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{{Short description|American soldier in the Revolutionary War}}
[[Image:Battle of Sullivans Island.jpg|thumb|right|William Jasper raises the Moultrie Flag on a sponge staff during the Battle of Sullivan's Island, rallying the troops to win the fight]]
{{about||the American journalist and author|William F. Jasper}}
'''William Jasper''' (c. 1750 – October 9, 1779) was a noted American soldier in the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. He was a sergeant in the [[2nd South Carolina Regiment]].▼
{{Use American English|date = December 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = December 2019}}
{{Infobox military person
| NAMEname = =William Jasper, William▼
| birth_date = {{circa|1750}}
| death_date = October 9, 1779 (aged 29)
| image = Battle of Sullivans Island.jpg
| caption = Jasper raises the [[Moultrie Flag]] during the [[Battle of Sullivan's Island]]
| birth_place =
| PLACE OF DEATH death_place = [[Savannah, Georgia]], U.S.▼
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial_label = Place of burial
| nickname =
| occupation =
| allegiance = {{flagdeco|United States|1777}} [[United States]]
| branch = {{flagicon image|Gadsden flag.svg}} [[Continental Army]]
| serviceyears = 1775–1779
| rank = [[Sergeant]]
| unit = [[2nd South Carolina Regiment]]
| commands =
| battles = {{tree list}}
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = *[[American Revolutionary War soldier]]▼
**[[Battle of Sullivan's Island]]
**[[Siege of Savannah]]{{KIA}}
{{tree list/end}}
| awards =
| spouse =
| relations =
| laterwork =
| signature =
}}▼
▲'''William Jasper''' (c. {{circa|1750}} – October 9, 1779) was a notedan American soldier in the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. He was a sergeant in the [[2nd South Carolina Regiment]].
 
Jasper distinguished himself in the defense of [[Fort Moultrie]] (then called Fort Sullivan) on June 28, 1776. When a shell from a British warship shot away the flagstaff, he recovered the South Carolina flag in the [[Battle of Sullivan's Island]], raised it on a temporary staff, and held it under fire until a new staff was installed . Governor [[John Rutledge]] gave his sword to Jasper in recognition of his bravery.
 
In 1779, Sergeant Jasper participated in the [[Siege of Savannah]], led by [[Benjamin Lincoln|General Lincoln]], which failed to recapture [[Savannah, Georgia]], from the British. He was mortally wounded during an assault on the British forces there.
 
Sgt. Jasper's story is similar to that of Sgt. [[John Newton (soldier)|John Newton]]. SeveralFive states (Indiana, Missouri, Texas, Mississippi, and Georgia) have adjacent counties named Jasper and Newton, as these were remembered as a pair, due to the popularity of [[Parson Weems]]' fictionalizingmemorializing early American history.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Lou Ann Everett|date=December 1958|title=Myth on the Map|journal=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]]|volume=10|issue=1|pages=62–64|url=http://IanHistor.tripod.com/rm.html}}</ref> Several other states have a Jasper County with a county seat of Newton, or vice versa.
 
==ComingEarly to Americalife==
The ancestry of William Jasper is disputed. Traditionally, Jasper has been identified of being of Irish descent born in the colonies.<ref>{{cite web |title=William Jasper |url=https://www.nps.gov/people/william-jasper.htm |website=National Park Service |access-date=March 21, 2024}}
Sergeant William Jasper was NOT the German immigrant named Johann Wilhelm Gasper, whose fairytale is concocted below. Sergeant William Jasper was born in Union County, in northwest South Carolina. In addition to several older sisters, William Jasper's older brothers were Nicholas, Abraham, and John. When William was around 18 years-old, William Jasper relocated to eastern Georgia along with his new wife and her family. It is that separation from his Union County family that has led to several inaccurate versions of William Jasper's origin and early life.
</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=101 People and Places That Shaped the American Revolution in South Carolina |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |date=October 4, 2021 |page=70 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJBMAAAAMAAJ&q=Selected+Readings+in+American+Military+History |access-date=2022-10-04 |via=Google Books}}</ref> There is also another account which says he was a son of a Welsh immigrant.<ref>{{cite book | last = Young | first = Bennett Henderson | title = A History of Jessamine County, Kentucky | publisher = Courier-journal job printing Company| date = 1898 | location = | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=QdMpAAAAYAAJ&dq=william+jasper+revolutionary+war+welsh&pg=PA240 | isbn = 978-0-598-98878-2| author-link = }}
</ref> However, according to one account, William Jasper (named Johann Wilhelm Gasper at the time) came to America in 1767 on the ship ''Minerva''. He and other immigrants hailed from [[Germany]] and landed in [[Philadelphia]]. He was sixteen16 at the time, but he had decided that whatever the new land held, that he would accept it with open arms.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Idella Bodie|title=The Man Who Loved the Flag|series=Heroes and Heroines of the American Revolution|edition=5th|year=2008|pages=1–2}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2024}}▼
 
