Tar Bluff near Sheldon in Beaufort County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Combahee River Raid / Freedom Along The Combahee
Photographed By Mike Stroud, June 16, 2013
1. Combahee River Raid Marker
Combahee River Raid
On June 1-2, 1863, a Federal Force consisting of elements of the 2nd S.C. Volunteer Infantry (an African- American unit) and the 3rd Rhode Island Artillery conducted a raid up the Confederate-held Combahee River. Col. James Montgomery led the expedition. Harriet Tubman, already famous for her work with the Underground Railroad, accompanied Montgomery on the raid.
Freedom Along The Combahee
Union gunboats landed 300 soldiers along the river and one force came ashore here at Combahee Ferry. Soldiers took livestock and supplies and destroyed houses, barns, and rice at nearby plantations. More than 700 enslaved men, women, and children were taken to freedom in perhaps the largest emancipation event in wartime S.C. Some freedmen soon enlisted in the U.S. Army.
Erected 2013 by South Carolina Department of Transportation. (Marker Number 7-39.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1850.
Location. 32° 39.112′ N, 80° 41.114′ W. Marker is in Tar Bluff near Sheldon, South Carolina, in Beaufort County. Marker is on Charleston Highway (U.S. 17) near Boat ramp driveway, on
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Temple of Sport (approx. 5.9 miles away); William Bull (approx. 6 miles away); Church of Prince William's Parish (approx. 6 miles away); Prince William's Parish Church (approx. 6 miles away); Sheldon Union Academy (approx. 7.6 miles away); Salkehatchie Presbyterian Church (approx. 8.2 miles away); Catholic Hill (approx. 8.7 miles away); 150 Years Of Faith at St. James Church (approx. 8.7 miles away).
Also see . . . Raid at Combahee Ferry. Wikipedia entry:
On the evening of June 1, three small U.S. Navy ships (the Sentinel, Harriet A. Weed, and John Adams) left Beaufort headed for the Combahee. They held 300 men from the 2nd South Carolina, commanded by Colonel Montgomery, with Company C of the 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery manning the ships' guns. Harriet Tubman accompanied the troops. Shortly after leaving Beaufort, the Sentinel ran aground in St. Helena Sound. (Submitted on June 18, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
Photographed By Mike Stroud, June 16, 2013
2. Freedom Along The Combahee Marker
Photographed By Mike Stroud, June 16, 2013
3. Combahee River Raid / Freedom Along The Combahee Marker, looking south along Charleston Highway
Photographed By Mike Stroud, June 16, 2013
4. Combahee River Raid / Freedom Along The Combahee Marker looking north
Along Charleston Highway (US 17) at the Harriet Tubman Bridge and Boat Ramp Driveway
Photographed By National Portrait Gallery, circa 1885
5. Harriet Tubman
Photographed By Surgeon Robinson, published in Harper’s Weekly July 4, 1863
6. Raid of Second South Carolina Volunteers among the rice plantations of the Combahee sketch
Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,371 times since then and 222 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 18, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
