August 22
1813: During the War of 1812, the British landed forces at Beaufort and Hilton Head Island where marauders plundered settlements.
August 27
1782: South Carolina statesman and soldier John Laurens, an aide-de-camp to Gen. George Washington and a close friend of Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette, is one of the last casualties of the American Revolution, killed at Combahee Bluff (or the Battle of Combahee River) near Beaufort by a British foraging party in search of supplies for the besieged British garrison at Charlestown. During the war, Laurens tried repeatedly to gain support for recruiting enslaved Africans in South Carolina to fight against the British in exchange for their freedom. He was repeatedly denied.
1893: A Category 3 hurricane strikes Beaufort and the surrounding islands in the Lowcountry. Known as the Sea Island Hurricane of 1893, the storm killed at least 2,000 people and was responsible for leaving as many as 20,000 people homeless. The majority of buildings on Lady’s Island and St. Helena Island were damaged beyond repair. Relief efforts were led by Clara Barton and the American Red Cross, the first time the organization would provide relief from a powerful storm.
2021: Longtime Battery Creek High School Wrestling Coach Nathan Day dies three days shy of his 58th birthday after a battle with COVID-19. In his 16 years at the school, Day led the Dolphins to six team state championships and 30 individual championships.
— Compiled by Mike McCombs
