Mrs. Anne V. Padgett has signed over Title Deed of a 2.0 acre lot which encompasses Confederate Battery Cheves to the S.C. Battleground Preservation Trust.
This earthwork fortification was one of several James Island Batteries built as a result of the Union occupation of Folly and Islands during the summer of Battery Cheves is located between Batteries Haskell and Simpkins on the south shore of James Island. It was named after Captain Langdon Cheves, who was killed in action when Federal forces attacked and captured the south end of Morris Island on July 10, 1863. It often fired an Union positions on Folly, Black, and Morris Islands.
The armament in the battery varied. In February of 1865, it was listed as having one ten-inch and one eight-inch Columbiad smooth-bore cannon, with two additional gun positions and platforms. This battery also contained a magazine and bombproof shelter.
In 1863 on Tuesday, September 15th, at 11:05 am., the magazine exploded killing four enlisted men and one Lieutenant. Two other enlisted men were wounded. Captain W. W. Billopp of the 29fh Georgia infantry Regiment was commanding Battery Cheves at the time of the accident. He reported the accident was suppose to have originated from the explosion of a shell from which the Sergeant of the Magazine was extracting a fuse in order to substitute a longer one The magazine was completely destroyed along with approximately 1200 pounds of Powder and 25 shells. All tools stored in the magazine were lost. None of the guns were harmed or dismounted. One of the five men killed was struck by a falling tree, which was blown down by the explosion. The magazine was rebuilt and Cheves continued to be manned until the night of February 17, 1865, when Confederate authorities Charleston and its adjacent defenses. evacuated coastal defenses
On August 11, 1982, Battery Cheves was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The earthwork fortification is intact and in very good condition. It is currently covered in trees and undergrowth. The presence of heavy vegetation has probably controlled both wind and rain erosion. In addition to preserving the earthworks, Mrs. Padgett wants to preserve the natural and scenic beauty.