Point Royal Experiment

[Patrick H]

Great pictures and interesting story. Thank you.

 

[John Winn]

Thanks for all the pictures. Haven't seen all of those.

I've been to Beaufort and two of the islands. Nice to have this context.

 

[18thVirginia]

The Brick Baptist Church, St. Helena Island (www.brickbaptist.com/history.html)

Built by slaves in 1855, the Brick Baptist Church was turned over to the 8,000 newly freed people living on the island at the end of the Battle of Point Royal. It was closely associated with the Penn School and continues as a part of the history of St. Helena today.

Brick Church near Frogmore, St. Helena Island, South Carolina, 1862 (http://www.shorpy.com/node/5436?size=_original#caption)

 

[godofredus]

Picture of Charlotte Forten: at http://www.blackpast.org/aah/grimke-charlotte-forten-1837-1914

Image Ownership: Public Domain

 

[johan_steele]

I'm reminded of a 1st SC (US) soldier that after an pay call was seen just standing there staring at the money he had been paid. I paraphrase: "What's the matter, haven't you ever seen money before?" "No, I've just never had a white man hand me money that I could do whatever I wanted with."

Hilton Head showed the chink in the armor of the CS and the slaveocracy. It's an interesting study.

 

[18thVirginia]

Edisto Island

John E. Seabrook's House

 

[18thVirginia]

John E. Seabrook's Library

From Charlotte Forten, a description of a visit to Edisto Island:

"From what we saw of Edisto, however, we did not like it better than our own island, (St. Helena) except, of course, the beach; but we are told that farther in the interior it is much more beautiful. The freed people, who left it at the time of its evacuation, think it the loveliest place in the world, and long to return. When we were going, Miss T.—the much-loved and untiring friend and physician of the people—asked some whom we met if we should give their love to Edisto. Oh, yes, yes, Miss!" they said. "Ah, Edisto a beautiful city!" And when we came back, they inquired, eagerly, — "How you like Edisto? How Edisto stan'?" Only the fear of again falling into the hands of the "Secesh" prevents them from returning to their much-loved home." (https://charlottehutson.wordpress.com/2010/03/21/edisto-island-and-edingsville-history-1864/)

 

[18thVirginia]

A previous thread by JPK Huson details the life of Laura Towne, a Philadelphia abolitionist who came to the Sea Islands in 1862 and stayed for 38 years. She was a co-founder of the Penn School.
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/laura-m-towne-doc-and-teachers-voice-from-st-helenas.104825/

A selection from her diary, which can be found here: http://archive.org/stream/cu31924074445267/cu31924074445267_djvu.txt

St. Helena Island, July 17, 1862.

I do want to let you know the little particulars you speak of very much, but there are always so many great things to tell of here that I have no time. Just now we are going through "history" in the removal from Edisto of all the negroes there, consequent upon the evacuation of the island by our troops. The story is this — General
McClellan wanting more soldiers, General Stevens and his regiment went North, and we had not enough soldiers left to guard Edisto, which lies near Charleston. So General Hunter ordered the evacuation of the island,first removing all the negroes who wished our protection,and that was all who were there.

 

[18thVirginia]

Edisto Island

James Hopkinson's House

Planting Sweet Potatoes on James Hopkinson's plantation

James Hopkinson's House was actually named Cassina Point, built for Carolina Lafayette Seabrook and her husband, James Hopkinson. Hopkinson was the grandson of a signer of the Declaration of Independence from New Jersey, Francis Hopkinson, and Seabrook was the daughter of wealthy Edisto planter William Seabrook.

 

[18thVirginia]

On the eve of the Civil War, Sea Island Cotton was highly prized as a long-strand cotton previously unknown in the American market. It's profitability promised a Golden Age era for the planters of the Sea Islands. As a highly labor intensive crop, this variety of cotton required high levels of slave labor.

In antebellum South Carolina, 57% of the population was African American. On Edisto Island, that percentage had been 88% in 1790--with 223 whites and 1,692 slaves. By 1860 that percentage had increased to 94%, probably the highest in America, with 4 free persons of color, 329 whites and 5,082 black slaves. William Aiken, whose house is pictured earlier in this thread, owned 600 slaves spread among two plantations. On other plantations slaves lived in groups of about 50 with seventeen planters owning between 100 and 370 enslaved people, who might be spread among several plantations.

