From the Vault: The SC Historical Society Podcast

We’re exploring the story of two men who were accused of similar crimes, but whose fates were very different. John Burnet, a Scottish immigrant, was taken into custody in the summer of 1775 in today’s Colleton County. He was accused of preaching to enslaved people and encouraging them to preach on their own, as well as revolt against their enslavers. An enslaved man accused of preaching at these same gatherings was named George and while John eventually went free, George met a very different end.

In this re-release episode, we revisit Mary Musgrove, a woman who played a role in colonial South Carolina and Georgia as peacemaker, translator, and liaison to Native Americans - specifically those in the Creek Nation.

In this episode, we're talking with Dr. David Dangerfield, an associate professor in the history department at USC Salkehatchie whose research interests include free persons of color and non-elite whites in the antebellum South. We talk about the subject of his lecture, free people of color - and those who earned their freedom - in the American Revolution. 

We’re exploring the life of one of our state’s most passionate seekers of American liberty – Christopher Gadsden. You may have heard his name before, because various areas and streets across the state bear his name - even a wharf in Charleston. And you may also know that he created the famous Gadsden flag, with the coiled snake that says Don’t Tread on Me. We’re going to talk more about that flag and his life as an outspoken merchant and leader when tensions with England were at their height.

Because the American Revolution was being fought on American soil, the soldier’s family was often involved in the war in some way, too – no matter if they were Patriots or Loyalists. Sometimes this took the form of sons and fathers fighting in battles side by side or in separate areas. Sometimes, this meant that wives followed their husbands and camped with them as the men fought. But it also meant that when husbands and fathers were off fighting, the women and children were home to deal with daily life, invading enemy troops, or keeping their families fed.We talk the lives of about some of those women in this episode, Real Housewives of the Revolution.

In this episode, we’re going to talk about some early declarations of independence here in South Carolina. That’s right, there were some parts of the state – or then colony – who put themselves forth as independent even before July 4, 1776. And the pronouncements here were in large part due to one man, William Henry Drayton.

Surprise! We have a bonus episode for you, just in time for Spooky Season. We are re-airing last year's Halloween episode on a mysterious ghost story about Goose Creek Church. There are many South Carolina ghost stories and legends, but when we came across this story in our pamphlet collection, we knew it was the one. Tune in for the story of a man who thinks he falls in love with a peculiar woman... and what he realizes when she won't return his affection.

In this episode, we discuss a talk, written down in letter form, given to the people of the Catawba Nation by the members of the SC Council of Safety, to explain the beginnings of the American Revolution. How did it affect the way the Catawbas participated in the war?

In this episode, we’re going back a few centuries to the Revolutionary War and looking at the problem of clothing American soldiers. The lack of basic necessities for soldiers led to deaths and desertions, according to George Washington. Letters between Washington and Congress, some of which are housed in the Henry Laurens papers in our archives, illustrate how bad the conditions sometimes were.

This month's episode is all about the Futerells – the family of the man who was Henry Laurens’s jailer in the Tower of London, but whose children ultimately became wards of Henry and lived – and died – here in America after the war.

In this episode, we are looking back for the last time at the Order Book of South Carolina’s Fourth Regiment during the American Revolution. It’s the summer of 1777, and we talk about changes in leadership and one lieutenant accused of ungentlemanly conduct who does not go quietly .

June 2025 is the 250th anniversary of first meetings of South Carolina’s Council of Safety, which served kind of as a branch of government during the early days of the American Revolution here in our state. One of their main jobs was to form the militia regiments and give orders as to where they went. They also created a currency for the state, right down to the design of the paper money, oversaw the Secret Committee (who acted on secret missions), communicated about the conflict with indigenous tribes, and even handled citizen reports of those who may be loyalists. The Council was a group of men appointed by the Provincial Congress of South Carolina, in the wake of the Battles of Lexington and Concord up in Massachusetts. Colonists everywhere were feeling a sense of urgency at that point and life then began to change rapidly.

We are diving back into the Fourth Regiment’s Order Book for today’s episode. It’s August of 1776, and the people of South Carolina have just heard the Declaration of Independence read aloud for the first time. The soldiers of the Fourth Regiment are leaving the city - but will it quell all the rule-breaking they were doing in the last episode?

In today’s episode, we’re talking about two women - Sarah Stuart and Elizabeth Simpson - who were close enough to Loyalists that the Patriots powers of the state were concerned. Their stories give us a glimpse at what life was like during this time, for people of means and those who may not have had as much.

It's July of 1776, and just a few days have passed since a group of South Carolinians achieved an unexpected victory over the British at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island - and the United States of America has now officially declared their independence. For now, it’s back to normal as the troops continue to ready themselves to be able to protect their city and their new nation. But there's a trending topic in the order book - transgressions and disciplinary action abound.

