Preserve 108 Acres of the Most Important Unprotected Battlefield Land! (Wilson, p. 199) Gardner's name is also sometimes spelled "Gardiner". The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 53,000 acres in 24 states! The Union Navy invaded Port Royal Sound on 7 November 1861. [11], Gardner's men landed on Port Royal Island at the plantation of Andrew Deveaux (present-day Laurel Bay), a Loyalist who may have guided them, on February 2. Here two Declaration of Independence Signers, Heyward and Rutledge, manned the American artillery that defeated the invading British forces. Six illustrations of Port Royal, with Fort Walker on Hilton Head Island to the south and Fort Beauregard on Phillip's Island to the north, from U.S. History Images. The primary approach to Norfolk, Virginia, was over Great Bridge , which spanned the Elizabeth... Save History with Your Year-End Gift Today, Preserve 108 Acres of the Most Important Unprotected Battlefield Land, Save 40 Acres of the American Revolution Southern Theater, Kentuckians: Support Battlefield Preservation Legislation, Virginians: Support Battlefield Preservation Legislation, Make a tax-deductible year-end gift to help save American history. William Gardner was a major in the 60th Foot. [15], The battle is commemorated by a highway marker on U. S. Route 21 near the battle site. Donate today to preserve battlefields in America and protect the legacy of our nation’s defining conflicts. The Americans then advanced on the British, Moultrie observing that the action was "reversed from the usual way of fighting between British and Americans; they taking the bushes and we taking the open ground. On December 29, 1778, Savannah, Georgia, fell to Crown forces. USS Port Royal (CG 73) laid down 18 October 1991 by Ingalls Shipbuilding at Pascagoula, Mississippi, launched on 20 November 1992, christened on 5 December 1992 and commissioned on 9 July 1994 at Savannah, Georgia with Captain Nicholas L. Richards as the commanding officer. Moultrie encountered Gardiner atop Gray's Hill. Additionally, two signers of the Declaration of  Independence, Thomas Heyward, Jr. and Edward Rutledge were in Moultrie's ranks, a unique occurrence in the annals of the American Revolution. While it is common for Revolutionary War battlefields to possess something of historic note, the 1779 Battle of Port Royal Island stands out with brow-raising distinction. The … Many of the buildings where the 6,500 … Divisions of the American Battlefield Trust: The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA—Archaeologists and volunteers say they have found the site of the Battle of Port Royal Island, fought on February 3, 1779, in which American troops led by General William Moultrie defeated British troops led by General Augustine Prevost. The Royal Port Penn Center is a hub of Gullah arts and culture and features a museum dedicated to this fascinating group of people. Battle of Port Royal, 7 … The Battle of Port Royal was the largest naval engagement ever fought in American waters. Gardner sent a detachment to secure the island side of the ferry. Naval Battle of Port Royal Port Royal is a town near Beaufort, which takes its name from the adjacent Sound. This was the site of the first American victory of the Southern Campaign. aka Battle of Beaufort. The original French settlement of Port Royal (Habitation de Port-Royal), located approximately 7 kilometres down the Annapolis Basin, had earlier established farms in the area. [2], Gardner was criticized by Prevost for the mauling his detachment received because he strayed too far from his boats. The British commander is sometimes misidentified as Major Valentine Gardner of the 16th Foot, who was also on the expedition. They landed first at Hilton Head Island on February 1st and was immediately fired upon by Capt. Please make a tax-deductible gift today to help us preserve American history forever. [13] The Americans, in contrast, suffered only 8 killed and 22 wounded. The British pursued the militia. They lived and worked under repressive slave laws, completely isolated from the mainland. Despite this victory, Port Royal Island was Major General Benjamin Lincoln, the American commander in the south, sent South Carolina Brigadier General William Moultrie from Purrysburg, South Carolina with a mixed force composed mainly of militia, but with a few Continental Army men, to meet the British advance. USS Port Royal deployed in March 1996 as part of a USS Nimitz Battle Group. The Battle of Beaufort, also known as the Battle of Port Royal Island, was fought on February 3, 1779, near Beaufort, South Carolina, during the American Revolutionary War. However with careful research, patience and improvements in archaeological technology in his favor, archaeologist Daniel Battle discovered the actual site of the Battle of Port Royal Island in the Gray's Hill area in 2016. The British had landed a raiding force of 200 men and a howitzer on the island and although no attempt was made to capture … Battle of Port Royal Island (1) By 1778, the war in the northern theater had effectively reached a stalemate, and the British began to place increasing importance on the recovery of the southern colonies. The capture of Savannah and control of the Savannah River gave the British an avenue of advance into the interior of George and South Carolina. 