In Becoming Americans, explore Charleston’s important role in the American Revolution, from protest to independence.
More than 135 military engagements took place in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War. Most were skirmishes involving patriot and loyalist militias. A few, however, were great battles which directly affected the outcome of the war. In Becoming Americans, visitors will learn about the events and battles that transpired in Charleston and the surrounding areas, such as the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, the outcome of which led to an unexpected and uplifting victory for the patriots.
Becoming Americans includes a number of objects related to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina as well as a rare cartridge box carried by a member of the British Royal Artillery at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. This unit would later serve in the Siege of Charleston, the largest battle fought in South Carolina during the Revolution and the longest siege of the war.
This cartridge box on display represents one of the best-preserved examples of its kind from the Revolutionary War.
Francis Marion, or “The Swamp Fox,” was the most famous of South Carolina’s Revolutionary War partisan leaders. He is now immortalized across the state in the names of buildings, public squares, streets, and businesses. A dedicated case in Becoming Americans contains several of Francis Marion’s possessions, including one of his shoe buckles, a Chinese cup and saucer, a decanter case and two copies of letters he wrote regarding troops and supplies, the originals of which are housed in the Museum’s Archives. Also, included is the calvary saber carried by Sergeant Ezekial Crawford of General Marion’s Brigade.
In the Museum’s Armory, see excellent examples of historic weaponry, dating from 1750 to the twentieth century, with uses that ranged from military to more personal applications such as hunting and dueling.
In the Historic Textiles Gallery, the Museum features regularly rotating exhibits from its rich historic textiles and clothing collection, one of the finest in the southeastern United States.
In The Charleston Museum: The Early Days gallery, see exotic collections from around the world, representative of the Museum’s nineteenth century cosmopolitan collecting focus.
In the Lowcountry History Hall, see materials relating to the Native Americans who first inhabited the Lowcountry and the African American and European settlers who transformed the region into an agricultural empire.
In the Natural History gallery you will see an extraordinary array of birds, reptiles and mammals that have called the South Carolina Lowcountry home since prehistory, including contributions from noted naturalists.
The Charleston Museum is pleased to present Kidstory, a fun and exciting, hands-on exhibit for children, where the fascinating history of Charleston and the Lowcountry comes alive.
In the Loeblein Gallery of Charleston Silver discover the impressive work of the South’s finest craftsmen and women, from the colonial era through the Victorian Age.
This cartridge box on display represents one of the best-preserved examples of its kind from the Revolutionary War.
