Women’s History Month: Rebecca Brewton Motte

Throughout history, the significant roles and contributions of women have often been overlooked compared to those of men. However, March serves as Women’s History Month, providing an opportunity to delve deeper into the vital contributions women have made to the founding of our nation. In Charleston, South Carolina, there are countless stories to explore, including that of Rebecca Brewton Motte—a remarkable woman who exemplified grace, character, and self-sacrifice in support of the American Revolution.

Early Life of Rebecca Brewton Motte

Rebecca Brewton Motte was born in 1737 at her parents' plantation along the Santee River. The youngest surviving daughter of Robert Brewton and Mary Loughton, her lineage included her grandfather, one of Charles Town’s earliest settlers who immigrated from Barbados in 1684. Her father was a prosperous goldsmith deeply involved in the colony’s banking and financial sectors.

Rebecca’s older brother, Miles Brewton, became a successful shipping merchant, marrying Mary Izard from a wealthy planter family to expand his real estate holdings. Through land grants and strategic purchases, Miles amassed one of the largest fortunes in the British colonies.

Rebecca’s sister, Frances, married Col. Charles Pinckney of Snee Farm Plantation. Among their descendants was Charles Pinckney, a founding father and a framer of the U.S. Constitution.

At 19, Rebecca married Jacob Motte Jr., the son of the colony’s treasurer and a politically active planter. Together, they had seven children, but only three daughters survived to adulthood. They also took in the daughter of a deceased friend, Susanna Smith Elliott, raising her as their own. The family split their time between their Church Street townhouse and Fairfield Plantation along the South Santee River.

Support for the American Revolution

As the colonies rebelled against British rule, the Mottes emerged as early supporters of the American cause. Although they had no sons to fight in the War for Independence, they contributed supplies like rice, beef, pork, and corn to the army from 1778 to 1783. Additionally, they provided labor to help build defenses in Charles Town, and their plantation, Mt. Joseph, served as a field hospital for troops.

Miles Brewton, a staunch Patriot, was elected to the Second Continental Congress in 1775. Tragically, while traveling to Philadelphia with his family, their ship was lost at sea. Rebecca and her sister Frances inherited Miles’ wealth, including his impressive townhouse on King Street and several plantations, including Mt. Joseph.

After British forces captured Charles Town in 1780, Brewton’s grand home was commandeered as headquarters for Sir Henry Clinton and Lords Rawdon and Cornwallis. The Mottes retreated to Mt. Joseph, but soon after, Jacob Motte fell ill and passed away, leaving Rebecca to inherit both Mt. Joseph and Fairfield Plantation, which included 244 enslaved individuals.

The Battle for Mt. Joseph

In 1781, British troops, commanded by Capt. McPherson, seized Mt. Joseph due to its strategic location along the British supply route. McPherson renamed the site Fort Motte in honor of Rebecca’s family. The Mottes relocated to the overseer’s house, while the British fortified the main house with a moat and wooden palisades, housing 165 soldiers.

The American forces, led by Gen. Francis Marion and Col. Henry Lee, attempted to take the fort but were unsuccessful. After several failed attempts, they decided to burn the house down to dislodge the British. When presented with this plan, Rebecca not only agreed to the strategy but offered her bow and arrows to ignite the first incendiary shot. As the house caught fire, the Patriots unleashed a barrage of artillery fire, leading to the British surrender. In a display of civility, both American and British officers worked together to extinguish the flames. During the subsequent dinner, Rebecca seized the moment to advocate for American rights.

Rebecca's Legacy

Thanks to inheritances from her brother and husband, Rebecca became one of the wealthiest women in South Carolina by the end of the war. Along with her son-in-law, Thomas Pinckney, who married two of her daughters—first Elizabeth and later Frances—Rebecca established a new rice plantation named Eldorado in the Santee Delta, close to the Mottes' Fairfield Plantation.

Rebecca spent her remaining years at Eldorado with Frances and Thomas. She passed away in 1815 and is interred in the St. Philip's churchyard in downtown Charleston.

