Moncks Corner in Berkeley County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

C.S.S. David
⎯⎯⎯
Little David Replica

CSS David Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2009

1. CSS David Marker

Inscription.
C.S.S. David
This Confederate vessel revolutionized the concepts of war at sea with a torpedo attack on the New Ironsides in Charleston Harbor on October 5, 1863.

Constructed on Stoney Landing Plantation, Berkeley County, on which lands this full scale replica is exhibited.

Little David Replica
This replica of the Little David was originally constructed as an historical exhibit in 1970 by students and staff at Trident Technical College in North Charleston in preparation for South Carolina's tricentennial observance.

In 2004, members of the U.S. Submarine Veterans Inc. of Charleston completely refurbished the replica, restoring it to the specifications and details of the Little David's original construction in 1863. More than 5,000 man hours went into the effort. The organization maintains the exhibit and provides speakers to groups who visit the display to study its rich nautical history.

Funding for this restoration project came from proceeds of the Berkeley Museum's Annual Antique Tractor & Engine Show.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is October 5, 1863.

Location. 33° 11.603′ N, 79° 58.354′ W. Memorial is in Moncks

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Corner, South Carolina, in Berkeley County. It is on Stoney Landing Road, on the right when traveling east. Located in Old Santee Canal State Park. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Moncks Corner SC 29461, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in the Lowcountry

and in Santee Cooper Country.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

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 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: Berkeley County Museum and Heritage Center: A County's Story (a few steps from this marker); Santee Cooper Hydroelectric & Navigation Project (within shouting distance of this marker); Berkeley County Confederate Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Fair Lawn: An Archeaological Treasure (within shouting distance of this marker); Colleton House: “Unmanly Practices” or Legitimate Target? (within shouting distance of this marker); From Plantation to Fort (within shouting distance of this marker); Too Formidable to Take (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Preserving the Past for the Future (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Moncks Corner.

Regarding C.S.S. David / Little David Replica. David's last confirmed action came on April 18, 1864 when she tried to sink the screw frigate USS Wabash. Alert lookouts on board the blockader sighted David in time to permit the frigate to slip her chain, avoid the attack, and open fire on the torpedo boat. Neither side suffered any damage.

The ultimate fate of David is uncertain.

Little David Replica side of the marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 21, 2026

2. Little David Replica side of the marker

Several torpedo boats of this type fell into Union hands when Charleston was captured in February 1865. David may well have been among them.

Also see . . . CSS David, Wikipedia entry. CSS David was built as a private venture by T. Stoney at Charleston, South Carolina in 1863, and put under the control of the Confederate States Navy. The cigar-shaped boat carried a 60- or 70-pound explosive charge on the end of a spar projecting forward from her bow. Designed to operate very low in the water, David resembled in general a submarine; she was, however, strictly a surface vessel. Operating on dark nights, and using anthracite coal which burns without smoke, "David" was nearly as hard to see as a true submarine. (Submitted on October 5, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)

Additional keywords. C.S.S. David