Ordinary man, extraordinary hero: the story of Sergeant William Jasper is a reminder that ordinary men of extraordinary courage can shape history and inspire generations.

The struggle for nationhood and political liberty often produces heroes of legendary status. History records the deeds of major political and military leaders, forever linking a nation's identity with grand figures and personalities. Successive generations reflect upon the larger-than-life contributions of great leaders, but as significant as their contributions may be, it is not their work alone that makes freedom possible.

At the heart of every struggle remains the essential truth that so-called ordinary men, possessing extraordinary conviction and courage, add their own indispensable contributions to the freedom fight. These guarantors of individual freedom are not men of great political or social status, but rising from the bedrock of society, they still accomplish great things. Unlike the generals and presidents, they are also largely unknown to history. Among their number is Revolutionary War hero William Jasper, a common man who never held a rank above sergeant, but who, facing death as a matter of course and eventually dying on the battlefield, achieved legendary status in his own day. Yet, even though he has almost sunk into historical oblivion, annual celebrations still commemorate him in Savannah, Georgia, where a statue has been erected in his honor.

Ignoble Start

Little is known about William Jasper's early years. His birth date is said to be around 1750, and his familial origins are murky at best. He grew up in the swampy low country area of Georgia and South Carolina and is presumed to be of Irish descent. His early life is undocumented, and it is likely that Jasper would be completely unknown today had it not been for our nation's struggle for independence. Jasper may have come from humble beginnings, but his wartime exploits elevated him to legendary status.

On July 7, 1775, Jasper was recruited by Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion and William Moultrie into the 2nd South Carolina Continental Regiment out of Georgia's Halifax district, an area of strong opposition to England. Jasper possessed extraordinary leadership qualities, and by October he was promoted to sergeant.

At the time of Jasper's enlistment, Charleston was still occupied by Royal Governor Lord William Campbell. But strong rebel sympathy among the populace convinced Campbell to leave office and take refuge on a British sloop of war. Continental forces under Major General Charles Lee subsequently occupied and strengthened the city's fortifications. By June of 1776, approximately 6,500 provincials, including Jasper's unit, manned a series of forts ready to defend the port city. British Major General Henry Clinton offered a pardon to induce a change of heart among the Americans, but it failed. An assault on the city from the sea became inevitable.

It was at the defense of Charleston that Jasper first displayed the qualities that separate ordinary men from heroes. William Moultrie's 2nd South Carolina found themselves assigned to the construction and defense of Fort Sullivan. With no stone available, Moultrie's engineers and men were forced to construct the fort's walls with palmetto logs placed 16 feet apart and filled in the middle with sand. A 10-foot-high narrow platform ringed the fort's interior; 31 guns, 9 and 12 pounders, bristled from its embrasures. But it was far from perfect. General Lee thought the design deficient and recommended that the fort be abandoned. Moultrie, however, was confident that the fort could be defended, and after an endorsement from Governor John Rutledge he received permission to maintain the site.

At approximately 11:00 a.m. on June 28, 1776, a British naval force under the command of Sir Peter Parker began their bombardment, with eight ships combined pouring deadly shot into the palmetto log fort. Almost immediately, however, things began to go wrong for the British. Three ships attempting to move into range from the west to attack the lightly constructed sides of the fort became stuck in the shallow shoals. Unable to bring the full force of their gunnery to bear, they became sitting ducks for Moultrie's cannons. Moultrie's inexperienced infantry troops handled their cannons like seasoned artillery veterans, and their fire devastated the attacking squadron. The log fort, a source of concern for Gen. Lee, survived the bombardment remarkably well, its spongy palmetto walls absorbing direct hits from the British naval vessels.

Gaining a Reputation

During the course of the battle, a flag of the 2nd South Carolina was shot from its staff, falling outside the walls of the fort. At that moment William Jasper, braving British shot and shell, leapt across the walls to retrieve the banner. Amid the din of battle he calmly removed the flag from its shattered staff and called to Captain Peter Horry for a cannon sponge staff. After lashing the fallen flag to the staff he planted it on the summit of the fort shouting, "God Save Liberty and my Country forever!" Jasper then returned to his gun and continued the fight until the fighting slacked at sunset as the wounded British fleet slipped away during the night.

