Tombstone Tuesday–British Soldiers Buried in Cheraw, SC

Old Saint David’s Episcopal Church Cemetery

This is the last Anglican or "State" church built (c.1770) in South Carolina under King George III. This historic church was used by the Americans and the British during the American Revolution and later by both the Confederate and Union armies. There are soldiers from almost every American War buried in the cemetery.

Francis Asbury (1745-1816) pioneer bishop of American Methodism came to Cheraw in 1785, on his first visit to South Carolina.[1]

The first Confederate monument ever built is located in the cemetery, erected (c.1867) in memory of those who had fallen in the Civil War. The original inscription did not mention Confederate soldiers directly because Union forces still occupied the area.

Also in the cemetery are the graves of Alexander Gregg and famous steamboat commander Moses Rogers. The steeple and vestibule were added to the church in 1826.[2]

Photo Courtesy of Julious Burr

Inscription:
Grave of [unknown] British Soldier who died during the Revolutionary War when using St. David's Church as a hospital in the summer of 1780. This is a mass grave; containing at least four soldiers.
Colonel Campbell, Commander of the 71st Regiment is also buried here.

Note: This could not be Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell who started with the 71st because he was sent back to Scotland in the winter 1778-79. It could be Captain Charles Campbell who died in the Battle of Fishing Creek August 17, 1780.[3]

The soldiers who perish more than 230 years ago were memorialized last year in a special ceremony on November 13, 2011 at the Old St. David’s Episcopal Church, Cheraw, South Carolina. Attempts to identify the soldiers who died at St. David’s in the summer of 1780 were unsuccessful. Searches were made in the British Public Records Office and in USA Archives.

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[1]  http://www.scaet.org/markers/display.cfm?id=1363 - South Carolina Historical Marker 13-11
[2] http://www.discoversouthcarolina.com/products/3436.aspx
[3] Find A Grave Memorial #45292017 – Grave Photo and “NOTE” info and transcription courtesy of Julious Burr