Tracking a South Carolina Patriot

Nicholas Prince was a Revolutionary War artilleryman. There was little remarkable about him, except that his experiences mirrored those of the vast majority of Patriots—young, illiterate, passionate, poor—who lived and fought during a seminal time in American history. He traveled nearly 1,500 miles on foot or on horseback from the wilds of South Carolina to Georgia and back to his home in Horry County. He was a raw recruit at Sullivan’s Island and a hardened Continental soldier at Savannah and Charleston. Made a prisoner of war at the fall of Charleston, he escaped to wage guerrilla warfare with Marion’s men.

His story is not just about war. It is also a narrative of how the American Revolution defined his relationships throughout life. The back stories are intriguing: accounts of men he fought with in the 4th South Carolina Regiment (Artillery); enduring bonds; complex family threads; a younger wife credited with making sure his story was told.

This is a sceptic’s examination of the claims made by an aging ex-soldier in his Revolutionary War pension application. The book is a blend of military, historical and genealogical research, offering new information about men of the 4th South Carolina Artillery.