Thomas Sumter "Carolina Gamecock" gravesite

Thomas Sumter (8/14/1734 - 6/1/1832) was a general in the Revolutionary War who gained notoriety for his leadership and fierce fighting in South Carolina. Sumter acquired the name "Carolina Gamecock" for his fighting tactics from the British General Banastre Tarleton, himself a fierce fighter. General Cornwallis described Sumter as his greatest plague as he left the Carolinas to return to Virginia.

After the war Sumter entered politics, becoming a U.S. Representative and later replacing Charles Pinckney in the Senate. Sumter passed away at the age of 97 at his plantation near Stateburg. The site is now named Gen. Thomas Sumter Memorial Park. There is a brick chapel not far from the grave in the picture.

The town of Sumter is named after the general as well as Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor. The University of South Carolina are known as the Gamecocks, a reference to Sumter.