A generation before the more celebrated United Irishmen movement, there had been earlier militant groups in Ulster. One of those groups was the Hearts of Steel; they are shamefully overlooked in our time. Active from 1769 in heavily Presbyterian areas of counties Antrim and Down and other counties too – and roughly contemporary with the Sons of Liberty movement which arose in America in 1765 – the authorities in the 13 Colonies were wise to be aware of potential transatlantic connections.
South Carolina had its version, called the Liberty Boys, with leaders such as Andrew Hamilton and Antrim-born James McCaw. There was also a group called Liberty Boys in Dublin.
On 3 August 1774 in South Carolina, the Lieut-Governor William Bull II (Wikipedia here) wrote to the overall Colonial Secretary the Earl of Dartmouth (Wikipedia here), expressing concerns about the machinations of the newly-established General Assembly of South Carolina, effectively a provisional government.
It had been formed just a month before, on 6 July 1774, with a Committee of 99 members. The General Assembly rushed through an early morning request that the Lieutenant Governor send guns to the "many poor Irish" who had settled along the western backcountry frontier, ostensibly to defend themselves against possible future attacks from Native Americans. Bull was dubious –
"Your lordship will see by this instance with what perseverance, secrecy and unanimity they form and conduct their designs, how obedient the body is to the heads, and how faithful in their secrets.
They had prepared a message to me, which the prorogation prevented, to desire I would purchase a number of small arms to be given to many poor Irish and others in our western frontiers, with ammunition, upon the apprehensions of an Indian war. Whenever that appears to me unavoidable, I shall take every step in my power to enable them to defend themselves.
It is not improbable but many of the poor Irish may have been White Boys, Hearts of Oak or Hearts of Steel, who have been accustomed to oppose law and authority in Ireland, may not change their disposition with their climate, and may think of other objects than Indians.”
William Bull saw the potential for this 'poor Irish' western backcountry frontier community to one day use government-approved firearms against the governmental authorities.
• One of the South Carolina Committee of 99 was Edward Rutledge; his father Dr John Rutledge is believed to have been from the north of Ireland, and Edward would eventually be the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence, aged just 26.
• https://southcarolina250.com
• Charleston's Sons of Liberty by Richard Walsh (1959) is online here
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Hearts of Steel activities were reported in newspapers in America, such as The New York Journal of 14 May 1772 which referred to attacks carried out by 'Steelmen' in Banbridge, Gilford and Newry; the Pennsylvania Gazette of 18 June 1772 carried more. Richard MacMaster's book Scotch-Irish Merchants in Colonial America has further information.
• Illustration below by JW Carey; published in Historical Notices of Old Belfast and Its Vicinity.
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