Alexander Hewatt

Dr. Alexander Hewatt was South Carolina and Georgia's first historian, best remembered for his two-volume work "An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia". He stayed loyal to the King during the American Revolution, which resulted in the seizure of his property and his expulsion in 1777. Hewat(t) was a Presbyterian minister who served in Charleston, South Carolina from 1763 until 1777. Following the publication of his History in 1779, Edinburgh...See more

Dr. Alexander Hewatt was South Carolina and Georgia's first historian, best remembered for his two-volume work "An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia". He stayed loyal to the King during the American Revolution, which resulted in the seizure of his property and his expulsion in 1777. Hewat(t) was a Presbyterian minister who served in Charleston, South Carolina from 1763 until 1777. Following the publication of his History in 1779, Edinburgh University bestowed upon him an honorary DD doctoral degree. One of his sermons, as cited by Smollett, may provide insight into his nature. Every traitor worships gold, and he who shows faithful to his king and nation for a large reward will betray them both for a larger one. What method did Constantius Chlorus use to test the souls of his civil and military servants? We are told that, being friendly to the Christian religion and aware of how difficult it was to know the human heart, he assembled his officers and judges and proposed to them the following condition: either sacrifice to demons or leave the court and their positions to others, giving each the freedom of choice. By this strategy, he divided his servants into two groups: men of principle and men of the world. See less