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South Carolina Colonial/Revolutionary War Flags (U.S.)

Historical

South Carolina 2nd Regiment
Eutaw Standard
South Carolina Navy Ensign
Palmetto Guard flag
Moultrie Flag

See also:

South Carolina 2nd Regiment

image located by Esteban Rivera, 16 February 2026

[original flag]

The Flag of the Second South Carolina Regiment, Continental Line." The colors are listed as "Blue field, yellow letters, green wreath, red ribbon, red and blue flags within." The motto in the center reads "VITA POTIOR LIBERTAS," with the year "1775" just above the ribbon.

"This flag with the motto 'Liberty rather than life,' was carried by men who meant it. Sgt. Jasper, who had saved the Crescent Flag at Sullivan's Island, fell carrying this at Savannah. Col. Moultrie first led this regiment, and Francis Marion, the 'Swamp Fox,' commanded it at Savannah."

Randy Young, 23 February 2001

Eutaw Standard of Col. William Washington
Third Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons

image by Randy Young, 27 February 2001

Source: "Flags to Color from the American Revolution."

This flag is listed as "The Eutaw Standard of Colonel William Washington's Cavalry," and is described as being "all crimson." The narrative of the flag says:

"Colonel Washington spent an hour with the fair Jane Elliott before the campaign through Eutaw and the Cowpens. She [said she] would await news of the triumph of his flag. 'But I have no flag,' he said. 'Then I'll give you one!' she replied, and cut a square of brocade from a curtain. It later flew at their wedding."

Randy Young, 27 February 2001

South Carolina Navy

image by Randy Young, 2 August 2001

Source: "The Stars and the Stripes: The American Flag as Art and as History from the Birth of the Republic to the Present."

This flag is listed as "The flag of the South Carolina navy" during the American Revolution. The flag is essentially the same as the Continental Naval jack, but with the motto "DONT TREAD ON ME" appearing on the second red stripe from the top, and "joining stripes of Scotland's blue and England's red."
Randy Young, 2 August 2001

The flag is mentioned in the October 9, 1778 letter from Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to the "Ambassador of the King of the Two Sicilies", which describes several American flags. One sentence reads, "For example, the vessels of war of the State of Massachusetts Bay have sometimes a pine tree; and those of South Carolina a rattlesnake, in the middle of the 13 stripes."

The Franklin/Adams letter does not indicate the color of the stripes. "Standards and Colors of the American Revolution" indicates that the red and blue colours are illustrated in Preble's book (to which I am sad to say I do not have access), but that Preble does not give his source. The earlier text of the Franklin/Adams letter indicated that the stripes on the flag of the American Congress had red, white AND blue stripes, as was often the case with American naval vessels in European waters.
Devereaux Cannon, 16 September 2002

I have the Admiral Preble books and while the SC Navy flag is illustrated on a color plate between pages 192 - 3 in Volume One, there does not seem to be any text concerning this flag. The flag as illustrated has seven red and six blue stripes and the rattlesnake is oriented generally the same as on the First Navy Jack. The most notable difference would be that the "DONT TREAD ON ME" slogan appears in the stripe third from the top, above the rattlesnake.
John Evosevic, 16 September 2002

Palmetto Guard flag

image located by Esteban Rivera, 16 February 2026
Source: https://ultimateflags.com/products/palmetto-guard-cotton-flag-3-x-5-ft

The following is the information on this flag. Since the main source basically covers all information regarding this subject, I will quote most of the article for reference purposes, including citations.

"The Palmetto Guard flag was the first Confederate-aligned flag to fly over Fort Sumter. It bears a symbol that has been associated with South Carolina since the American Revolution – and was flown as a symbol of secession. To understand the flag, we'll have to explore what it originally represented, and consider how its meaning may have changed over time.

A Revolutionary Symbol

The primary symbol on the Palmetto Guard flag was not new at the time of the Civil War. Instead, it springs from South Carolina's fight for independence against the British during the American Revolution.

