A BGES Civil War Field University Program: Forlorn Outposts: War in the Southeast, South Carolina , Georgia and Florida

The war came early to the South Carolina Low Country with the arrival of a Federal fleet and the November 1861 battle of Port Royal Sound and then the region went quiet. Robert E. Lee served a brief tour to superintend the erection of fortifications; but, the Federal army remained within its cantonment area for the next few years. However, with the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation the area became a beehive of recruitment and colonization activity for black freedmen and their families.

The organization and impact of the new black soldiers was more symbolic than militarily important. Nonetheless the widespread movement soon included nearly 180,000 blacks under the command of some of the nation’s most ideologically committed abolitionists. The activities and missions in and around the coastal areas of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida are militarily curious and will unveil some sites that only local historians and preservationists know and can interpret. This will be one of the neatest tours of this year.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

5 PM Gather at the headquarters hotel in Beaufort – site of pre-war secession movements and one of the richest areas in the South. The area was captured and occupied in December 1861, by the Federals. The Sea Islands and Beaufort became the center of the war’s first major reconstruction movement and home to the first regiment raised from former slaves. A presentation on Beaufort will give a background about the area where, according to Dr. Lawrence Rowland, “all American History started.” A walking tour of Civil War Beaufort will follow which highlights the sites of the military hospitals while sharing the stories of the fascinating people who worked in Beaufort and conducted “the rehearsal for reconstruction” that occurred in the region in the very shadows of the homes of the southerners who helped bring about secession and fought for the Confederacy. We will break in time for you to have dinner on your own.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

We are really pumped for this program and will open with a uniquely designed boat trip (tides and weather permitting) that follows the Federal troops May 1864 attempt to break the Charleston and Savannah Railroad along the Ashepoo River. You will see and hear first hand about the disaster that occurred near long forgotten and unvisited Fort Chapman. After the boat trip we will visit sites related to the North’s first reconstruction movement that occurred on St. Helena and Port Royal Islands. This will include several plantation sites and the very church where Robert G. Shaw worshiped before leaving for his and the 54th Massachusetts’ famous attack on Morris Island at Battery Wagner. While on Port Royal Island we will stop at the site of the camp of the 1st South Carolina and the site where the black soldiers from South Carolina first heard the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. The day will conclude with a visit to the Parris Island Marine Corps Museum. Lunch is included.

Friday, February 12, 2016

One can only imagine the excitement the former slaves felt as they marched out of camp on operational missions. We will first go to the Confederate works guarding the approaches to the Charleston and Savannah Railroad. We will then present the June 1863 Combahee Raid led by Colonel James Montgomery and carried out by his 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, a regiment made up former slaves. The key location is Combahee Ferry. However this raid was also one of celebrity with the legendary Underground Railroad conductor, Harriet Tubman as part of the entourage. From here we will follow the better known November – December 1864 Broad River Campaign visiting the battlefields of Honey Hill and Tullifinney. We will close the day at the ruins of Sheldon Church, discussing the beginning of Sherman’s February 1865 March through South Carolina. Lunch is included.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

No Saturday sleep-ins here, up early and heading south at 8 AM. Stops to include Darien, site of the raid by the 2nd South Carolina and 54th Massachusetts, Confederate works on Jekyll Island, Fernandina and Fort Clinch and Kingsley Plantation and Confederate defenses at Yellow Bluff and St. John’s Bluff. The last two sites are dependent upon the available daylight. This eclectic collection of names and sites may not equal Manassas or Atlanta but they were important for the newly minted black men in blue. Some of the sites like Fort Clinch are very impressive and others not so memorable—nonetheless, they gave the South much to consider as they proved destructive to the social order of a section of the south that had not yet experienced the hard hand of war. Hotel, lunch and dinner are included.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Leave Jacksonville and head to Fort Caroline this will allow us a bit more time to properly interpret the bluffs at Yellow Bluff and St. John’s Bluff. The bookstore is worth the stop and if you are looking for regional history books here you will have found them. We will then head to Suwanee River State Park to check out the fortifications constructed to protect the railroad. We will finish the day at St. Marks, visit the Confederate defenses of one of the South’s last open blockade running ports. This park has a very good museum, movie and walking trail. We will finish the day at a hotel near Tallahassee. Hotel, breakfast lunch and dinner are included.

Monday, February 15, 2016

We will have a full day today with our start at the Natural Bridge Battlefield. Here Confederates repelled three assaults against the lines and preserved the Florida state capital which was the only one not captured during the Civil War. We will then head to the Olustee (also known as Ocean Pond) Battlefield where a Federal advance from Jacksonville against Tallahassee was stopped in February 1864. It was a bloody encounter with the Federals losing nearly 34% of their attacking force—about 2,000 men. The Confederates lost half as much, about 1,000 (20%). This is a remarkably impressive and well interpreted small battlefield park. The tour’s final stop will be Camp Milton, site of Confederate defenses thrown up after the battle of Olustee. We will take several hours to return to Beaufort, SC.

You may depart at your leisure tonight or tomorrow. Thank you for joining us.

About the Faculty:

Stephen Wise is the Director of the Marine Corps Parris Island Museum and is a professor of history at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort. A noted historian of the state and the Marine Corps, his books Gate of Hell about the 1863 Charleston Campaign and Lifeline of the Confederacy document the significance of blockade running to the Confederate economy. Steve was recently recognized by the SC Humanities Council for his contributions to preservation and historic interpretation. Steve will be in his element in the Low Country where he and friends have discovered lost fortifications and parts of the lost society that would never be seen again had he not documented them. Well spoken and interesting you will enjoy yourself.

Lawrence S. Rowland is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus of history at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort and past president of the South Carolina Historical Society.

Hotel Information:

This program will be based in Beaufort, South Carolina. The hotel will be announced by January 10th. We will notify each registrant about the selected hotel but you will be free to stay where you wish. We will be spending the nights of February 14th, and 15th in Florida. The two nights on the road are included in the registration fee. We will make reservations according to your registration category. Those hotels will be announced and contact information provided before the event.

Transportation:

The servicing airport is Savannah International (SAV). Charleston (CHS) is within driving distance if you prefer Southwest Airlines and their superb fares. You would need a rental car if you selected that option. If you drive in, we will make arrangements to leave your car at the headquarters hotel.