Moultrie's men had successfully defended the fort and at little cost. Losses for His Majesty's Navy, however, tallied 64 dead and over 100 wounded. Among the wounded were Sir Peter Parker himself, who suffered minor wounds from splintered wood. More importantly, the Actaeon, one of the three ships that had run aground, was still mired in the silt. Her captain was forced to scuttle her as the British naval armada quit the scene in defeat.

On June 30 Major General Charles Lee reviewed the victorious defenders of Fort Sullivan, praising them for their efforts in defeating elements of the world's greatest navy. That day the regiment received a new set of colors from Major Barnard Elliot's wife. According to legend, this new set of colors was presented by Moultrie to Jasper, who promptly declared that he would "never give it up but with his life." Jasper is also said to have been offered a commission on July 4 but to have declined it since he could neither read nor write. Fort Sullivan was subsequently renamed Moultrie in honor of its commander and the brave men of the 2nd South Carolina.

Jasper's actions at Fort Moultrie earned him the confidence of his commander. With Moultrie's blessing, Jasper led a series of daring, small guerrilla raids on British forces in coastal Georgia during the period between 1776 and 1779. As Moultrie later recalled in his Memoirs of the American Revolution, "I had such confidence in [Jasper] that when I was in the field I gave him a roving commission and liberty to pick out his men from my brigade. He seldom would take more than six; he went out often and would return with prisoners before I knew he was gone."

Using stealth and deception, Jasper and his small detachments of hand-picked men captured numerous enemy patrols and pickets at great personal risk. A strategy used by Jasper was to infiltrate enemy lines disguised as a civilian, then gather information on troop strength and placement and take prisoners when possible. In one incident recorded in the April 21, 1779 South Carolina Gazette, the "brave" Sergeant Jasper, "giving new proof of his courage," crossed the Savannah River with another soldier, perhaps Sgt. John Newton, and captured two British officers, Captains Scott and Young.

Legendary Status

Jasper's raids into enemy territory gave rise to near-legendary tales that included more than a little embellishment. Mason L. Weems, in particular, concocted stories and exaggerated Jasper's exploits beyond recognition in order to meet his concept of patriotism. Alexander Garden, an aide-decamp to Major General Nathanael Greene, wrote in his Anecdotes of the American Revolutionary War that Jasper was "a perfect Proteus in his ability to alter his appearance, perpetually entering the camp of the enemy without detection, and invariably returning to his own with soldiers he had seduced or prisoners he had captured." Whether Jasper "perpetually" entered the enemy camp without detection is debatable. In Moultrie's estimation, it was a dangerous game that could not be played very often. Despite such literary exaggerations, there is no doubt that Jasper was a bold and successful scout.

Jasper's most legendary raid occurred in the summer of 1779 during a foray into British lines to visit his brother, allegedly a sergeant in the Tory ranks. Jasper had successfully visited his brother alone on an earlier occasion, but this time he had returned with Sergeant John Newton. While in camp posing as Loyalists, Jasper and Newton noticed a party of American prisoners on their way to Savannah for trial. Each prisoner faced death by hanging for the crime of desertion from British ranks. One prisoner was accompanied by his distraught wife and baby child. The pitiful scene moved Jasper and Newton to take action. Together they followed the party as it left the town of Ebenezer, taking care to remain undetected. Jasper guessed correctly that the party would take refreshment at the spring near Augusta Road. It was here that he and Newton decided to take action. Four British guards conducted the party to the spring while six others brought up the rear some distance behind. Upon arrival at the spring, only two guards watched the prisoners while their comrades laid their muskets down in order to fill canteens. Jasper and Newton used the moment to act. They quickly seized the unattended guns and killed the two armed guards. Using the muskets as clubs, they then dispatched the other two before the arrival of the rear guard. Faced with an unknown foe and an uncertain outcome, the rear guard surrendered to Jasper and Newton. Whether the daring rescue actually unfolded as written by Parson Weems, or was simply another example of his fertile imagination, we may never know.

By 1778, British military authorities began a concerted campaign to gain control of the South. French entry into the war and the belief that there were strong British sympathies in the South convinced England that the Southern theater represented their best chance for success. Warships and troop transports made way from New York to Georgia's Tybee Island for the inevitable assault on Savannah. British and foreign units under the command of Colonel Archibald Campbell landed at the mouth of the Savannah River, a mere 15 miles west of the capital city, and waited for General Augustine Prevost to arrive with additional troops from St. Augustine, Florida. Reinforced, the British soundly defeated American forces numbering less than 1,000 under the command of General Robert Howe. By December 29, 1778, Savannah was under British control. Prevost wasted no time in strengthening his position in Georgia, repairing the fortifications at Savannah, and attempting to win the allegiance of the local population.

