Beaufort County South Carolina
Civil War and Forward
1860 -
On November 7,1861 a flotilla of U.S. warships steamed into Port Royal and the "Cotton Kingdom" came to a swift and thunderous end. The planters were forced to flee inland, many never to return, abandoning homes, lands and slaves. Beaufort became headquarters for the U.S. Army Department of the South and the chief base for the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. The houses were used by the occupying forces and thus saved for future generations.
After the war the tough-minded adapted quickly and struggled back from defeat and reprisal. The long-fibered "Sea Island Cotton" recovered and continued to support the economy. The coming of the boll weevil, some sixty years later, banished cotton forever from the sea islands.
In 1892 a great storm came ashore at the high tide, piling water on water until the islands
were swept clean of agriculture and shipping. Thousands drowned.
Now, where rice, indigo and cotton once flourished, cattle, feed crops, vegetables and soybeans grow. A fishing fleet " drags" the local waters for shrimp. Crabs and oysters are harvested for local consumption and export. Clean industry, military installations, tourists and retired persons contribute heavily to the present economy.
Marker can be reached from Charles Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
