Martyr of the American Revolution : the execution of Isaac Hayne, South Carolinian

An examination of how a local incident ended in the execution of a prominent American by the British for treason In 1781 South Carolina patriot militiamen played an integral role in helping the Continental army reclaim their state from its British conquerors. Martyr of the American Revolution is the only book-length treatment that examines the events that set an American militia colonel on a disastrous collision course with two British officers, his execution in Charleston, and the repercussions that extended from the battle lines of South Carolina to the Continental Congress and across the Atlantic to the halls of British Parliament. On August 4, 1781, in Charleston, South Carolina, the British army hanged Col. Isaac Hayne for treason. Rather than a strict chronological retelling of the events, which led to his execution during the British occupation of Charleston, what is offered instead is a consideration of factors, independently set in motion that culminated in the demise of a loving father and devout patriot. Hayne was the most prominent American executed by the British for treason. He and his two principal antagonists, Lt. Col. Nisbet Balfour and Lt. Col. Francis Lord Rawdon, were unwittingly set on a collision course that climaxed in an act that sparked perhaps the most notable controversy of the war. Martyr of the American Revolution sheds light on why two professional soldiers were driven to commit a seemingly wrongheaded and arbitrary deed that halted prisoner exchange and nearly brought disastrous consequences to captive British officers. The death of a patriot in the cause of liberty was not a unique occurrence, but the unusually well-documented events surrounding the execution of Hayne and the involvement of his friends and family makes his story compelling and poignant. Unlike young Capt. Nathan Hale, who suffered a similar fate in 1776, Hayne did not become a folk hero. What began as local incident, however, became an international affair that was debated in Parliament and the Continental Congress.

This military history examines the complex factors surrounding the execution of an American militia colonel in British-occupied Charleston, SC. South Carolina patriot militiamen played an integral role in helping the Continental army reclaim their state from its British conquerors. In Martyr of the American Revolution, Cordell L. Bragg, III, examines the events that set Col. Isaac Hayne into a disastrous conflict with two British officers, his execution in Charleston, and the repercussions that extended from South Carolina to the Continental Congress and the halls of British Parliament. Hayne was the most prominent American executed by the British for treason. He and his two principal antagonists, Lt. Col. Nisbet Balfour and Lt. Col. Francis Lord Rawdon, were unwittingly set on a collision course that climaxed in an act that sparked one of the war's most notable controversies. Martyr of the American Revolution sheds light on why two professional soldiers were driven to commit a seemingly arbitrary deed that halted prisoner exchange and nearly brought disastrous consequences to captive British officers. The death of a patriot in the cause of liberty was not a unique occurrence, but the unusually well-documented events surrounding the execution of Hayne and the involvement of his friends and family makes his story compelling and poignant. Unlike young Capt. Nathan Hale, who suffered a similar fate in 1776, Hayne did not become a folk hero. Yet his execution became an international affair debated in both Parliament and the Continental Congress.

Cover 1 Martyr of the American Revolution 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Preface 12 Acknowledgments 16 Prologue 20 Part I 22 Chapter 1 The British Violate Their Terms and Rule by Edict 24 Chapter 2 A Proud and Haughty Scot Takes Command of Charleston 36 Chapter 3 A Fierce and Unrelenting Soldier Comes in from the Field 48 Part II 60 Chapter 4 “I do not mean to desert the cause of America” 62 Chapter 5 The Captor Becomes the Captive 72 Chapter 6 “The imminent and shocking doom of the most unfortunate Mr. Hayne” 84 Chapter 7 “We seriously lament the necessity of such a severe expedient” 96 Part III 108 Chapter 8 Rawdon’s Fantastic Shipboard Recollections 110 Chapter 9 “In South Carolina no one even knows where he is buried” 122 Chapter 10 A Survey of the Story of Isaac Hayne in Art and Literature 132 Appendix A The Proclamations of Lt. Gen. Sir Henry Clinton 142 Appendix B The Correspondence between Col. Isaac Hayne and His British Captors 148 Appendix C John Colcock’s Legal Brief: “Case of Colonel Hayne” 152 Appendix D Ladies’ Petition for Colonel Isaac Hayne 154 Notes 156 Bibliography 178 Index 190