Having the most awesome flag, which I will now explain the history of based on what I can remember from 3rd grade social studies:
The Battle of Sullivan's Island was a very important battle for South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. It wasn't a turning point that decided the entire outcome of the war or anything, but for South Carolinians, it became a major source of state pride.
June 28th, 1776. General Sir Henry Clinton and Admiral Sir Peter Parker arrived in the waters of Charleston, South Carolina. They hadn't planned on going here to fight, but they found their original target in North Carolina to be unsuitable for their mission due in part to weather concerns. So, they decided that they would go south and lay siege to Charleston instead, as South Carolina was economically invaluable to the 13 colonies, and taking out it's largest port in Charleston would be a fantastic accomplishment for the British. They figured it would be an easy victory; after all, this was a very sudden change of plans for Clinton and Parker. There would be no way that the colonists could prepare in time to even stand a chance.
Well, they were partially right. Though Commander William Moultrie and his men had caught wind of the British's plan, they were unable to properly finish building a fort on Sullivan's Island in time. Moultrie knew that a hastily finished fort would do more good than half a fort, however, so he looked around for any materials nearby that he could possibly cobble together. What he found was the palmetto tree, a flimsy plant that's really more like a grass than an actual tree. But, that was all to be had in the area, so with a prayer, the rest of Fort Sullivan was put together using palmetto logs.
Things were looking grim. The land assault had been thwarted by the exceedingly helpful high tides between Sullivan's Island and the mainland, but the real threat was still to come. Then at last, the naval bombardment commenced. Countless cannonballs were fired, hitting Fort Sullivan at every angle imaginable. The structure rumbled, it groaned, and it...still stood?! It was a miracle! The palmetto logs, which had been used as a last-ditch effort to not die, were absorbing the shock of the cannonballs! Essentially, the fort was impervious to enemy fire. The spongy, soft nature of the palmetto logs meant that the majority of cannonballs became stuck in the walls, or gently hit the fort and then fell harmlessly into the sandy ground of Sullivan's Island. Some even reported that quite a few cannonballs bounced back upon impact!
Shielded by the protection of their shoddily-constructed fort, Moultrie's men were able to carefully direct fire back at the opposing ships and were able to stop the siege before it even really began. The two main enemy ships, the Bristol and the Experiment, were horribly mangled, and an injured Parker was forced to admit defeat. There were colonist celebrations all around, and Fort Sullivan was renamed Fort Moultrie in honor of its brave commander.
Having the most awesome flag, which I will now explain the history of based on what I can remember from 3rd grade social studies:
The Battle of Sullivan's Island was a very important battle for South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. It wasn't a turning point that decided the entire outcome of the war or anything, but for South Carolinians, it became a major source of state pride.
June 28th, 1776. General Sir Henry Clinton and Admiral Sir Peter Parker arrived in the waters of Charleston, South Carolina. They hadn't planned on going here to fight, but they found their original target in North Carolina to be unsuitable for their mission due in part to weather concerns. So, they decided that they would go south and lay siege to Charleston instead, as South Carolina was economically invaluable to the 13 colonies, and taking out it's largest port in Charleston would be a fantastic accomplishment for the British. They figured it would be an easy victory; after all, this was a very sudden change of plans for Clinton and Parker. There would be no way that the colonists could prepare in time to even stand a chance.
Well, they were partially right. Though Commander William Moultrie and his men had caught wind of the British's plan, they were unable to properly finish building a fort on Sullivan's Island in time. Moultrie knew that a hastily finished fort would do more good than half a fort, however, so he looked around for any materials nearby that he could possibly cobble together. What he found was the palmetto tree, a flimsy plant that's really more like a grass than an actual tree. But, that was all to be had in the area, so with a prayer, the rest of Fort Sullivan was put together using palmetto logs.
Things were looking grim. The land assault had been thwarted by the exceedingly helpful high tides between Sullivan's Island and the mainland, but the real threat was still to come. Then at last, the naval bombardment commenced. Countless cannonballs were fired, hitting Fort Sullivan at every angle imaginable. The structure rumbled, it groaned, and it...still stood?! It was a miracle! The palmetto logs, which had been used as a last-ditch effort to not die, were absorbing the shock of the cannonballs! Essentially, the fort was impervious to enemy fire. The spongy, soft nature of the palmetto logs meant that the majority of cannonballs became stuck in the walls, or gently hit the fort and then fell harmlessly into the sandy ground of Sullivan's Island. Some even reported that quite a few cannonballs bounced back upon impact!
