South Carolina

[Rodenka]

Republic of South Carolina

Political Organization
Government: Oligarchic Republic
Head of Government: President Benjamin Guerard
Head of State: President Benjamin Guerard
Legislature: South Carolina General Assembly; bicameral, split between the House of Representatives and the Senate. Assembly is elected by the voting populace, and the legislature then selects the president.
Capital: Charleston

Economy
Income: 2
Ports: Charleston
Population: 235,000 (56% free white, 1% free colored, 43% slave)
Frontier and Claimed Territories: Northern Georgia, Northern Alabama, Northern Mississippi
Frontier Population: 1,000 (90% free white, 1% free colored, 9% slave)

[Rodenka]

Military
Regular Force limit (Combined): 4,500
-Free population regulars: 4,000
-Slave population Regulars 500

Free militia limit: 8,000
Slave militia limit: 2,000

South Carolina Regulars
1st South Carolina State Infantry Regiment - Charleston
-1 infantry regiment

2nd South Carolina State Infantry Regiment - Camden
-1 infantry regiment

South Carolina Light Horse - Orangeburg
-2 Cavalry companies, 400 men

South Carolina State Artillery - Charleston
1 artillery company, 200 men

Fort Moultrie - Charleston
-1 Fort, 200 men

South Carolina Revenue Cutter Service
-1 PatRon, 500 men - Charleston
-1 FF1, South Carolina. 500 men - Charleston

South Carolina Militia
8,000 men
-6 militia infantry regiments
-2 militia cavalry regiments

South Carolina Slave Patrol
Focused mainly in the Lowcountry, where the vast majority of the state's enslaved population is, these represent the slave patrols and other organized/semi-organized efforts to contain any attempt at insurrection or escape by the enslaved population.
-5 Militia infantry companies
-5 Militia cavalry companies

[Rodenka]

Economy
Income: 2
Port: Charleston (1)
Taxes: .25
Yearly income: 3.25

Pre-Game build
Total: 9.75
Spending:
-1 PatRon - .5 points - 500 men
-1 FF1 - 1.5 points - 500 men
-2 infantry regiments - 2 points - 2000 men
-3 cavalry companies - 1.5 point - 600 men
-1 artillery company - 3 points - 200 men
-1 free fort - 0 points - 200 men
-Recurring maintenance cost: 2.3

Total spent: 8.5 points

1784 Build
Income: 2
Port: Charleston (1)
Taxes: .25
Yearly income: 3.25
-Maintenance:  -2.5
-Remaining Budget: .75
-Expenditure: .75 for maintaining slave patrols and fighting maroons/Gullah bandits.

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1785 Build
Income: 2
Port: Charleston (1)
Taxes: .25
Yearly income: 3.25
-Maintenance:  -2.5
-Remaining Budget: .75
-Expenditure: .75 for maintaining slave patrols and fighting maroons/Gullah bandits.

[Rodenka]

The collapse of the Articles of Confederation come as something of a shock to the elite classes of South Carolina society. While South Carolina had a high proportion of loyalists during the late unpleasantness, there has been enthusiasm for the new experiment. Now that South Carolina is adrift, the legislature moves quickly to establish more 'national' state government.

At the same time, the Lowcountry is dealing with remnants of the war. Motley groups of escaped slaves, freed slaves who fought for the British for the promise of freedom, along with other various malcontents are still hiding out on the Sea Islands and in the marshy, swampy lowlands of the South Carolina coast. The largest of these groups occupies several islands in and around the coast and is led by a man named Charles Charity. Their ranks grow at a steady trickle as escaped slaves flee into the hard-to-reach marshlands in order to avoid the Slave Patrols.

A low-intensity conflict continues. There is mild banditry and there is increased paranoia from some slaveholders about being murdered in their beds, but for now the trade in indigo and rice continues without issue. There is some pressure on the president to do something about the troubles, but the states of South Carolina's finances make assembling the required force to storm the islands a tricky proposition. And no one wants to head into the swamps to die of malaria when there are more worthwhile things to do.

[Rodenka]

Word of ongoing negotiations in the north, especially between Massachusetts and New York, reach the ears of South Carolina's prominent citizens. There is much skepticism regarding the continued usefulness of such confederations and alignments, considering the dismal failure of the previous American experiment in unity.

As the year goes on, the state government finds itself forced to pay out more money in order to continue the active use of militia forces in an attempt to control the Gullah and other escaped slave populations in the marshy lowlands. Casualties on both sides of the conflict are so far small, with one or two white militiamen being killed and a dozen or so black "insurrectionists" as they are titled by sensationalist newspapers having been killed, captured and executed, or returned to slavery on the Lowland indigo and rice plantations.

[Rodenka]

January - March, 1785

As the New Year begins, the low-intensity struggled between sea island and marshland escaped and free slaves and the slave patrols is ratcheted up a notch. Armed with old British muskets and farming implements, a band of the maroons hiding in the Hellhole Swamp (also called Hellhole Bay) ambush and wipe out a band of slave catchers. The incident, called the Echaw Creek Massacre in the South Carolinian press, ignites fears across the lowland areas of the state that a slave uprising is in the offing and demands are made to the government to do something to protect the citizens of the state.

In the upland areas of the state, there is some concern but the level on consternation is not as great, as there are much fewer slaves and slaveowners among the upstate population, who are generally small farmers and traders.

By March, the legislature has met and is discussing passing legislation aimed at making it harder for slaves to organize, but so far put much of the blame for the current situation on the British, who no doubt left arms for their slave-soldiers when they abandoned the state. Another popular conspiracy theory posits that this is the work of abolitionist Yankees from New England, though there is scant evidence of such plotting.

[Lefty]

Stevens Thomson Mason, Resident Delegate in Raleigh, North Carolina sends his regards to the Government of South Carolina. He further requests an audience to discuss matters of trade and mutual beneficial relations between Virginia and South Carolina. Additionally, he notes some concern among the landowners of Virginia about the unrest among the enslaved population. Should South Carolina desire, Virginia could likely offer some assistance in ending the unrest.

[Rodenka]

The Virginians are thanked for their concern, but the SOuth Carolinians believe they have the situation well enough in hand to not have to worry overly much about a bunch of uppity slaves.

The matters of trade are of more interest and they begin discussing the possibility of reducing tariffs on South Carolinian cash crops, particularly rice, for import into Virginia.

[Lefty]

Mr. Mason wishes the South Carolinians good luck on their endeavor, and notes that they can count on Virginian support should they need it.

He notes that a trade agreement would be of prime interest to Virginia, as well as an exchange of diplomatic missions.

Lastly, he recounts to the South Carolinian governor the experience of Thomas Jefferson with the Spanish. Free trade in New Orleans is an issue of which all in the South should support, and he extends an invitation to South Carolina to send a representative to Richmond to discuss the matter. Discreetly.

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