He arrived in Philadelphia in the fall and was fed some warm soup and then put in a line to take an oath of allegiance and sign his name. When it was his turn, though, Jasper didn'tdid not know how to read or write, so he couldn'tcould not even write his name on the list. He had to just put an X down where he should have put his name and next to it the colonist who had signed him in wrote John William Jasper. He then completed a few years of indentured serviceservitude and moved Southsouth to find some land of his own.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Idella Bodie|title=The Man Who Loved the Flag|series=Heroes and Heroines of the American Revolution|edition=5th|year=2008|pages=3–5}}</ref>▼
Nicholas Jasper, the oldest brother, was a Lieutenant in the Continental Army for several enlistments in a regiment enrolled from Union County. It is believed that that regiment fought mainly in North Carolina. Nicholas Jasper received a land grant in Pulaski County, Kentucky, and relocated his family there in the 1790s.
 
William Jasper gotwas motivated when he settled down in the South,; he had left his girlfriend in Pennsylvania. In order toTo pay for her journey to come live with him, he joined the military; by this time, the colonists had already rebelled. Although the pay was not great, he soon became a sergeant, earning enough for Elizabeth to join him in Georgia, where they were soon married.▼
William Jasper's other two brothers, John Jasper and Abraham Jasper, are the two brothers who are mentioned anonymously in Moultrie's report of William Jasper's exploits as a spy and scout under Moultrie's command. Both Abraham Jasper and John Jasper left Union County and enlisted with the British army. Abraham Jasper was a steadfast British supporter, whom little is known about after the War. John Jasper seems to have returned to Union County during the War with changed sympathy. John Jasper relocated to southern Indiana in the early 1800s.
 
According to other accounts, William Jasper was the son of John Jasper, a Virginia blacksmith who had migrated to [[Union County, South Carolina]] during the early 1770s.<ref>{{Cite book|editor=Mannie Lee Mabry|title=Union County Heritage|year=1981|page=156}}</ref>
The following inaccuate info should be ignored or deleted:
 
▲William Jasper(named Johann Wilhelm Gasper at the time) came to America in 1767 on the ship ''Minerva''. He and other immigrants hailed from [[Germany]] and landed in [[Philadelphia]]. He was sixteen at the time but he had decided that whatever the new land held, that he would accept it with open arms.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Idella Bodie|title=The Man Who Loved the Flag|series=Heroes and Heroines of the American Revolution|edition=5th|year=2008|pages=1–2}}</ref>
 
▲He arrived in Philadelphia in the fall and was fed some warm soup and then put in a line to take an oath of allegiance and sign his name. When it was his turn though, Jasper didn't know how to read or write so he couldn't even write his name on the list. He had to just put an X down where he should have put his name and next to it the colonist who had signed him in wrote John William Jasper. He then completed a few years of indentured service and moved South to find some land of his own.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Idella Bodie|title=The Man Who Loved the Flag|series=Heroes and Heroines of the American Revolution|edition=5th|year=2008|pages=3–5}}</ref>
 
▲William Jasper got motivated when he settled down in the South, he had left his girlfriend in Pennsylvania. In order to pay for her journey to come live with him, he joined the military; by this time the colonists had already rebelled. Although the pay was not great, he soon became a sergeant, earning enough for Elizabeth to join him in Georgia, where they were soon married.
 
