William Moultrie
1782
Here stands General William Moultrie, looking rather stern in his Continental Army uniform, complete with flashy gold epaulets indicating his high rank. Painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1782, this portrait captures the Neoclassical ideal of a heroic leader. See that palm tree in the background and the ships offshore? They reference the Battle of Sullivan's Island, where Moultrie's fort—built from spongy palmetto logs—famously absorbed British cannonballs like a sponge. That victory was so legendary that South Carolina put the palmetto tree on their state flag, and the fort was renamed Fort Moultrie in his honor. Peale, the artist who basically painted the entire American Revolution, ensured this hero got his moment in the spotlight.
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