352 JASPER COUNTY. 



Name. — The county of Jasper received its name in honour 

 of Sergeant Jasper, whose gallant deeds in the war of the 

 Revolution claim the gratitude of every American. It is be- 

 lieved that he was an Irishman by birth, and that he emigrated 

 to America before the Revolution, and settled in one of the 

 middle districts of South Carolina. At the beginning of the 

 war he enlisted in the second South Carolina regiment of 

 infantry, under the command of the brave Col. Moultrie. 

 In the attack which was made upon Fort Moultrie, 28th of 

 June, 1776, Jasper was present, and gave the first proof of his 

 daring courage. In the beginning of the action the flag-staff 

 of the Americans was shot away. Jasper immediately took up 

 the flag and fastened it on a sponge staff'. Taking it into his 

 hand, amidst a galling fire from the ships of the enemy, he de- 

 liberately planted it. An action like this could not escape 

 attention. Gov. Rutledge presented him with a sword, and 

 offered him a commission ; but with a modesty characteristic 

 of him, he declined the latter. Such was the confidence 

 placed in his bravery and enterprise that he received permis- 

 sion from his commander to go and come whenever he thought 

 proper. On one occasion he entered the British lines in dis- 

 guise, and ascertaining their strength, returned to the Ameri- 

 can camp and communicated it to the commander. 



The recapture of certain prisoners by Jasper, with the aid 

 of his friend Newton, near Savannah, is peculiarly interesting. 

 Learning that a number of American prisoners were to be 

 brought from Ebenezer to Savannah for trial, he determined 

 to release them at all hazards. With Newton as his compan- 

 ion, at a spring two miles from Savannah, and about 30 yards 

 from the main road, he waited the arrival of the prisoners. 

 When the escort, consisting of a sergeant, corporal and eight 

 men, and the prisoners in irons, stopped to refresh themselves 

 at this spring, two of the guard only remained with the 

 captives. The others leaned their guns against the trees, 

 when Jasper and Newton sprung from their hiding place, and 

 seized the guns, and shot down the two sentinels. The re- 

 maining six soldiers were deterred from making any effort to 

 recover their guns, by threats of immediate death, and were 

 forced to surrender. The prisoners were released, and Jasper 



