portrait of King George III declared that he wished to see the great man.

Ostenaco,  Portrait by Joshua Reynolds.

“Long,” said he, “have I wished to see the king my father; this is his resemblance, but I am determined to see himself; I am now near the sea and never will depart from it till I have obtained my desires.” 

We can imagine the looks exchanged around the dinner table. Did Ostenaco know what he was proposing? A month-long sea voyage, a visit to the largest city in Europe, being presented to the monarch of the English Empire? It is an indication of the importance of Indian-Colonial relations that a trip was even considered. If Ostenaco was willing to take such a trip, it could cement English and American relations with the Cherokee. Sumter and Timberlake, evidently also men who appreciated adventure, agreed to accompany Ostenaco and two other Cherokee to see the king.

Passage was arranged and they embarked  in May 1762.  The party consisted of Ostenaco, two Cherokee companions, Cunneshote, and Woyi, Sumter, Timberlake and an interpreter.  The Indians suffered from sea-sickness all the way.  They arrived in England on June 16. Landing in Plymouth, Ostenaco, “painted in a very frightful manner, sung a solemn dirge with a very loud voice, to return God thanks for his safe arrival.”  A vast crowd  of boats filled with spectators from all the ships in the harbor thronged about making it almost impossible to get to their inn. Accommodations are arranged with a Mr. Caccanthropos. The Cherokee chiefs became tourists, seeing the Tower, Parliament, Westminster Abbey and naval dockyards. The Indians were not overly impressed with the large cathedral, but quite taken by large sailing ships and the harbor. While they toured the area and waited to be admitted to court, they became quite an attraction. They drew almost unmanageable crowds to their inn.  Oliver Goldsmith waited 3 hours to see them.  Sir Joshua Reynolds drew their portraits.  Songs were written about them. They were the most sought after sight in London.

Unbeknownst to Sumter and Timberlake, Mr. Caccanthropos had been charging admission to see the Indian visitors.  When Sumter arrived with “genteel aquaintences”, Mr. C’s servant refused them admttance without payment.  In Timberlake’s words “the young man [Sumter], who had faced all dangers for the service of his country in the war, who had been so highly instrumental in saving us from the dangers that threatened us in going to their country, and had accompanied us ever since, received that affront from an

Thomas Sumter

insolent servant; not being able to bear the insult, he took a warrior’s satisfaction, and knocked him down. A blunt Virginian soldier cannot know the laws of England . . .”   The servant then sought the aid of the justice of the peace. Unfortunately, the official had such a strong English accent that Timberlake couldn’t understand him. But when Timberlake indicated how young and strong he and Sumter were compared to the official, the justice backed down. Unsatisfied, Mr. Caccanthropos retaliated by telling his cook that Timberlake’s party henceforth should be served ox-cheek and cow-heel and other ‘delicacies.”

Finally, the group was told that they would be admitted to the presence of the king.  Ostenaco began preparations for a peace pipe ceremony.  Informed that this wouldn’t be appropriate, he was quite understanding of cultural differences.  Ostenaco delivered a fine speech full of promises of friendship and wishes for a faithful alliance. The king, in return, gave Timberlake a speech to be read to the chiefs by an interpreter. The Cherokees were quite impressed by King George. They were struck by “the youth, person, and grandeur of his majesty.” Ostenaco then announced he was ready to return to America. Shortly afterward, King George did announce new restrictions on American expansion into Cherokee lands. The successful trip helped guarantee good relations between the British and Cherokee for years to come.

Connection: Thomas Sumter was my 7th great uncle.  The descendants of his sister, Anne, married into the Sallees, my mother’s family.