We chat with author and professor Peter H. Wood about his seminal 1974 book, "Black Majority," which studies Black people during the colonial period of America. It brought forward new ways of looking at the available sources and challenged the ideas that those enslaved were passive and unskilled laborers, showing evidence of their agency over themselves and how their skills, culture, and customs were vital to forwarding the economic success of our nation. The book was recently updated and re-released for its fiftieth anniversary. Dr. Wood has been teaching students for decades, first at Duke University and now at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He’s also authored and co-authored many books and academic articles.

Christine King Mitchell has worked in the field of AfricanAmerican studies for more than 25 years. We talked with her about her recent book called “The Business of Slavery: Evidence of Control, Power, and Wealth.” It’s a fascinating breakdown of primary sources found in the archives around the state which show where money was made from slavery, who was making it, and where slavery could be found within 19th century South Carolina.

We are heading back to 1776 for an important battle in South Carolina history. It’s June in the order book of the 4th regiment that we have been following, and it’s just a few days before the Battle of Sullivan’s Island in Charleston. The troops are preparing because they know that the British are planning an attack and, in fact, have already begun landing on today’s Isle of Palms. In this episode, we'll get a first-hand account of the battle and the days following the Americans' surprising victory.

We talk with Christina Butler about her latest project, a report and exhibit for the Powder Magazine and the SC250 Commission on the British occupation of Charleston from 1780 to 1782. Christina is Dean and Chair of General Education at the American College of the Building Arts, where she also teaches. She owns Butler Preservation, a company that does preservation planning and historic property research. And, if that wasn’t enough, she’s authored several books. Our conversation covers what life looked like for Charlestonians during the British occupation, and how it affected those outside of Charleston as well. We talk about the lives of those who did not have as much power as those who were leading troops, and how stated allegiances of patriot or loyalist may have been different depending on who was in charge in the city. 

In March of 1776, the Patriots in South Carolina were preparing for a British attack – and as know now, one is coming at the end of June. In this episode, we explore the Fourth Regiment Order Book in the weeks leading up to the Battle of Sullivan's Island.

Surprise! We have a bonus episode for you, just in time for Spooky Season. There are many South Carolina ghost stories and legends, but when we came across this story in our pamphlet collection, we knew it was the one. Tune in for the story of a man who thinks he falls in love with a peculiar woman... and what he realizes when she won't return his affection.

We’re discussing Mary Musgrove, a woman who played a role in colonial South Carolina and Georgia as peacemaker, translator, and liaison to Native Americans, specifically those in the Creek Nation.

We're headed back to Charleston in 1776, exploring the order book of South Carolina's Fourth Regiment. The skirmishes around Charleston seem to be increasing, and the troops have officially been authorized by the state government. Now they're preparing for a British attack they know is looming.

We're exploring a bit about the story of one enslaved man during the Siege of Charleston in the American Revolution, as well as the story of an entire corps of formerly enslaved men who were taken/recruited from South Carolina and moved to the West Indies.

We are continuing our series on South Carolina’s 4th Regiment during the Revolutionary War, exploring their order book, which is basically a journal of the orders they received and their activities. In this episode, we cover their return to the city of Charleston, attacks around South Carolina, and how the regiment becomes official.

We're talking about Susannah Smith Elliott Carnes, a woman who inspired a group of men here in South Carolina to continue their fight during the American Revolution – and the ways in which her inspiration still shows up today

We are continuing our series on South Carolina’s 4th Regiment during the Revolutionary War, exploring their order book, which is basically a journal of the orders they received and their activities. At this point in the order book, we’re only a few days in. It’s September of 1775 and we're at Fort Johnson, one of the defense lines of the Harbor. 

It's our first interview! We talk with Mandy McGehee-Floyd, a doctoral candidate in public history and a SCHS employee, about her research into the South Carolina Regulators. They were a group of colonial settlers in the upcountry of South Carolina who wanted a more lawful community – though they were not always lawful themselves in their pursuit.

This episode starts a new series that will be mixed in with regular episodes. We’ll be reading and exploring the Order Book of the South Carolina’s Fourth Regiment. The regiment was organized in 1775 and was incorporated into the Continental Army in 1776. The order book is much like a diary – it covers the day-to-day happenings of the regiment and the orders that they are given, so it gives a sense of what life was like for the men serving.

We’re going to start this podcast the same way we started the Historical Society – with Henry Laurens. His papers were the first collection that the Historical Society held, and we’ll discuss some of those papers – namely the pamphlet collection within the papers – in today’s episode which is titled “Your Most Humble and Obedient Servant” for the way gentlemen of the time signed letters, even if it was to someone they very much disliked. An alternate title could be Henry Laurens vs. Everybody.