Feb 12

Feb 12 Miles Brewton Is Lost On The Way To Congress

Miles Brewton was one of the wealthiest men in South Carolina at the outset of the American Revolution.

Unfortunately, Brewton was lost at sea on his way to take a seat at the Second Continental Congress.

Miles Brewton

Miles Brewton grew up in one of the wealthiest families in South Carolina.

After traveling to London to receive his education, Brewton became a merchant who traded in food and slaves. He owned, in part, 8 ships.

After he married into the Izard Family, his fortune grew and was considered by many to be the richest man in the colony.

Denying the Governor

During the decade leading to the Revolutionary War, Brewton was a member of the Colonial Assembly.

Miles was asked by the Governor to sit on the Royal Council, but due to his Patriot sympathies he declined the position.

Despite this proof of dedication to the cause, he was still viewed with skepticism by many radicals due to his marital and business relations with the Governor.

Questioned Patriotism

When the Colonial Assembly chose Delegates to attend the First Continental Congress, Brewton stood for the position.

Because he was considered too conservative, Christopher Gadsden was chosen in his stead.

Still, Miles was selected the following year to sit as a member of the Committee of Safety.

Heading For Congress

In 1775, Brewton had proven himself to the degree that he was chosen as a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.

Unfortunately, during his trip to Philadelphia that August, his ship sank off the coast.

Miles and his immediate family were lost at sea, and a man who might well have become one of the leading Founders of South Carolina missed the bulk of the American Revolution.

Here are some other SOUTH CAROLINA FOUNDERS:

William Henry Drayton and the Annexation of Georgia

Rawlins Lowndes Overrules The Stamp Act

Aedanus Burke Denounces American Nobility

Miles Brewton is often overlooked because of his early death, despite his importance to South Carolina at the outset of the Revolutionary War.

He is mentioned in ‘Trade, Politics and Revolution’ which discusses the economy of that State leading up to Independence.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).