State flag is very old, but arguments about its design continue

[csaanv]

Interesting article on the history of SC flag:

State flag is very old, but arguments about its design continue

SC flag.jpg

[Peter Ansoff]

As far as I know, there is no actual evidence that the SC crescent representes a gorget -- this seems to be one of those legends, and it really doesn't make too much sense. A more reasonable explanation is that it came from the coat-of-arms of one of the colonial governors, although that is also far from certain.

As I understand it, the word "crescent" was originally an adjective that meant "growing." In Antony and Cleopatra, Pompey says "My powers are crescent", meaning that he is getting stronger. Words like "crest", "crescendo" and "increase" are related to this idea. In heraldry, a crescent is "increscent" when the horns face the dexter side of the shield, and "decrescent" when they face the sinister side. This is obviously related to the idea of the waxing and waning of the moon.

The earliest ancestor of the SC flag was described by Col. William Moultrie in his memoir: "I had a large blue flag made with a cresent [sic] in the dexter corner." In John Drayton's memoir of his father, William Drayton, he states that the flag flown on Fort Sullivan was "a blue flag with a white crescent; on which was emblazoned the word Liberty." Drayton's description is unclear: was "Liberty" on the crescent or the field of the flag? Personally I favor the former, because the cap badge of the 2nd SC Regiment (which manned the fort during the battle) was a crescent with "Liberty" on it.

Technically, a heraldic crescent has the points facing up (unless it's specified to be increscent or decrescent). However, we'll probably never know whether Moultrie and/or Drayton meant to be that specific.

Peter Ansoff