Going to the Fields, James Hopkinson's Plantation, Edisto Island, 1862 (Nara)

 

[18thVirginia]

Seabrook from the Wharf, Edisto Island, 1862 (Henry P Moore, LoC) Cotton is drying on both the left and right lawns by the house.

Slave Quarters at Seabrook Plantation, 1862, Henry P. Moore LoC

 

[18thVirginia]

Century Plant 85 years old Seabrook Plantation, Edisto Island (Henry P. Moore, LoC)

Fish Pond, Seabrook Plantation (Henry P. Moore LoC)

 

[18thVirginia]

Photos I took back in 1989 while working on Glory; there's little else remaining, but the location on St. Helena Island retains its quiet atmosphere. It was the scene of one of the great social experiments spawned by the war and location of the Penn School whose campus is seen here. Sea Island Confederate sympathizers had largely abandoned their homes leaving their literally hundreds of slaves to "shift for themselves", inspiring the satirical Northern song Year of Jubilo with its jeering chorus, De Massa run, Ha Ha! - de Darky stay, Ho Ho! New England abolitionists were invited by the Federal government to come take charge and divide the plantation fields into smaller substance farms as well as continuing to grow the famous Sea Island Cotton to be used as an export crop which would sustain the venture.

The brick church and its graveyard stood at the center of the community and school. Idealistic nurses and teachers like Charlotte Forten were encouraged to set up schools and clinics and teach the slave population self-sufficiency. This so-called "Port Royal Experiment" was a huge success and had the benefit to the government of not only reducing the need for providing basic welfare to the population but also affording a ready pool of volunteers that made up the ranks of the United States Colored Troops. It was here that Col. Robert Gould Shaw came to visit Charlotte and the other faculty members as described by her in the diary she kept. Relatively little remains today other than a few buildings including the church and cemetery of this once-important venture that was allowed to languish and eventually almost disappear after Reconstruction.

Wonderful photos and narrative, thanks for adding to the thread.

 

[18thVirginia]

Letters From Port Royal, Edited by Elizabeth Ware Pearson. The introduction has a period schematic map of the area showing the different islands and locations of the major plantations.

Thanks for this, Eric. Here's the period schematic map:

 

[Drew]

I've not seen many of these pics. Thanks for posting.

The one at #4 is labeled "A Mark Hopkins University." Does any one have the backstory on that? Was he involved or just lending his name in some way?

 

[18thVirginia]

Glad you like the photos. 'Mark Hopkins' may just be from the name of a photo exhibit.

 

[Drew]

Glad you like the photos. 'Mark Hopkins' may just be from the name of a photo exhibit.

You may be right. Hopkins was a noted educator during the period and I thought there might be some connection.

 

[18thVirginia]

From Army Life in a Black Regiment:

THOMAS LONG

_________________________
"WE WHIPPED DOWN ALL DAT"

Thomas Long, a former slave and a private in the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, assesses the meaning of black military service during the Civil War.


We can remember, when we fust enlisted, it was hardly safe for we to pass by de camps to Beaufort and back, lest we went in a mob and carried side arms. But we whipped down all dat- - not by going into de white camps for whip um; we didn't tote our bayonets for whip um; but we lived it down by our naturally manhood; and now de white sojers take us by de hand and say Broder Sojer. Dats what dis regiment did for de Epiopian race.

If we hadn't become sojers, all might have gone back as it was before; our freedom might have slipped through de two houses of Congress and President Linkum's four years might have passed by and notin' been done for us. But now tings can neber go back, because we have showed our energy and our courage and our naturally manhood.
http://www.vgskole.net/prosjekt/slavrute/38.htm

Source: Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Army Life in a Black Regiment (Boston, 1870).

 

[18thVirginia]

Beaufort, Port Royal Island, South Carolina. Live oak avenue Robert B. Rhett's plantation (LoC)

Robert Barnwell Rhett owned two plantations, over 200 slaves and a townhouse in Charleston. He was a strident fire-eater who spent much of his time as a voice for disunion.

 

[18thVirginia]

Mill's Plantation, Point Royal, South Carolina.