Port Royal in Beaufort County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Camp Saxton

— Reconstruction Era National Historical Park —

Photographed by Benjamin Rubin, May 30, 2026

1. Camp Saxton Marker

Inscription. "...from that little band of hopeful... and brave men who gathered at Camp Saxton... amidst the terrible prejudices that surrounded us, has grown an army of a hundred and forty thousand Black soldiers..."
-Lt. Col. Charles Trowbridge, First South Carolina Infantry

Here, on the grounds of Old Fort Plantation and along the Beaufort River, was the setting of a United States Army installation known as Camp Saxton. A Boston newspaper correspondent noted that "...the camp was well laid out, a quarter of a mile from the river - the space between the camp and the river being occupied by a grove of live oaks. The new tents showed off to good advantage down the river..."

Established in the Fall of 1862 and named in honor of General Rufus Saxton, this 160-acre camp served as a recruiting depot and training facility for the First South Carolina Infantry (African Descent). The soldiers who trained here were the first among approximately 180,000 African American men mustered into the United States Army during the Civil War.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker

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is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.

Location. 32° 23.057′ N, 80° 40.911′ W. Marker is in Port Royal, South Carolina, in Beaufort County. It is on Old Fort Road 0.2 miles east of Old Shell Road when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 601 Old Fort Rd, Port Royal SC 29935, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker 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 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 Year of Jubilee Has Come!" (approx. 0.3 miles away); First South Carolina Infantry (approx. 0.3 miles

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away); Old Fort Plantation (approx. 0.3 miles away); Emancipation Day (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Camp Saxton (approx. 0.3 miles away); Emancipation Day / Camp Saxton Site (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Historic Union Church (approx. 0.8 miles away); Blue Channel Corporation (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Royal.

Also see . . . Reconstruction Era National Historical Park. National Park Service (Submitted on June 11, 2026.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2026, by Benjamin Rubin of Columbia, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photo 1. submitted on May 31, 2026, by Benjamin Rubin of Columbia, South Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

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