Beaufort, S.C. - About 60 reenactors turned out for the 1st. Liberation of Port Royal Civil War reenactment event at the historic Penn Center on St. Helena Island, near Beaufort, SC on Oct. 5 & 6, 1996. The event was sponsored by the 54th. Massachusetts, in cooperation with the several Confederate Units.
Highlights of the weekend included reenactment of the Court Martial of William Walker (Jan. 1864, Hilton Head Island) on Saturday to a capacity crowd in the Center's historic auditorium, built in the late 19th. Century. Walker was a Sergeant in the 3rd. SC (US Colored) executed for Mutiny. State Senator, Lawyer and reenactor Glen McConnel presented the Defense and William Hamilton depicted the prosecution (Judge Advocate). Members of the court included William Duggan (1st. Cav.) ; Daryl Walker (Legion Med.) , Fred Holsclaw (54th. Mass.) ; Nick Miller (27th. SC) and two professional Military Lawyers from the United States Marine Corps: Cpt. Larry Weider, II and Cpt. Stephen Heckler. Linda Pinckney (54th. Mass.) served as Narrator. Witnesses for the prosecution were Mike Zeigler (27th. SC) and Lloyd Andrews, (54th. Mass.). Prosecution witnesses were Marvin Nicholson, Skip Boags & Norman Hill of the 54th. Mass. Norman Hill is also a member of the Butler Guards. Sgt. At Arms Stump Lloyd of the 27th. Provost, aided by guards from the Cavalry, made an impressive federal courtroom guard.
The trial was taped for inclusion in the upcoming ETV series, The Civil War in South Carolina. Information on the original trial and reenactment is available on the Internet: http://www.awod.com/gallery/probono/cwchas/walkertr.html It may be presented at other reenactments this year.
Confederates had a beautiful riverside camp with a perfectly framed view of the sunset. The main federal camp was at the Penn Center. The camps are linked by a quarter mile trail which will be used for a functional picket line at future events. Cavalry enjoyed the dirt roads and trails of the area for lots of riding. Denny's catered a Sunday meal and Sherry Zeigler and Sue Miller ran a period mess throughout the weekend. Fred Holsclaw provided a deer for spit roasting. Affectionately nicknamed "dog" it amazed the spectators all day Saturday before being eaten. An excellent washerwoman presentation was made by Rena Hefley and friends of the 10th. SC Ladies Auxillary.
Sunday's Battle was based on the 1st. SC (US Colored)'s raid up the Edisto River on July 9-10, 1863 and included a depiction of a slave being liberated (George Hughes of the 54th. reenacted the part) and the capture of two Confederate Scouts per the descriptions in Higginson's Army Life in a Black Regiment A full written scenario was distributed to all troops Sunday morning and extensively refined during drill and practice before the Battle. The modern intrusion free field of about 1000 feet in length and 300 in width suited troops and spectators well, with several sand road approaches for entering and exiting troops. The gun of the 1st. S.C. Artillery appeared in time to drive the Federal invasion force from the field. Most men engaged shot every cartridge they had. The battle was also taped by ETV, which interviewed several reenactors over the weekend. About 40 men were engaged with one piece of light artillary and Eight mounted cavalry.
The Confederate units participating included the Twenty-seventh South Carolina; The 1st. S.C. Cavalry, The 1st. S.C. Artillery; Hampton's Legion; the 25th. South Carolina. The 54th. Mass. and the Penn Center are very grateful for those Confederates who made the sacrifice to come to Penn. The event generated a profit of Two Hundred Dollars for the Penn Center and plans to have it again next year in late September 1997 are being made now. More African Americans attended this event than any Civil War Reenactment since the Centennial. An attempt to located and obtain an open date on the Palmetto Battalion Schedule will be made when next year's event is planned.
For more information on the 54th. Mass, check their website: http://www.awod.com/gallery/probono/cwchas/54ma.html
A Mapquest interactive atlas map is available for the Penn Center area, however the map data for St. Helena Island is not as dense as for an urban area. this location may vary slightly from the actual location of the center, being very near Frogmore. A list of nearby historic sites is also available.
Information on next year's Liberation of Port Royal event can be obtained by Contacting the 54th. Massachusetts, Co. "I" reenactors. Information on this and other upcoming Civil War related events in the South Carolina Lowcountry can be found on Civil War @ Charleston's Events Schedule.
Permission is granted to print and duplicate this report in any medium without major alteration by the author, William Hamilton.