Powder Magazine Explodes

On May 15th, 1780, The British seized all Patriot weapons from Charles Town and Mt. Pleasant. The weapons were intended to be stored in a powder magazine located in the western extremity of Charles Town. Despite warnings that some of the weapons were loaded, it is believed that due to carelessness in their storage, one discharged, causing the magazine to explode. The explosion killed soldiers and civilians, leaving burned bodies and body parts—both dead and alive—scattered over a quarter-mile.