Battles & Skirmishes
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British Occupation of Beaufort
By June 1779, the tide of the Revolutionary War had fully crested over the sea islands. Following General Prevost’s retreat from the gates of Charleston, the British did…
Seizure in St. Helena Sound
In the sweltering heat of early July 1779, the waters of St. Helena Sound became the stage for a daring naval ambush. Following the British retreat from Charleston,…
Battle of Ash’s Point
In late August 1779, the focus of the partisan war shifted to the strategic maritime gateway of Daufuskie Island. While much of the British army had retreated toward…
Capture of HMS Experiment
In late September 1779, the naval war off the South Carolina coast reached a dramatic climax just off the shores of Hilton Head Island. As a massive French…
Siege of Savannah
In the autumn of 1779, the focus of the entire Southern theater shifted to the gates of Savannah, Georgia. Following the capture of the HMS Experiment off Hilton…
Execution of James Doharty
In the bitter winter spanning 1779 and 1780, the war in the Lowcountry shifted from large-scale maneuvers to a cycle of localized, lethal vendettas. Captain James Doharty, the…
Battle of the Rice Boats (Battle of Yamacraw Bluff)
The Battle of the Rice Boats, fought on March 2–3, 1776, was a pivotal early-war clash on the Savannah River. While centered on the Georgia side of the…
Seizure of HMS Philippa (Bloody Point / Philippa Affair)
The Seizure of HMS Philippa, occurring between July 9–10, 1775, was a daring naval ambush that remains one of the most consequential acts of "piracy" for the American…
British Occupation of Beaufort
By June 1779, the tide of the Revolutionary War had fully crested over the sea islands. Following General Prevost’s retreat from the gates of Charleston, the British did not simply vanish back into Georgia. Instead, they…
Seizure in St. Helena Sound
In the sweltering heat of early July 1779, the waters of St. Helena Sound became the stage for a daring naval ambush. Following the British retreat from Charleston, the Royal Navy remained active in the labyrinth…
Battle of Ash’s Point
In late August 1779, the focus of the partisan war shifted to the strategic maritime gateway of Daufuskie Island. While much of the British army had retreated toward Savannah, they maintained a series of fortified encampments…
Capture of HMS Experiment
In late September 1779, the naval war off the South Carolina coast reached a dramatic climax just off the shores of Hilton Head Island. As a massive French fleet under Admiral Comte d’Estaing arrived to support…
Siege of Savannah
In the autumn of 1779, the focus of the entire Southern theater shifted to the gates of Savannah, Georgia. Following the capture of the HMS Experiment off Hilton Head, the French fleet under Admiral d’Estaing joined…
Execution of James Doharty
In the bitter winter spanning 1779 and 1780, the war in the Lowcountry shifted from large-scale maneuvers to a cycle of localized, lethal vendettas. Captain James Doharty, the respected commander of the Beaufort District Militia’s Southward…
Touch the Stones of Liberty: The Historic Sites of the Southern Lowcountry
Step off the beaten path and onto the hallowed ground where the fate of the Southern Department was decided. The Historic Sites of the Beaufort, Jasper, and Colleton Districts are more than just ruins; they are the silent witnesses to a decade of upheaval. From the defiant tabby ruins of Stoney-Baynard on Hilton Head to the charred, skeletal remains of Old Sheldon Church—burned by the British in 1779—these locations map the geography of a revolution.
Explore the strategic river bluffs at Purrysburg, once the nerve center for the Continental Army, or walk the grounds of White Hall, the home of Declaration signer Thomas Heyward Jr. Whether you are navigating the dense maritime forests where the “Bloody Legion” once prowled or standing amidst the colonial grid of Jacksonborough, the provisional capital of a state in exile, these sites offer a tangible connection to the past. Here, the “partisan war” wasn’t fought on distant maps, but in the very doorsteps, chapels, and rice fields you can visit today.
