Reposted from battlefields.org
Known to be a man with a quick temper, Hezekiah Maham was born in St. Stephen's Parish, South Carolina on June 26, 1739. By his early thirties, Maham had established himself as a prominent planter in the area and served as a representative in the First Provincial Congress at the outbreak of the American Revolution. Despite these early accomplishments, Maham truly distinguished himself through his military service.
Maham served as an officer in the 1st South Carolina Rifle Regiment. He fought in the December 1778 engagement at Savannah and later at Stono Ferry before he received a promotion to major in the South Carolina State Dragoons. His prospects changed drastically during the British Siege of Charleston succeeded in the early months of 1780. With Patriot forces surrendering under Benjamin Lincoln, Maham found himself fleeing to join Francis Marion and his band of militia in the backcountry. A principal commander in Marion's regiment, Maham proved a valuable asset at the siege of Fort Watson in April of 1781.
A British fortification set atop a Santee cermonial mound and surrounded by abatis, Patriot forces were unable to advance without sustaining high casualties. While reconnoitering with Marion and Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, Maham devised the construction of a 30+ foot tall tower to allow marksmen to fire down into the fort. The tower proved effective and quickly forced a British surrender. The practice became a common tactic and similar towers were built during the sieges of Augusta and Ninety Six later in 1781.
By June of 1781, Maham was a colonel and in command of a regiment of light dragoons, which came to be known as "Maham's Legion." Due to being promoted at the same time as Peter Horry, who was also given a similar regiment, a quarrel broke between the two over seniority. Their arguments became so petty that they ended up causing the defeat of Francis Marion's brigade at the Battle of Wambaw Bridge in February of 1782. The defeat led to the consolidation of Horry's command under Maham, who led the regiment until he took ill and was captured by Loyalists in March.
Following the war, Maham stuck to politics and served several times as both a congressman and senator in the South Carolina General Assembly. During this time, Maham accrued medical debt that he refused to pay. When confronted by a sheriff's deputy with a summons letter at his home about his outstanding debt, Maham lost his temper and forced the deputy to eat the paper that he was being served, thus sparking controversy.