==Fort Sullivan==
[[File:Battery-jasper-sullivans-sc1.jpg|thumb|255x255px|Battery Jasper on [[Sullivan's Island, South Carolina|Sullivan's Island]]]]
Jasper was soon called to Sullivan's Island to help protect [[Charleston Harbor|Charles Towne (Charleston) Harbor]]. There, he served under Colonel [[William Moultrie]], who was in charge of the defense of [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] against the British[[Royal Navy]]. A few days before the British were due to arrive, Colonel Moultrie decided to build a fort to protect the harbor. His officers were sent to local plantation owners,plantations to borrow their slaves to help with the creation of the fort. Soldiers, slaves, and volunteers banded together to chop down palmettos and use them in its construction.
 
Initially called Fort Sullivan, some time after the battle the fort was renamed to [[Fort Moultrie]].<ref name=dab>{{Cite DAB|title=Jasper, William|author=James W. Patton|year=1933}}</ref> The British arrived before the fort was finished, its whole back remaining incomplete. The [[Moultrie flag]] was raised over the structure, and a ten 10-hour siege began.
 
Low on ammunition, the [[2nd South Carolina Regiment]] only fired when ships closed in on the fort. The flag, designed by Moultrie himself at the behest of the Colonialcolonial government, was shot down, and fell to the bottom of the ditch on the outside of the fort. Leaping from an embrasure, Jasper recovered the flag, which he tied to a sponge staff (see the [[Cannon operation#Cannon instruments|Cannon instruments]] section of the [[Cannon operation]] article) and replaced on the parapet, where he supported it until a permanent flag staff had been procured and installed.<ref>{{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Jasper, William|year=1892}}</ref> With this rallying point, the Colonistscolonists held out until sunset, at which pointwhen the British fleet retreated. They did not succeed in taking Charleston until several years later.
 
Because of Jasper's heroism, Governor John Rutledge presented him with his personal sword, and offered him a lieutenant's commission.<ref name=ea>{{Americana|wstitle=Jasper, William|inline=1}}</ref> He didn'tdid not accept the offer to become an officer, saying that he would only be an embarrassment since he couldn'tcould neither read, nor write. He was also presented with two silk flags by Mrs. Susannah Elliott.
 
[[Battery Jasper]], an extension of Fort Moultrie, was built in 1897 and named in his honor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battery Jasper (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/places/battery-jasper.htm |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref>
CORRECTION: William Jasper was reared in a literate family. The original version of the the Battle of Fort Sullivan, written by Moultrie, does NOT say that William Jasper could not read and write at all. William Jasper simply did not want the responsibilities that went along with the rank of "Lieutenant", and Jasper likely gave as a quick reason for declining the promotion that his reading and writing skills were not up to par. Remember that William Jasper did not like being a "camp" soldier. Later in his service, William Jasper was always on the move as a scout and spy, who reportedly frequently went behind British lines and captured prisoners -- likely Tories. Moultrie's report indicates that the British apparently knew of William Jasper -- possibly not by name, but by exploits -- since Jasper is said to have even once captured a British detachment sent to capture him. Moultrie allowed William Jasper to come and go as Jasper liked, and even to use whatever resources he needed, including other soldiers. Moultrie stated that Jasper sometimes would return with prisoners before Moultrie even knew that Jasper had left camp.
 
==Roving commission==
[[File:Madison Square whole William Jasper statue Savannah GA.jpg|thumb|upright|[[William Jasper Monument]] at Madison Square in [[Savannah, Georgia]]]]
Colonel Moultrie gave him a roving commission to scour the country with a few men, gather information, and surprise and capture the enemy's outposts. This commission was later renewed by [[Francis Marion]] and [[Benjamin Lincoln]]. Prominent among his achievements was the rescue by himself and a single comrade of some American captives from a party of British soldiers, whom he overpowered and made prisoners.<ref name=dab/><ref name=ea/>▼
[[File:US-SC(1891) p785 CHARLESTON, JASPER MONUMENT.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[The Defenders of Fort Moultrie]]'' monument in [[Charleston, South Carolina]]]]
 
▲Colonel Moultrie gave him a roving commission to scour the country with a few men, gather information, and surpriseattack andBritish captureforces the enemy'sand outposts. This commission was later renewed by [[Francis Marion]] and [[Benjamin Lincoln]]. ProminentDuring amongthis hisperiod, achievementsJasper wasliberated thea rescuegroup byof himselfAmerican andprisoners aof singlewar comradeby ofoverpowering sometheir AmericanBritish captivesguards, froman aincident partywhich ofwas Britishsubsequently soldiers,exaggerated whomby hethe overpoweredstoryteller and[[Parson made prisonersWeems]].<ref name=dab/><ref name=ea/><ref>[http://www.americanheritage.com/index.php/content/myth-map 1958 ''American Heritage'' article "Myth on the Map"]</ref>
 
