Bloody Point Beach / Ash’s Point
August 30, 1779
Bloody Point, located on the southern tip of Daufuskie Island, is a site defined by layers of conflict, from early colonial frontier wars to the targeted partisan raids of the Revolution. It remains the southernmost inhabited point in South Carolina and served as a critical geographic marker for both naval navigation and military surveillance.
The Origins of the Name
The site earned its macabre name long before the struggle for American independence. On April 15, 1715, during the Yemassee War, three intense skirmishes occurred on this shoreline between Yemassee warriors and European settlers. The fighting was so fierce that contemporary accounts claimed the Atlantic waters ran red with blood, forever engraving the name “Bloody Point” onto the island’s geography.
Revolutionary War: Shipyards and Civil Strife
By the 1770s, the point had become a center for maritime industry. Robert Watts, a renowned shipwright, operated a shipyard here, producing vessels essential for Lowcountry trade. However, the Revolution brought a bitter divide to the Watts family and the island community. Robert’s cousin and fellow shipbuilder, Charles Watts, remained loyal to the Crown. For his refusal to join the rebellion, Charles was subjected to the brutal Patriot practice of being tarred and feathered before being banished from Daufuskie Island entirely.
The Patriot Raid of August 30, 1779
During the British occupation of the Lowcountry, Bloody Point was utilized as a militia lookout and a strategic encampment for British-Loyalist forces. Its position allowed the British to monitor all traffic entering the Savannah River and the Calibogue Sound.
On August 30, 1779, a daring Patriot raiding party launched an amphibious assault on the encampment. The goal was to decapitate the local British leadership. While the raid resulted in the deaths of two British soldiers, the primary officers narrowly evaded capture. This skirmish reinforced the reality that even the most remote British outposts on the Sea Islands were vulnerable to the “Bloody Legion” and other Patriot partisan units.
