The First South Carolinian to Die in the Revolution | 1775

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]In the fall of 1775, before Cowpens, before Yorktown, before most people even understood how long the war would last, the American Revolution had already claimed a South Carolinian's life. At 96, tensions between patriots and loyalists were already turning deadly in the South Carolina back country.

[00:00:20]Neighbors no longer trusted neighbors.

[00:00:22]Men gathered with musketss, unsure if they were defending liberty or walking towards civil war. And during that unrest, history remembers James Birmingham as the first South Carolinian to die in the American Revolution. Not in some great famous battle, not beneath waving flags, but in the uncertain opening days when nobody knew how many more graves would follow. Long before the war was won, there was simply a man and the family that never saw him come home. And this Memorial Day weekend at Hearthside History, he is still worth remembering. And if there's someone you're remembering this Memorial Day weekend, you're welcome to leave their name in the comments,