On this day 250 years ago on Sullivan’s Island in Charles Town Harbor, South Carolina, Lt. John Withers leading 54 men of Capt. John Allston’s “Raccoon Company” of the Georgetown District Militia surprised British sailors and armed runaway slaves encamped on at the “Pest House.” The Pest House was originally built to quarantine slaves with smallpox but at that time the British sailors with the aid of runaway slaves and Loyalists were using it as a base to raid nearby plantations for provisions.

The Raccoon Company included 50 Pee Dee Indians and dressed in Native attire and fought as rangers using Native tactics such as the war whoop. The Raccoon Company killed four of the armed escaped slaves and captured five other escaped slaves under arms, three British sailors, one Loyalist, and a boy who was part of the crew of the HMS Cherokee, as well as four women and two other children who I presume were escaped slaves. The Raccoon Company also destroyed water casks and burned the Pest House and Gunner George Walker’s house to prevent their use by Royal Navy ships and British landing parties. Most of the British sailors and about 20 of the escaped slaves made it to boats to reach the HMS Cherokee. The Raccoon Company fired on the fleeing British and exchanged fire with the ship throughout the day and into the next. The Americans suffered no casualties but it is unclear whether there were any British killed or wounded on board the Cherokee.

Sources: Parker at 124; https://revolutionarywar.us/year-1775/; https://home.nps.gov/cowp/learn/education/otherresources.htm#CP_JUMP_1004050 at n.42; https://www.genealogy.com/forum/general/topics/americanrev/15224/