Early Republic and War of 1812 (1790-1815)

In June 1781 Emily Geiger volunteered to be a courier for General Nathanael Greene, who needed an urgent message delivered to General Thomas Sumter. Geiger evaded capture the first day, but the British stopped her on the second day. While waiting for the British to bring a woman to search her, she read and memorized Greene’s message and then ate it.

During his fifty-four-year career at the College of Charleston, Gibbes taught mathematics, chemistry, physics, and astronomy, and endeared himself to generations of students despite his exacting standards.

Keenly interested in natural history, Gibbes collected bird specimens, mollusk shells, and minerals. He was especially interested in vertebrate fossils, and it was in the field of paleontology that he made lasting contributions.

Gillon’s fluency in several languages, handsome appearance, and social graces helped him rise quickly in the commercial trade.

For Gilman, Charleston was her first permanent home and, even though she retained much affection for the North, she soon came to see herself as a southerner. As hostilities between the two regions increased, Gilman felt compelled to try to reconcile these differences in her writing.

Under Gilman’s leadership, the church expanded and changed its name to the Archdale Street Unitarian Church in 1834. Gilman also helped establish the Charleston Unitarian Book and Tract Society in 1821 and made consistent efforts to spread Unitarian Christianity more widely in the area.

Gist's biographer Daniel Bell describes him as “influential” in bringing about disunion, but it is doubtful that his personal leadership was truly essential. By 1860 the movement possessed more momentum than could be attributable to any one man.

Granby was among the first important trading posts in the South Carolina interior. The town originated as a large Indian village on Congaree Creek.

Grayson is best remembered for his proslavery verse, The Hireling and the Slave (1854), a rejoinder (structured in heroic couplets) to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s depiction of slavery in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Gregg's scholarly interests included botany, ornithology, and astronomy. In 1847 he was appointed major in Milledge L. Bonham’s regiment of volunteers for the Mexican War, but this unit failed to reach Mexico in time to participate in any major battles. He was a member of the Southern Rights Convention of 1852, and in the late 1850s he advocated reopening the African slave trade.

Putting his industrial gospel into practice, Gregg and several partners secured a charter from the South Carolina General Assembly in December 1845 to establish the Graniteville Manufacturing Company. The Graniteville factory commenced operations in 1849 and quickly became one of the most successful textile factories in the entire South.

During his thirty-six years on the bench, Grimké helped establish fundamental principles of South Carolina jurisprudence by advocating professionalization of legal study, uniformity of law, and judicial independence.

With familial ties to many of the lowcountry elite, the Grimké family was among the upper echelon of antebellum Charleston society. However, Sarah and Angelina rejected a privileged lifestyle rooted in a slave economy and became nationally known abolitionists no longer welcome in South Carolina.

In a state known for its flamboyant politicians, Hamilton was among the most colorful individuals to sit in the governor’s chair.

In 1809 President James Madison selected Hamilton to be his secretary of the navy as part of an effort to achieve regional balance in his cabinet appointments.

As a congressman, Hammond joined the charmed circle of planter-politicians that composed the state’s leadership.

Hampton’s most lasting fame came from his success as a planter. Noted by Niles’ Weekly Register in 1823 as “probably the richest planter in the South,” he became a national symbol of the wealthy southern slaveowner.

He won election to the South Carolina Senate in 1825, served two terms, and never again sought or held elective office. He played an important role behind the scenes in state politics, however.

Harby’s journalistic career began with the publication of a short-lived literary magazine, the Quiver (1807), which was probably the first literary journal published by a Jew in the United States.

Harper’s congressional career representing South Carolina lasted from 1794 until 1801.