In 1776, Patriots under Colonel William Moultrie successfully defended a fort on Sullivan's Island, at the mouth of Charleston Harbor. The fort, later renamed Fort Moultrie (https://srvirginia.org), was made of palmetto tree logs – a building material found in large quantities on the South Carolina coastline. During the battle, British cannon fire failed to do significant damage to the fort, in part because the logs were flexible and resilient against incoming fire. [1]

The Patriot victory made the palmetto tree an enduring symbol of South Carolina’s resilience against the British. It became associated with a state holiday known today as "Carolina Day", numerous civic organizations, and a militia unit – the Palmetto Guard. [2]

Flags and Militiamen

The Palmetto Guard was one of many militia units in pre-Civil War Charleston, appearing in local newspaper advertisements as early as 1851. [3] When South Carolina announced its secession from the United States on December 20, 1860, the militia units would be the state's first organized military.

TThroughout the secession crisis, the Palmetto tree took on a new meaning. South Carolina politicians looked back to the Revolutionary symbol and linked it with their current attempt at "independence". In January 1861, South Carolina's legislature adopted a new official state flag, bearing a white palmetto tree in the center, a crescent in the upper left corner, and a dark blue field behind it. With a few small modifications, this remains the state flag today. [4]

The Palmetto Guard flag was slightly different. The flag consisted of a white field, a dark brown and green palmetto tree in the center, and a red star in the upper left corner. The "single star" stood for "state sovereignty" or independence. [5]

"The Palmetto Guard was divided into the Palmetto Guard Volunteers and the Palmetto Guard Artillery. Half of the Palmetto Guard volunteered for Confederate service in 1861" (https://ultimateflags.com).

First Shots, First Flag

Throughout the secession crisis, South Carolina militia units like the Palmetto Guard were engaged in a tense standoff with the US garrison at Fort Sumter, a centrally placed harbor fort. By early April 1861, the Palmetto Guard was stationed on Morris Island, within firing range of Fort Sumter and the US soldiers.

On the early morning of April 12, the Confederate positions around the harbor began shelling Fort Sumter with artillery fire. Captain G.B. Cuthbert of the Palmetto Guard described his regiment's activity:

"At the dawn of day the Iron Battery commenced its work of demolition. The first shell from columbiad No. 1, fired by the venerable Edmund Ruffin, of Virginia, burst directly upon the parapet of the Southwest angle of the fort..." [7]

After about 34 hours of bombardment, the US forces at Fort Sumter agreed to evacuate the fort, and the fort was physically taken by the Confederates on April 14th. Ruffin carried the flag into the fort, and another Confederate soldier raised it over Fort Sumter. The fort was in Confederate hands – as it would be until February 1865. [8]

The Flag's Legacy

The Palmetto Guard soon became part of the 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment (which was known as the 2nd Palmetto Regiment and fought in many of the major campaigns of the war, mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The South Carolina state flag still bears the palmetto tree symbol. However, the tree is still mostly remembered for its successful Revolutionary War defense of Charleston Harbor. Due to the Confederacy's defeat, the flag's association with the secession movement has become less well known.

The flag was eventually kept in the possession of John Styles Bird, Jr., a veteran of the Palmetto Guard who was present during the attack on Fort Sumter. A descendant of Pvt. Bird gave the flag to Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park in 1979. [9] Its colors are now faded, with the formerly white background now bearing a beige appearance. The fragile flag (source) was kept on display from 1985 until 2023. It is now in the park's museum resting the artifact from light exposure.

Citations:

[1]: "Sullivan's Island". American Battlefield Trust. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/sullivans-island-south-carolina

[2]: Butler, Nic. "The Story of Carolina Day". Charleston County Public Library, 2018 June 22. https://www.ccpl.org/charleston-time-machine/story-carolina-day

[3]: "Palmetto Guard" The Charleston Daily Courier, 1851 July 19. https://www.newspapers.com/image/604528878/

[4]: The Flag of South Carolina. The Charleston Mercury, 1861 Feb. https://www.newspapers.com/image/605450849/

[5]: "What Shall Be the Flag?" The Charleston Mercury, 1860 Nov. 20.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/605447985/

[6]: "The Palmetto Guard". Richmond Dispatch, 1861 May 13. https://www.newspapers.com/image/80617469/

[7]: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I – Volume I. P. 54.

[8]: Ringold, May Spencer, and W.G. Young. "William Gourdin Young and the Wigfall Mission – Fort Sumter, April 13, 1861". The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Jan. 1972, pp. 27-36. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27567098?seq=1

[9]: Burton, Beatrice, et al. Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park Administrative History. Nov. 2020, p. 127. https://npshistory.com/publications/fosu/adhi.pdf
Source: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/the-palmetto-guard-flag.htm

Esteban Rivera, 16 February 2026