Battle of Port Royal Island (Battle of Beaufort)

Following the Patriot retreat from the Coosawhatchie River on May 3, 1779, the conflict shifted immediately to the nearby heights of Tullifinny Hill. As Colonel John Laurens fell back with his wounded and demoralized troops, the responsibility for holding the line fell to General William Moultrie. Moultrie recognized that Tullifinny offered a superior defensive position compared to the river bottomlands, as the elevated terrain provided a clear field of fire against the advancing British vanguard under General Augustine Prevost.

The engagement at Tullifinny was a desperate rearguard action intended to buy time for the broader Patriot retreat toward Charleston. The South Carolina militia and Continental regulars dug in along the ridgeline, exchanging heavy musket and swivel-gun fire with the British 71st Highlanders. While the Patriots held their ground with more discipline than they had at the river crossing, the sheer weight of the British numbers eventually made the position untenable. Moultrie, realizing that a prolonged stand would result in the total encirclement of his small army, coordinated a masterful withdrawal under fire.

The retreat from Tullifinny Hill marked the end of formal Patriot resistance in the southern Jasper County interior during the 1779 campaign. The British victory here effectively “unlocked” the road to Charleston, allowing Prevost’s army to begin their infamous march through the coastal plantations, seizing livestock and burning the homes of known rebels as they moved north.

Historical Significance

• Strategic Delay: Although a tactical defeat, the stand at Tullifinny slowed the British advance enough to allow Governor John Rutledge to begin fortifying the landward side of Charleston.
• The “Losing Forward” Strategy: This battle exemplified the Patriot strategy in the South—engaging the British to inflict casualties and then retreating before being destroyed, a tactic that would eventually wear down the British army.
• Jasper County Frontier: The fall of Tullifinny Hill led to the total British occupation of the Beaufort and Jasper districts, leaving the local population at the mercy of Loyalist raiding parties for the remainder of the year.