The Fabric of Liberty: A History of the Society of the Cincinnati of the State of South Carolina

In 1783, soon after the end of the American War of Independence, a group of former Continental Line officers, men who had fought with General George Washington, established the Society of the Cincinnati, a fraternal association that would provide mutual support and keep strong the memories of their recent struggle. In addition to the General Society, constituent groups were formed in each of the original thirteen states and in France. The Fabric of Liberty recounts the distinctive history, covering more than 225 years, of the Society of the Cincinnati of the State of South Carolina. Especially remarkable is the organization's continuity--it is the only society in the American South to exist continuously from 1783--and its power to heal internal and external dissensions, great and small. Throughout South Carolina's history, the society has been a vehicle for reconciliation between warring political and economic factions: in the aftermath of the American Revolution and during the antebellum era, between Confederate South Carolina and the victorious Union in the Civil War, and in modern times between starkly competing visions of South Carolina's place in the nation and the world. The Fabric of Liberty is extensively illustrated with color and black-and-white depictions of South Carolina heroes and Cincinnati luminaries, including William Moultrie, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Thomas Pinckney, and the Marquis de Lafayette (who first reached America near Georgetown, South Carolina). Iconography, fine art, and depictions of historical and modern monuments provide visual context. Appendixes identify original members, national officers from South Carolina, and state presidents.