Ambush at Broad Creek
October 22, 1781
By October 1781, while the world’s attention was fixed on the British surrender at Yorktown, a localized and bloody “civil war” continued to tear through the Sea Islands. On Hilton Head Island, the conflict was intensely personal. Local Patriot militia members, many of whom had seen their homes burned during the British raids of 1779, remained in a state of constant, lethal friction with neighboring Loyalist families and raiding parties coming off British ships.
On October 22, a Patriot detachment led by Charles Davant and members of the militia scout boats set an ambush near the headwaters of Broad Creek. They had received intelligence that a group of “Royalists”—including the notorious Captain Richard Pendarvis and his associates—were moving across the island. The Patriots concealed themselves in the dense saw palmettos and live oaks lining the main island trail. As the Loyalist party approached, the Patriots opened fire.
The skirmish was short but had tragic consequences for the local Patriot cause. During the exchange of gunfire, Charles Davant was mortally wounded. His death turned the ambush into a rallying cry for the Hilton Head “Liberty Men.” The loss of Davant didn’t end the resistance; instead, it triggered a final, cold-blooded cycle of revenge that would culminate just two months later in the infamous raid on Daufuskie Island.
Historical Significance
- The “Yorktown” Parallel: This ambush occurred just three days after Cornwallis surrendered in Virginia, proving that in the Lowcountry, the war didn’t end with a treaty—it ended only when the local “Tories” were driven out.
- A Community in Mourning: The death of Charles Davant, a prominent local figure, radicalized the Hilton Head militia, leading to the “no-quarter” policy adopted during the final year of the war.
- Strategic Island Defense: This action successfully deterred Loyalist elements from establishing a permanent land-based headquarters on Hilton Head, forcing them to remain on their ships or retreat to the more “secure” Daufuskie Island.
