[caption id="attachment_33777" align="aligncenter" width="503"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Michael-D-Coker3.png" rel="attachment wp-att-33777"><img class="size-full wp-image-33777" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Michael-D-Coker3.png" alt="Michael Coker" width="503" height="604"></a> Michael Coker[/caption]

The Battle of Port Royal Sound will be the focus of a program sponsored by The Beaufort History Museum in partnership with the Beaufort County Library.

The event will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the Beaufort Branch Library, 211 Scott St.

The Battle of Port Royal Sound was one of the earliest naval operations of the Civil War. &nbsp;

On Nov. 7, 1861, a massive U. S. Naval fleet and U. S. Army expeditionary force sailed into Port Royal Sound and captured Fort Walker on Hilton Head and Fort Beauregard on St. Helena Island.&nbsp;

At the time, it was the largest armada ever launched by the United States.

Beaufort was among the first southern towns to fall into Union hands.&nbsp;

The Federal occupation changed the course of Beaufort District history and led to the Reconstruction Era.

Michael D. Coker, Berkeley County Museum and Heritage Center executive director and historian, will bring this important battle, and the events surrounding it, to life.&nbsp;

He will share stories from his book, “The Battle of Port Royal Sound,” about this pivotal point in the Civil War.

Admission is free. &nbsp;

A donation of $5 is suggested and reservations are required.&nbsp;

To sign up, visit the BHM website at www.beauforthistorymuseum.com.

Print out the ticket and bring it to the event. Lectures sell out, so only those with tickets will be admitted first.