Mary Dunn–Martinangele Cemetery

The Mary Dunn–Martinangele Cemetery, located near Bloody Point on Daufuskie Island, is a solemn physical link to the “civil war” that divided the Sea Islands during the Revolution. As the final resting place for members of the prominent Martinangele family, the cemetery sits at the heart of the territory once controlled by the Daufuskie Royal Militia.

The Martinangele Legacy

The Martinangeles were among the most influential Loyalist families in the Beaufort District. Led by Captain Philip Martinangele Jr., the family organized their neighbors into a formidable militia unit that operated in close coordination with British forces in Savannah. This cemetery served the family and their kin during a period when Daufuskie Island was a primary stronghold for those remaining loyal to King George III.

Retaliation and the “Bloody Legion”

The cemetery’s historical significance is deeply tied to the cycle of violence that gripped the region in 1781. After the Daufuskie Royal Militia ambushed and killed Patriot Charles Davant on Hilton Head Island, the Patriot “Bloody Legion” launched a series of lethal counter-raids.

• The Death of Philip Martinangele: On Christmas 1781, Patriot raiders crossed the Calibogue Sound and executed Captain Philip Martinangele in his home.
• Family Devastation: The violence extended to other family members, including Philip’s brother Abraham, as the Bloody Legion sought to systematically dismantle the Loyalist leadership on the island.

A Site of Memory

Today, the cemetery remains one of the few tangible remains of the Martinangele estate, as their plantation home was burned during the Patriot raids. It stands as a powerful testament to the intimate nature of the Revolutionary War in the Lowcountry—a conflict where the lines of battle were drawn between neighboring islands and the dead were buried in the very soil they had fought to defend against their own countrymen.