PINCKNEY, CHARLES COTESWORTH, LL.B., 1746-1825; b. Charleston; son of chief justice Charles. He was educated in England, graduated at Oxford, and studied law. After a short residence at the royal military academy, in Caen, France, he began the practice of his profession at Charleston, in 1769, and soon became prominent in politics. He served in the first provincial congress of South Carolina, was elected col. of a pro vincial regiment in 1775: was at the capture of fort Johnson, and the repulse of the British squadron off fort Moultrie. Ile was afterward one of Washington's aids-de camp, was at Brandywine and Germantown; and returning to the south in 1778, joined the expedition to Florida. Soon after his election in to the presidency of the South Carolina senate, he joined Moultrie in the defense of Charleston against the British under Prevost. He showed great gallantry in the attack upon Savannah in October of the same year; commanded fort Moultrie during the siege of Charleston, upon whose surrender, which he had vigorously resisted, he was taken prisoner, and be was not exchanged till February, 1782. After the evacuation of the city the following
December, he resumed practice. Ile was a prominent member of the U. S. constitu tional convention in 1787; of the South Carolina convention which ratified the new V. S. constitution, and of the convention which in 1790 framed a state constitution for South Carolina. Sent to France in 1790 as U. S. minister, he was received with studied discourtesy by the directory, which finally made him leave the nor on his return to France, as a joint commissioner with Ethridge Gerry and John Marshall, was his reception more favorable. Talleyrand assured the commissioners that a gift of money to the French government was a necessary preliminary to the negotiations, and that a refusal would bring ou war. Pinckney is said to have answered: " Wmr be it, then; millions for defense, sir, but not one cent for tribute!" On his return to this country a war with France scented imminent; and lie was appointed a maigen. His last appear ance in public life was as a federalist candidatNvith John Adams, in the presidential election of 1800.