Colonel Pierce M. Butler, buried in a family cemetery at Butler Church six miles northeast, served as governor of South Carolina from 1836-1838 and during his military career was a captain in the U.S. Army, a lieutenant colonel in the Seminole War, and commander of the Palmetto Regiment in the Mexican War. The South Carolina Volunteer Regiment entered service in December 1846 as part of Winfield Scott's army. At the Battle of Churubusco, Butler was killed leading a charge in the face of devastating fire on August 20, 1847. The regiment later served in the vanguard of the final assault on Mexico City and was the first to plant its flag on the city walls.