Thomas Sumter [SEP] occupation
Thomas Sumter
Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734 – June 1, 1832) was a soldier in the Colony of Virginia militia; a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia during the American War of Independence, a planter, and a politician. After the United States gained independence, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives and to the United States Senate, where he served from 1801 to 1810, when he retired. Sumter was nicknamed the "Carolina Gamecock" for his fierce fighting style against British soldiers
traces its history back to the Charleston Militia in 1670. Former Commanders and Brigade Commanders include Francis Marion, Andrew Pickens, Thomas Sumter and William Washington who recaptured the South from British occupation in concert with Continental forces under Major General Nathanael Greene. The frigate "South Carolina" commanded by the naval component of the State Guard was responsible for capturing tons of gunpowder from the British to supply the state and Continental Armies in the early stages of the war.
State Guard troops were instrumental in defeating the Spanish and securing Florida in