- #13 in a series of posts about our family's Revolutionary War soldiers -
250 Years; 1776 - 2026
Our Family was there, from the Beginning
William Hollis
16 Feb 1748 Fairfax, VA – c 1836 Alabama;
Son of Moses Hollis & Rosannah Berry Hagan
My 6x great uncle
Private, South Carolina Militia
William Hollis volunteered for service May 1776 and went to Sullivan’s Island. Both William[i] and his brother, John Hollis, participated in the Battle of Sullivan’s Island on 28 June 1776.
The Battle of Sullivan's Island or the Battle of Fort Sullivan was fought on June 28, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. It took place near Charleston, South Carolina, during the first British attempt to capture the city from American forces. … The land assault was frustrated when the channel between the two islands was found to be too deep to wade, and the American defenses prevented an amphibious landing. The naval bombardment had little effect due to the sandy soil and the spongy nature of the fort's palmetto log construction. Careful fire by the defenders wrought extensive damage on the British fleet, which withdrew after an entire day's bombardment; the British withdrew their expedition force to New York, and would not return to South Carolina until 1780.[ii]
Both brothers, William and John Hollis, were also at the Battle at King’s Mountain on 7 October 1780.[iii] The battle took place 9 miles south of the present-day town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. British Major Patrick Ferguson, after receiving intelligence of an oncoming attack, decided to retreat to the safety of Lord Cornwallis's army. However, the Patriots caught up with the Loyalists at Kings Mountain near the border with South Carolina.
Achieving a complete surprise, the Patriot militiamen attacked and surrounded the Loyalists, inflicting severe casualties. After an hour of battle, Ferguson was fatally shot off his horse while trying to break the Patriot line, after which his men surrendered. Some Patriots gave no quarter until their officers re-established control over their men; they were said to be seeking revenge for alleged killings by Banastre Tarleton's militiamen at the Battle of Waxhaws, under the slogan "Remember Tarleton's Quarter". Although victorious, the Patriots had to retreat quickly from the area for fear of Cornwallis' advance. Later they executed nine Loyalist prisoners after a short trial. The battle was a pivotal event in the southern campaign. The surprising victory of the American Patriot militia over the Loyalists came after a string of Patriot defeats at the hands of Cornwallis, and greatly raised the Patriots' morale.[iv]
The Battle at Cowpens was on 17 January 1781 when the British had 800 troops killed, wounded or captured and the patriots had less than 100 casualties. The victory was a boost to the morale of the patriots. William was a part of that encounter with the British.[v]
An American army of 2,000 regulars and militia under Brigadier general Daniel Morgan defeated a force of 1,000 British and Loyalist troops commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Banastre Tarleton. It was the worst defeat suffered by the British in North America during the conflict following the 1777 Saratoga campaign. … Tactically, the battle demonstrated that militia, when deployed properly, could defeat experienced regulars, something which American military and political leaders had previously considered impossible. [vi]
Afterwards, he volunteered on many occasions. He was with Colonel Cleveland on the Broad River and General Marion on the Pee Dee River. General Francis Marion was the infamous “Swamp Fox” who outfoxed the British on many occasions. William was “under the command of General Marion [Francis Marion] on the Pedee [River] when they killed twenty-three Tories.”[vii]
William “was in many skirmishes during the Revolution against the British & Tories.” He was “wounded by the sword by Captain Isbel near Orangeburg.”[viii]
William stated “he continued in the Army until the end of the War. … he was stationed in Orangeburg at the end of the War. …And he further states that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of his memory he cannot swear positively to the precise length of his service buy according to the best of his recollection he served not less than five years.”[ix]
#2 Captain John Kennington, Camden District Regiment, South Carolina Militia
#3 Sergeant John Brumfield, Patriot & Spy South Carolina Militia
#4 Charles Brumfield, Gave Patriotic Service
#5 Captain Johannes Ritter, Sr., Northampton Co., PA Militia
#6 Sgt. David Faulkenberruy, SC Militia
#7 Lt. Moses Hollis, Lieutenant in the South Carolina Militia
#10 Captain Jacob Ott II, SC Militia
#11 Lt. Johann Jonas Wolf, York Co. Militia, PA
#12 Captain John Hollis, SC Militia
Read more about our family's pioneers & patriots.
[i] Graves, Will. Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Roster; (revwarapps.org); accessed March 2026; William Hollis.
[ii] “Battle of Sullivan’s Island”, Wikipedia (accessed March 2026).
[iii] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) William Hollis.
[iv] “Battle of Kings Mountain”, Wikipedia (accessed March 2026).
[v] Graves, Will. Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Roster; (revwarapps.org); accessed March 2026; William Hollis.
[vi] “Battle of Cowpens”, Wikipedia (accessed March 2026).
[vii] Graves, Will. Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Roster; (revwarapps.org); accessed March 2026; William Hollis.
[viii] Graves, Will. Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Roster; (revwarapps.org); accessed March 2026; William Hollis.
[ix] Graves, Will. Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Roster; (revwarapps.org); accessed March 2026; William Hollis.
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