The Gov. Paul Hamilton Chapter marked the grave of Lt. Benjamin Wilkins with the SAR Patriot Bronze Marker during a ceremony held at Saint Helena Parish Church, Beaufort, SC on June 20, 2014.
The service was led by Chapter President Mike Keyserling and Vice President Tom Mikell who described the circumstances of Lt. Wilkins participation in the Revolutionary War. Lt. Wilkins was born in Charles Towne, SC, in 1744 and during the Battle of Port Royal Island (also known locally as the battle of Grays Hill) was mortally wounded on February 3, 1779. Discussing this victory following the devastating fall of Savannah in December 1778, Gen. William Moultrie said that the Americans, untrained militia, had stood well during the Port Royal battle lifting the spirits of South Carolina’s patriots. Among the wounded in this battle was Capt. Thomas Heyward, Jr., one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and a parishioner of Saint Helena’s Parish Church. Two descendants of Lt. Wilkins, Priscilla Perkins and Anita Henson, attended the dedication ceremony.
