History of the South Carolina State Flag

Pop quiz: Name the icons featured on South Carolina’s state flag, and when and where it was first flown? If you guessed a blue flag with a palmetto tree and crescent moon was first flown over Fort Sullivan (now Fort Moultrie) in 1776, you’d be wrong. At least, probably. Let’s just say, it’s complicated…

In national surveys, Americans consistently rank South Carolina’s state flag among the top ten most memorable flags in the nation. This distinctive flag features a white palmetto tree and crescent against an indigo blue background. While celebrated for its simple design, the flag has not been without controversy regarding the meanings of its symbols and their appearances, a debate that continues today.

As often happens with historic narratives, the details of the South Carolina flag's origin have become somewhat muddled over the years. However, understanding the significance of its colors, crescent, and palmetto tree allows us to appreciate the history, culture, and values of our state. The flag's design has evolved over centuries, and its story begins in 1775.

As rebellious Americans moved closer to declaring independence from England, the patriots’ Council of Safety ordered Col. William Moultrie, commander of Fort Sullivan, to create a signal flag—a visual rallying point for his troops. This directive was practical; as long as Moultrie’s flag flew, onlookers would know that the fight was ongoing or had been won. This urgency inspired Sgt. William Jasper’s courageous act of rehoisting the flag after a British ball struck its flagstaff, ensuring everyone knew the battle continued.

Moultrie’s flag originally featured only a white crescent in the top left corner against a blue background, with the word “Liberty” inscribed within. Commonly referred to as the “Liberty” flag today, it was first raised on September 13, 1775, over Fort Johnson on James Island, and later famously displayed at Fort Sullivan in June 1776.

Some sources indicate that the council provided Moultrie with blue cloth for the flag, while others suggest he dyed it blue, as indigo dye was South Carolina's second-largest cash crop at the time. Additionally, some contend that the blue represented the color of Moultrie’s soldiers’ coats.

The meaning of the crescent has also been the subject of debate. Today, many equate the crescent with a quarter moon, but Moultrie’s original flag depicted a crescent with tips that curved more completely into a circular form than seen on the current flag.

A more pronounced curvature is reminiscent of a gorget—a piece of medieval armor worn around the neck for protection against sword or knife attacks. This explanation has many ardent supporters, as several Revolutionary leaders, including Moultrie, George Washington, and Francis Marion, wore gorgets. Moultrie’s flag featured the crescent opening facing upward, akin to a gorget, while later versions of the flag often showed it facing right or left.

To clarify the flag’s design, Moultrie’s diary provides insight into the reasons behind the flag’s color and crescent: “A little time after we were in possession of Fort Johnson [that is, late September or October 1775], it was thought necessary to have a flag for the purpose of signals: (as there was no national or state flag at that time) I was desired by the Council of Safety to have one made, upon which, as the state troops were clothed in blue, and the fort was garrisoned by the first and second regiments, who wore a silver crescent on the front of their caps; I had a large blue flag made with a crescent in the dexter corner, to be in uniform with the troops: This was the first American flag which was displayed in South Carolina.”

By the end of the Revolutionary War, Major Gen. Nathanael Greene declared Moultrie’s flag the first American flag to fly over the South. However, this flag was never officially adopted as the state flag. As time progressed, its design began to evolve, particularly with the incorporation of an additional symbol.

When the British Navy appeared on the horizon on June 28, 1776, Moultrie’s men quickly completed their unfinished fort using readily available materials: palmetto logs and beach sand. Palmetto trees were abundant along Sullivan’s beach, known for their flexibility and resilience against hurricane-force winds. This choice of materials proved fortuitous; cannonballs fired at palmetto logs would either be absorbed or roll harmlessly to the ground after impact. In tribute to Moultrie’s victory against a larger, better-supplied navy, citizens began adding a palmetto tree to the flag’s design.

Many versions of the flag followed, often hand-painted for various uses. Some featured gold or green palmetto trees, while others replaced the crescent with stars or used colors like red or white instead of blue for the background. Today, we even see flags displayed in Clemson orange or Gamecock garnet.

As the nation headed into its second war of rebellion in 1860 with South Carolina's secession from the Union, efforts to formalize the flag design gained momentum. According to the South Carolina Encyclopedia, “In December 1860, when South Carolina seceded from the Union, Representative Plowden C. J. Weston called for the appointment of a joint committee to devise a South Carolina national flag or ensign. Exactly one month later, the committee introduced a resolution creating a white flag with a green palmetto tree in the center and a blue union with a white crescent. Representative Robert Barnwell Rhett, Jr., amended the resolution to read ‘the National Flag or Ensign of South Carolina shall be blue with a white palmetto tree upright thereon, and a white crescent in the upper corner.’ Rhett reasoned that the colonial flag of blue with a white crescent and the white palmetto tree addition created a simple, beautiful flag. Not all of the legislators agreed with Rhett, however, and for seven days debate occurred in the House, the Senate, and the newspapers. Finally, on January 28, 1861, Rhett’s design was approved, and the blue flag with a white palmetto tree centered and a white crescent with horns pointing upward in the corner became the official state flag.”

This design remained unchanged until President William Howard Taft’s visit in 1909, when Alexander Samuel Salley Jr., Secretary of the Historical Commission, “touched up” the flag's design by angling the crescent—reasoning for which is unclear today—so that its opening faced northwest toward the staff, rather than upward as Moultrie’s had. Salley also “fluffed up” the palmetto tree's appearance.

In 1939, South Carolina adopted the palmetto as the state tree. The following year, the General Assembly adopted a version of the flag similar to the one we recognize today, though it lacked specific details such as the size of the trunk or the shape of the fronds. Still, this flag is recognizable as the one we know today. The position, placement, size, and color of the symbols may vary depending on the flag's manufacturer.

However, a political consultant brought the lack of standardization to the General Assembly's attention in 2018. An “official” design was submitted to the legislature in 2020 but was quickly criticized by the public as the least favorable choice among the options. Two subsequent designs have been proposed to the Assembly, but as of the close of the 2023/24 legislative session, no decision had been reached.

Despite minor variations in its design details, the South Carolina state flag remains a proud symbol of the resilience and strength of Moultrie’s troops at Fort Sullivan, as well as a testament to the spirit of South Carolina itself.