Charleston

Defenders of Fort Moultrie, E.T. Viett, 1877
The Palmetto State received its nickname while defending Sullivan's Island, just north of Charleston, from the British. Fort Moultrie was built using the area's most abundant building resource, the palmetto tree. The softness of the wood kept splinters from hurting the South Carolina soldiers when the British bombed the fort. In the end, the colonists were able to defeat the British.