4. Enticed by its harbor - Port Royal sound is the second-deepest natural harbor on the East Coast. DuPont bombarded for 4½ hours the Confederate forces in Fort Walker on this shore and Fort Beauregard on the opposite point. The battle of Port Royal, 7 November 1861, was a major Union victory early in the American Civil War that demonstrated how difficult it would be for the Confederacy to defend its coastline. Port-Royal was a settlement on the site of modern-day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, part of the French colony of Acadia.It was founded in 1629 by Sir William Alexander’s Scottish settlers and named Charlesfort. By the autumn of 1778, the American Revolution was at an impasse. Help save a crucial 22-acre tract on the battlefield where 14 African American soldiers earned the highest military honor in the land. The attack on Port Royal had a major impact on General Robert E. Lee, who took command of the Confederate Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida on November 8, 1861. [8] When he learned that a comparatively large British force was moving in his direction, he spiked the fort's cannons and blew up its main bastion in order to deny their use to the superior force. [16] Fort Lyttelton's remains are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[17]. Battle of Port Royal Island at St. Helena's Church Cemetery, Beaufort Here lie the bodies of Lieut. Campaign Engagement The americans suffered 8 deaths and 22 wounded, while the British were believed to have suffered around 40 deaths or wounded soldiers. 1862 - Hilton Head Island was also referred to as Port Royal, in reference to the Port Royal military instal… The loss, however, of General John Burgoyne's army at Saratoga brought generational foe France into the war as an ally of the United States. James Doharty's militia. The location of the Battle of Port Royal Island fought on February 3, 1779 has long generated speculation and discussion. [11] The two forces met near the highest ground on Port Royal Island, a rise called Gray's Hill that was about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the ferry and in the middle of the island. [14] When Lincoln began moving troops toward Augusta in April, Prevost moved in force toward Charleston, but was able to do little more than briefly blockade the city before retreating back to Savannah. The battle took place not long after British forces consolidated control around Savannah, Georgia, which they had captured in December 1778. Port Royal is home to many of the remaining members of the Gullah people, direct descendants of West African slaves. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Beaufort&oldid=934754900, Battles of the American Revolutionary War in South Carolina, Battles in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War 1775–1779, Articles using NRISref without a reference number, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 8 January 2020, at 07:10. The New York expedition, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell, arrived first, and successfully captured the town on December 29, 1778. "[11] The Americans opened fire first with the artillery, and then with musket volleys. [13] This base could support the British navy, movements through the interior, and potential operations against Charleston. This story is taken verbatim from Battleground South Carolina in the Revolution, Warren Ripley, The News Courier and The Evening Post, Charleston, SC, 1983. On February 2, 1779, while British units were marching on Augusta from Savannah, an amphibious expedition consisting of 150 light infantrymen on four transports, the twenty-four-gun ship Vigilant, and the smaller warship Germaine left Tybee Island, Georgia, for Port … Click to donate now. Port Royal Island, South Carolina Port Royal Island - February 3, 1779 (October 2020) American Battlefield Trust’s map of the Revolutionary War Battle of Port Royal, South Carolina, on February 3, 1779. In the beginning, everyone wanted to claim this region. Brigadier General Augustine Prevost sent 200 British regulars to seize Port Royal Island at the mouth of the Broad River in South Carolina in late January 1779. The battle lasted 5 hours before the planters and the Confederate soldiers fled. 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