Hilton Head Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Story of Fort Howell

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 12, 2017

1. The Story of Fort Howell Marker

Inscription. In the spring and summer of 1864, Union officers of the Department of the South on Hilton Head Island became concerned about retaining sufficient troops and equipment to defend Hilton Head, as units were being transferred to participate in campaigns elsewhere, particularly in Virginia and Georgia, where General William Tecumseh Sherman’s army had attacked Atlanta in the spring of 1864. Commanders on Hilton Head worried that the Confederates would engage in raids or more serious attacks on the island, especially on the new freedman’s village of Mitchelville. Major General John G. Foster ordered Captain Charles R. Suter, Chief of Engineers in the Department of the South, to build an earthwork fort for the purpose of defending Mitchelville and Hilton Head. The pentagonal earthwork was designed to defend the two main approaches to Mitchelville from the southwest and southeast.

Fort Howell did not see action, and was abandoned at wars end. One of the best preserved Civil War earthen forts in South Carolina, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011, and was designated as a National Underground Railroad

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Network to Freedom site by the National Park Service in 2013.

Erected by Hilton Head Island Land Trust.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Network to Freedom series list.

Location. 32° 13.968′ N, 80° 41.647′ W. Memorial is on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, in Beaufort County. It can be reached from Beach City Rd 0.1 miles south of Dillon Rd.. Marker is located inside Fort Howell Historic Park. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 160 Beach City Rd, Hilton Head Island SC 29926, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in the Lowcountry

and on the Sea Islands.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian

Marker Detail: Period map of Hilton Head Island image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 12, 2017

2. Marker Detail: Period map of Hilton Head Island

Sectional Map shows location of Fort Howell as a defense of the island and Mitchelville.

Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Troops that Built Fort Howell / Camp Baird (a few steps from this marker); General Howell / Captain Suter (a few steps from this marker); Forts of the Civil War Era (a few steps from this marker); Fort Howell - 1864 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fort Howell (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mitchelville Site (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. James Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cherry Hill School (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hilton Head Island.

More about this memorial. Marker is attached to a covered pavilion located within the Park

Marker Detail: Enlarged map section depicting Fort Howell image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 12, 2017

3. Marker Detail: Enlarged map section depicting Fort Howell

Marker Detail: National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 12, 2017

4. Marker Detail: National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom

Fort Howell received this designation by the National Park Service in 2013

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 12, 2017

5. The Story of Fort Howell marker

Marker located within a covered pavilion inside Fort Howell Historic Park

Fort Howell Historic Park Entrance Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 12, 2017

6. Fort Howell Historic Park Entrance Sign

Credits. This page was last revised on April 8, 2019. It was originally submitted on April 6, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,446 times since then and 283 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 6, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.