Shielded by the protection of their shoddily-constructed fort, Moultrie's men were able to carefully direct fire back at the opposing ships and were able to stop the siege before it even really began. The two main enemy ships, the Bristol and the Experiment, were horribly mangled, and an injured Parker was forced to admit defeat. There were colonist celebrations all around, and Fort Sullivan was renamed Fort Moultrie in honor of its brave commander.
During the celebrations, another young man's name was thrown around quite a bit: That of Sergeant William Jasper. For, during the battle, the flag designed and flown by Moultrie had been shot down. Jasper, never one to let such an injustice stand, rushed out midst the fire and righted his proud colors. That beautiful flag--navy, with a silver military crescent insignia (modeled off of a gorget) emblazoned with the word "liberty" in the corner--and Jasper were seen as inspirations to the soldiers who fought in the battle. And so, to commemorate the victory, the men who fought, and the not-really-a-tree that saved them all, a silver palmetto was added to Moultrie's flag. This flag saw many variations throughout South Carolina's history, but it's core meaning never left it, not even in today's time, where it serves as a reminder to all of what happened on Sullivan's Island.
Lol, this ended up being longer than I anticipated. Sorry, I just really love the history of my great state! :D
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unfortunately, Sarah Palin.
Also, just being Alaska.
Having the most awesome flag, which I will now explain the history of based on what I can remember from 3rd grade social studies:
The Battle of Sullivan's Island was a very important battle for South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. It wasn't a turning point that decided the entire outcome of the war or anything, but for South Carolinians, it became a major source of state pride.
June 28th, 1776. General Sir Henry Clinton and Admiral Sir Peter Parker arrived in the waters of Charleston, South Carolina. They hadn't planned on going here to fight, but they found their original target in North Carolina to be unsuitable for their mission due in part to weather concerns. So, they decided that they would go south and lay siege to Charleston instead, as South Carolina was economically invaluable to the 13 colonies, and taking out it's largest port in Charleston would be a fantastic accomplishment for the British. They figured it would be an easy victory; after all, this was a very sudden change of plans for Clinton and Parker. There would be no way that the colonists could prepare in time to even stand a chance.
Well, they were partially right. Though Commander William Moultrie and his men had caught wind of the British's plan, they were unable to properly finish building a fort on Sullivan's Island in time. Moultrie knew that a hastily finished fort would do more good than half a fort, however, so he looked around for any materials nearby that he could possibly cobble together. What he found was the palmetto tree, a flimsy plant that's really more like a grass than an actual tree. But, that was all to be had in the area, so with a prayer, the rest of Fort Sullivan was put together using palmetto logs.
Things were looking grim. The land assault had been thwarted by the exceedingly helpful high tides between Sullivan's Island and the mainland, but the real threat was still to come. Then at last, the naval bombardment commenced. Countless cannonballs were fired, hitting Fort Sullivan at every angle imaginable. The structure rumbled, it groaned, and it...still stood?! It was a miracle! The palmetto logs, which had been used as a last-ditch effort to not die, were absorbing the shock of the cannonballs! Essentially, the fort was impervious to enemy fire. The spongy, soft nature of the palmetto logs meant that the majority of cannonballs became stuck in the walls, or gently hit the fort and then fell harmlessly into the sandy ground of Sullivan's Island. Some even reported that quite a few cannonballs bounced back upon impact!
Shielded by the protection of their shoddily-constructed fort, Moultrie's men were able to carefully direct fire back at the opposing ships and were able to stop the siege before it even really began. The two main enemy ships, the Bristol and the Experiment, were horribly mangled, and an injured Parker was forced to admit defeat. There were colonist celebrations all around, and Fort Sullivan was renamed Fort Moultrie in honor of its brave commander.
During the celebrations, another young man's name was thrown around quite a bit: That of Sergeant William Jasper. For, during the battle, the flag designed and flown by Moultrie had been shot down. Jasper, never one to let such an injustice stand, rushed out midst the fire and righted his proud colors. That beautiful flag--navy, with a silver military crescent insignia (modeled off of a gorget) emblazoned with the word "liberty" in the corner--and Jasper...
... Read FullSo many things :
- French language;
- Maple syrup;
- Poutine;
- The most photographed hotel in the world;
- Its movie industry, which gave you, among many others, Denis Villeneuve and Jean-Marc Vallée;
- Its separatism movement;
- Basically anything that makes the Canadian culture different from the American one, besides Timmies and saying "sorry".
Country music
I live in California, so… how much time you got?
Sun. Beaches. Theme Parks. Oranges. A strong open public records policy.