From staff reports
Recently, three members of the Beaufort Gov. Paul Hamilton Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution – Frank Gibson, Professor Larry Rowland and Jody Henson – met with Beaufort County Passive Parks Manager Stephanie Niged and South Carolina Battle Ground Preservation Trust archaeologist MIke Yianopoulos on the battlefield site of the Battle of Port Royal Island, fought on Feb 3, 1779 in Beaufort.
With a confirmation of the battlefield’s location, it was decided that the S.C. Historical Marker for the battle needed to be relocated, and a site was determined that day.
On Feb. 3, nine members of the Chapter, along with General Vice President Ivan Bennett of The Sons of Revolution, met in the morning hours on U.S. Highway 21 in Beaufort to place a wreath at the S.C. Historical Marker’s new location near the old Harris Pillow factory, honoring and memorializing the Battle of Port Royal Island on it’s 243rd anniversary.
The Battle is listed with other sites throughout the state where America’s independence was secured in South Carolina across its swamps, fields, woods and mountains. These events of 1779-1782 directly led to victory in the Revolutionary War.
We call this The Liberty Trail, developed through a partnership between the American Battlefield Trust and the South Carolina Battleground Trust — connecting battlefields across South Carolina and telling the captivating and inspiring stories of this transformative chapter of American history.