==Savannah==
At the [[Siege of Savannah]], he received his death wound while fastening to the parapet the standard which had been presented to his regiment. His hold, however, never relaxed, and he bore the colors to a place of safety before he died.<ref name=ea/> [[File:William Jasper memorial.JPG|thumb|Monument to Jasper at [[Savannah, Georgia]]]]
 
==Places named after Jasper==
*[[Jasper County, Georgia]]<ref>{{cite book | url=httphttps://booksarchive.google.comorg/books?id=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA168#v=onepage&q&f=falsedetails/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n167 168]}}</ref>
*[[Jasper County, Illinois]]
*[[Jasper County, Indiana]]
*[[Jasper County, Iowa]]<ref>{{cite book | url=httphttps://books.google.com/books?id=HnwUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA44#v=onepage&q&f=false | title=Past and Present of Jasper County, Iowa, Volume 1 | publisher=B.F. Bowen | author=Weaver, James Baird | year=1912 | pages=44}}</ref>
*[[Jasper County, Mississippi]]
*[[Jasper County, Missouri]], and its city of [[Jasper, Missouri]]
*[[Jasper County, South Carolina]]
*[[Jasper County, Texas]], and theits city of [[Jasper, Texas]]
*City of [[Jasper, Alabama]]
*City of [[Jasper, Arkansas]]
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*City of [[Jasper, Minnesota]]
*Town of [[Jasper, Tennessee]]
*Town of [[Jasper, IndianaNew York]]
*Town of Jasper, New York
 
==References==
{{reflistReflist}}
 
==External links==
* {{Cite book|url=httphttps://booksarchive.google.comorg/books?id=IEoOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA157details/historysouthcar02mccrgoog|title=The History of South Carolina in the Revolution, 1775-1780|page=[https://archive.org/details/historysouthcar02mccrgoog/page/n201 157]|author=Edward McCrady|year=1901|publisher=Macmillan}} Cited by 1920 ''Americana''.
* {{Cite book|url=httphttps://archive.org/stream/livesofdanielboo00peck#page/314/mode/2up|title=Lives of Daniel Boone and Benjamin Lincoln|author=James Mason Peck [Boone]; Francis Bowen [Lincoln]|year=1847|location=Boston|pages=315–316|publisher=C. C. Little and J. Brown}}
* {{Cite book|url=httphttps://booksarchive.google.comorg/books?id=WJ98ynQdetails/bub_gb_WJ98ynQ-W-AC&pg=PA90|pages=90–91[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_WJ98ynQ-W-AC/page/n107 90]–91|author=[[Alexander Garden]]|author-link=Alexander Garden|title=Anecdotes of the Revolutionary War in America|publisher=Published by the author.|chapter=Sergeant Jasper, 2d Regiment|year=1822}}
* [http://cdm.georgiaarchives.org:2011/cdm/singleitem/collection/postcard/id/895 DeSoto Hotel and Jasper Monument, Savannah, Ga. postcard] from the Historic Postcard Collection, RG 48-2-5, [[Georgia Archives]]
* [http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/chatham/general-casimir-pulaski-sergeant-william-jasper General Casimir Pulaski/Sergeant William Jasper] historical marker
* [http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/chatham/jasper-spring Jasper Spring] historical marker
 
{{Authority control|VIAF=75585476}}
 
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
▲| NAME = Jasper, William
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
▲| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American Revolutionary War soldier
| DATE OF BIRTH = c. 1750
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Germany]]
| DATE OF DEATH = 1779
▲| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Savannah, Georgia]]
▲}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jasper, William}}
[[Category:17501750s births]]
[[Category:1779 deaths]]
[[Category:American peoplePeople of GermanPennsylvania in the French and Indian descentWar]]
[[Category:Military personnel killed in the American Revolutionary War]]
[[Category:Continental Army soldiers]]
[[Category:People of South Carolina in the American Revolution]]
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