BUSINESS BUSINESS
The
STONO REBELLION
E
arly Sunday morning, September 9, 1739, two dozen slaves gathered near the Stono River 20 miles south of Charleston. From that gathering began the Stono Rebellion, the most deadly slave uprising in the British North American colonies. As consequential as this event was there is not a generally accepted account of the event. There is one surviving eyewitness account; however, its author is unknown. Several elements of the story have been passed down orally through generations of the slave participants. Regardless, this was a real event with deadly consequences.
As with so many events in colonial South Carolina history this one is rooted in Spanish and English rivalries. Throughout the 1730s the Spanish governors of Florida issued edicts that encouraged slaves from the British colonies to escape to Florida in return for their freedom. These proclamations were mainly directed to the South Carolina low country plantations as colonial Georgia was only created in 1732 and forbade slavery until 1751. Slaves also greatly outnumbered white colonists who feared for their security. It is generally accepted that the two dozen slaves who began the march south on September 9, 1739, were from the African Kingdom of Kongo. The Catholic Church had established a strong connection with the Kingdom of Kongo and many of the North American slaves from Kongo were Catholic and spoke Portuguese. Some have theorized that these rebels were captured soldiers who were forced into enslavement and 40
VIPMagSC.com
October 2021
story by Mark W. Buyck, III
relocated to South Carolina. The anonymous account writer clearly blamed the Spanish for inciting the rebellion. He mentions the offers of freedom as well as secret visits from Spanish Catholic priests to South Carolina encouraging the slaves to escape to Florida. The leader of the group was a literate slave named “Jemmy” (some accounts refer to the leader as “Cato” and the event as “Cato’s Rebellion.”) The first victims of the Rebellion were two white storekeepers at Hutchenson’s Store where a warehouse containing firearms, ammunition and other military supplies was seized. The band then set off on a trail of destruction led by banners flying and drums beating, all the while shouting “Liberty.” Over the next day, the original group encouraged and coerced other slaves along their route to join them. Various accounts confirm the burning of plantations and the death of white settlers. One account mentions the burning of six plantations and the killing of 23 to 28 colonists. The band eventually encountered Lieutenant Governor William Bull and five of his friends on horseback. Bull, appreciating the danger, escaped to warn other settlers and raise the militia. On Monday afternoon the militia caught up with the slaves, numbering about 100 by this time. One account claims the rebels stopped at a large field and “set to dancing, singing and beating drums to draw more Negroes to them.” By the time the militia arrived, the group had grown to 90 slaves and a battle ensued. By sunset, 20 militiamen had perished as well as 40 rebels. Ten of the rebels were caught by the militia the next day. A week later, a larger group of about 30 rebels engaged in a final battle with militiamen and cooperating Indians about 30 miles south of the initial battle. Most accounts claim that all but a few of the rebels were executed shortly after capture. One account claims that several were beheaded and the severed heads placed on stakes alongside the roads to Charlestown to intimidate other slaves.