By remembering the contributions of women like Rebecca Brewton Motte, we honor their legacies and recognize their pivotal roles in shaping our nation’s history.

The youngest surviving daughter of Robert Brewton and Mary Loughton, Rebecca was born in 1737 at her parents’ plantation along the banks of the Santee River. Her grandfather was among Charles Town’s first settlers, having immigrated from Barbados in 1684, and her father was a wealthy goldsmith, heavily involved in the colony’s banking and financial business.

Rebecca’s older brother, Miles, followed his father into the world of finance, becoming a very successful shipping merchant. He married Mary Izard from a prosperous planter family to expand his real estate holdings. With that as well as through land grants and purchases of his own, Miles Brewton amassed one of the largest fortunes in the British colonies.

Rebecca’s sister Frances married Col. Charles Pinckney of Snee Farm Plantation. Among their children was Charles Pinckney, a founding father and framer of the U.S. Constitution.

When she was 19, Rebecca married Jacob Motte Jr., son of the colony’s treasurer and a planter who was politically active. Though the couple had seven children, only three daughters survived to adulthood. Rebecca and Jacob also reared the daughter of a friend, Susanna Smith Elliott, after her parents’ death. The family split their time between their Church Street townhouse and Fairfield Plantation on the South Santee River.

As the colonies rebelled against British rule, the Mottes became early supporters of the American cause. Though they had no sons to fight in the War for Independence, they supported the army by providing supplies such as rice, beef, pork and corn from 1778 to 1783. They also supplied slave labor to help build Charles Town’s defenses, and for a time their plantation, Mt. Joseph, along the Congaree River in the Orangeburg District, was used as a field hospital.

Miles Brewton, also a staunch Patriot, was elected to the Second Continental Congress in 1775. Unfortunately, as he, his wife and children were on their way to attend the congress in Philadelphia, their ship was lost at sea. Rebecca and her sister Frances inherited their brother’s fortune, including his magnificent townhouse on King Street and several rice and indigo plantations, including Mt. Joseph.

When the city fell to the British in 1780, Brewton’s grand house was commandeered as headquarters for Sir Henry Clinton and Lords Rawdon and Cornwallis, along with their entourages. The Mottes withdrew to Mt. Joseph while their town house was occupied. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s husband, Jacob, had fallen very ill and died shortly thereafter, leaving Rebecca to inherit Mt. Joseph and Fairfield Plantation, the latter with 244 enslaved laborers.

In 1781, British troops under the command of Capt. McPherson seized Mt. Joseph’s because of its strategic location overlooking the British supply route where the Congaree and Wateree rivers met. McPherson renamed the site Fort Motte, for Rebecca’s family. Rebecca, her children, and servants moved out of the main house into the overseer’s house.

The British dug a moat around the main house with wooden palisades and a rampart that held 165 soldiers, which successfully prevented Patriot forces under Gen. Francis Marion and Col. Henry Lee from taking it. After several attempts, the Americans decided the only way to dislodge the British was to burn them out.

When the plan was presented to Rebecca, she not only agreed that the house should be burnt but even offered the use of her bow and arrows to fire the first incendiary shot. With the roof ablaze, the Patriots opened a barrage of artillery fire. The British surrendered, after which the Patriots – and by some accounts even the British – worked to put out the fire before the house was destroyed. Afterward, under Rebecca’s supervision, her staff prepared a meal for the officers on both sides to dine together. During their dinner conversation, Rebecca used the opportunity to advocate for the Americans rights.

Thanks to inheritances from her brother and husband, by the end of the war Rebecca had become one of the wealthiest women in the state. She and her son-in-law Thomas Pinckney (who married two of Rebecca’s daughters – Elizabeth first, and after her death, Frances), built a new rice plantation in the Santee Delta named Eldorado, not far from the Mottes’ Fairfield Plantation.

Rebecca spent the rest of her life at Eldorado with Frances and Thomas. She died of natural causes in 1815 and is buried in St. Philips’ churchyard in downtown Charleston.