Peter Harris

Peter Harris, a Catawba Native American, served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Harris endured a devastating smallpox epidemic at age three, which killed his parents and half of his tribe. He remained in the village for two years before being taken in by Thomas Spratt, a nearby farmer and close friend of the tribe. In June 1777, Harris enlisted in the Battalion of Georgia Minutemen, later joining Capt. Oliver Towels’ company of the Third South Carolina Regiment in February 1779. He was wounded at the Battle of Stono Ferry in 1779 but returned to serve under Gen. Thomas Sumter’s Militia Brigade in 1780, participating in battles including Rocky Mount, Hanging Rock and Blackstock’s Farm. Recognized for his service, Harris received a 200-acre land grant in 1794 and secured a $60 annual pension from South Carolina in December 1822. He died in 1823 and was buried in Fort Mill, South Carolina, with a tombstone honoring his Catawba heritage.