Staff reports | Daniel Island resident Kenneth Scarlett will lead a new task force to erect a Patriots Memorial Wall at Liberty Square in Charleston to honor the estimated 7,500 men and women in South Carolina who died during the Revolutionary War.
Scarlett, a member of the S.C. American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC250), said he wants the wall to be a national wall similar to the Vietnam Veterans Wall in Washington, D.C., and “serve as the glue of patriotism that unites us as Americans.” If all goes well, it will be unveiled July 4, 2026, when America observes its 250th anniversary.
The wall will list the names of men and women of all races, nationalities and colonies who supported the cause of American patriotism and died in South Carolina from 1775 to 1783. The wall will be inscribed: “Freedom is the light for which many have died in darkness so we may enjoy the fruits of liberty today. Remember and honor their sacrifice.”
The SC 250 Commission recently met in Spartanburg and agreed to spend $12,000 for a design and construction process for the wall that could cost $1 million in public and private contributions.
Scarlett told the commissioners the wall will stand on a significant site in South Carolina’s colonial history at Liberty Square, part of the former site of Gadsden’s Wharf where the last British troops occupied Charlestown before withdrawing on Dec. 14, 1782.
“We want to have full community participation,” Scarlett said. The task force, which will be made up of volunteers, will “take all the steps [toward] community involvement,” he added. “We want this to be a South Carolina project for everyone.”
– Herb Frazier
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