Archival Research and the Historical Background of the 1782 Evacuation of Charleston and the Loss of the Storm Wreck

Summary

During the American Revolution, the British occupied Charleston, South Carolina from their victory at the Siege of Charleston in 1780 until they were forced to flee rebel forces at the end of the war in 1782. The evacuation of Charleston was a massive logistical effort by colonial authorities, involving more than 129 ships gathered from throughout the British Empire. Not only British, Provincial, and German troops were evacuated but thousands of Loyalist families and enslaved Africans, who were transported to various other locales in Canada, England, the Caribbean, and East Florida. One of the ships carrying Loyalists and their possessions, along with some military hardware, ended up wrecking on the notorious St. Augustine Bar, and is now known as the Storm Wreck. This paper provides a historical background of the evacuation and shipwreck as compiled from primary documents analyzed by LAMP researchers in various depositories in Britain and the U.S.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Archaeology, Conservation, and Interpretation of the Storm Wreck, a Wartime Refugee Vessel Evacuating Charleston, South Carolina at the End of the American Revolution and Lost at St. Augustine, Florida on 31 December 1782   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 801