The loss of Savannah was a devastating blow to the American cause. Savannah was the center of commerce in Georgia and the key to controlling coastal Georgia. Newly appointed Southern commander Major General Benjamin Lincoln knew that he had to retake the city at any cost. To assist in that effort, Washington dispatched General Casimir Pulaski and his famed "Pulaski Legion" to Lincoln's command. On September l, 1779, Lincoln received additional assistance, when French Admiral Valerie D'Estaing arrived in waters off Savannah. D'Estaing, with a complement of 3,900 troops, could have easily moved to take Savannah. Instead, he put his forces ashore at Beaulieu plantation south of Savannah, where his troops unfortunately looted and pillaged, earning the enmity of the local population.

Instead of moving to take the city, D'Estaing demanded the surrender of the outnumbered British troops. The bluffing British commander Prevost asked for some time to consider the terms, using the opportunity to obtain 800 reinforcements from Lieutenant Colonel John Maitland's regulars. Prevost declined to surrender, and with an opportunity missed, D'Estaing could only wait for more troops.

By September 23, 1779, the city was fully surrounded by Lincoln and D'Estaing. Meanwhile, Prevost's British troops, black slaves, and Loyalists worked feverishly to strengthen the defenses. On October 4, D'Estaing's ships began a naval bombardment of the city, but the cannonade had little effect on the British. Impatient, D'Estaing pressed Lincoln for an assault on the city. Lincoln stalled but finally agreed on a plan calling for a broad frontal attack over rolling hills west of the city. The objective was a redoubt in the British line at Spring Hill near present-day Liberty Street.

On the cool morning of October 9, 1779, 3,500 French and approximately 1,000 Americans prepared to launch a frontal assault against British positions. Pulaski and Colonel Francis Marion had raised objections to D'Estaing's plan, but in the end obeyed their orders. Five units under D'Estaing, Marion, Pulaski, Lincoln, and McIntosh moved against the stout British defenses.

From the outset the assault encountered trouble. McIntosh's unit became entangled in the marsh and entered the battle late. Attacking troops were slowed by underbrush and by logs placed to impede progress. William Jasper's 2nd South Carolina concentrated on Spring Hill and enjoyed some initial success, but could not sustain the assault. British Regulars under John Maitland rushed to fill the gap and drive back the Continentals and their French allies. Brutal close combat fighting ensued, and the Allied forces began to lose control of the field.

A lieutenant named Bush carried one of the regimental flags of the 2nd South Carolina into battle that day, supported by Sergeant Jasper. At the height of the action, Lt. Bush took a wound and transferred his flag to Jasper. The gallant sergeant rushed forward to plant the flag high on the enemy's works, but was mortally wounded as he neared the top. Lt. Bush recovered the flag almost immediately and made another effort to rally the faltering troops into the redoubt, only to fall mortally wounded with the blood-soaked flag beneath him.

Epitaph 

Jasper's body was recovered from the battlefield by members of the 2nd South Carolina. He lingered for a few agonizing hours before succumbing to his wounds. After the battle, Colonel Isaac Hayne recorded the names of those who had died during the assault. Among the names listed was "The Brave Sergt. Jasper." That extraordinary display of honor bestowed by Colonel Hayne illustrated the high level of regard Jasper enjoyed among his contemporaries.

On the Allied side the fierce fighting claimed the lives of 200 Americans and 600 French and foreign troops. Among the dead was Count Casimir Pulaski, shot while trying to rally the men. D'Estaing himself was wounded twice in three successive attacks. The flag that Jasper tried valiantly to save remained in British hands--a prize of the battle.

Today Jasper's remains are thought to lie in an unmarked grave somewhere near the field of battle. But the exploits of the soldier who possessed a patriot's heart and a love of liberty are not forgotten. Every year the Savannah's St. Patrick's Day Committee celebrates his courage and sacrifice with a ceremony at the Jasper monument on Madison Square, reminding all in attendance that the efforts of common men shape our history.