Military History Tour
Tour Description
Mount Pleasant played a key role in the defense of the Charleston Harbor. A battery, built in
Mount Pleasant in 1775, protected the waterway and allowed for the construction of Fort Moultrie. The areas along Mathis Ferry, Hwy 17, and Shem Creek had shipyards, powder magazines, and places for British prisoners. The Hibben House, now the oldest home in Mount Pleasant, housed General William Moultrie and other officers during and after the war. Did you know that South Carolina had the most Revolutionary War battles of any other state
Learn more local military history by taking this tour!
Locations for Tour
Shipyard Road
A close relationship existed between the Jacob Bond family of Hobcaw Plantation and the owners of the nearby colonial shipyards. The plantation’s live oaks and longleaf pines were used to build ships. East and West Shipyard roads follow the route of…
Hog Island Battery
Early in the war, torpedoes (mines) were placed in the Hog Island Channel to defend against Union ships that might slip past Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie. The Hog Island Battery, also known as the Shem Creek Battery, was built on the southern tip of…
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum
The South Carolina General Assembly passed legislation in 1973 enabling the establishment of the Patriots Point Authority to develop a portion of Hog Island as a national naval museum. The museum opened on October 13, 1975, the 200th birthday of the…
USS Yorktown (CV-10)
The keel for the aircraft carrier BonHomme Richard was laid down December 1, 1941, six days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The vessel was renamed USS Yorktown (CV-10) in honor of the original carrier Yorktown (CV-5), the only U.S. carrier lost at…
Moultrie Schools & General William Moultrie
General William Moultrie High School, originally on Pitt Street, relocated here in 1944. In 1973, students moved into the new Wando High School on Whipple Road. The old high school became Moultrie Middle School. This facility was demolished in 2007…
Jasper Green and Sergeant William Jasper (c. 1750-1779)
Jasper Green, a grassy field, became part of Moultrie High School’s campus and was named for Sergeant William Jasper. Jasper Green was home to the Moultrie High School Generals, now the Moultrie Middle School Patriots. The Green continues to be used…
Haddrell's Point
Haddrell’s Point extended along the waterfront from Shem Creek to Cove Inlet and was named for George Haddrell, an early settler. The land bordering Shem Creek became home to important industries including factories, canneries, and rice and saw…
Hibben Street Battery
The Hibben Street Battery was located behind the Hibben House on a high bluff at the western terminus of Hibben Street in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant overlooking Charleston Harbor. The battery was constructed to serve as an inner-harbor defense…
Hibben House and British Occupation
A 1777 map shows a house on this property owned by Jacob Motte, Charleston City Treasurer. His 67 acre plantation called Mount Pleasant provided the name for the present town. James Hibben purchased the land in 1803. The home now known as the Hibben…
The Whilden House
Elias Whilden, planter and mayor (1857-1858), built his home c. 1840. Five sons fought for the Confederacy, including John Marshall Whilden. John was Captain of the Citadel cadets who fired on the steamer, The Star of the West. This action on…
54th Massachusetts Regiment
The Whilden House served as Union headquarters after the fall of Mount Pleasant in February 1865. Among the occupying troops was the first black volunteer 54th Mass. regiment. Under the command of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, this unit was made famous…
War of 1812 Encampment
On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war against Great Britain. One of the first units to be mustered into the service was the Third Regiment of South Carolina Militia, which was stationed at Haddrell’s Point, west of here, to aid in the…
Ronkin's Long Room
The crew of the Confederate submarine, H.L. Hunley, commanded by Lt. George Dixon, was temporarily quartered at Ronkin’s Long Room, 205 Ferry Street, in early 1864. The building, previously known as Shell Hall, summer home of Charles Pinckney, was…
Haddrell’s Point Redoubt -1780-Revolutionary War
The Haddrell’s Point Redoubt, located along the shoreline just north of the 1776 Fascine Battery, was positioned to defend the mouth of the Hog Island Channel. Anticipating the advance of Admiral Arbuthnot and his fleet, General Lincoln placed…
Haddrell's Point Barracks-1777-Revolutionary War
Sometime in late 1777, the American army began construction on a barracks complex for soldiers at Haddrell’s Point. In 1780, the barracks were being used as a hospital when it was captured by the British on April 26. Uzal Johnson, a Loyalist…
Haddrell’s Point Fascine Battery-1775-Revolutionary War
In December 1775, the Council of Safety ordered Colonel William Moultrie to erect a “fascine battery for four cannon, 18-pounders, at Haddrell’s Point with all convenient dispatch.” He was directed to use two hundred men commanded by a major to…
Rifle Range Road
A U.S. Navy rifle range was built near here during World War I on the site of an old S.C. National Guard firing range. Included were 100 targets. 2 armories, a 600 seat mess hall, 12 barracks, and auxiliary buildings. After 1918 the 100 acres site…
Battery Marshall
In 1864, the Confederate submarine, H.L. Hunley departed from Battery Marshall near this spot on Sullivan’s Island. It passed through Breach Inlet on assignment to sink the U.S.S. Housatonic. The Hunley crew signaled Battery Marshall that their…
British Attack at Breach Inlet
In 1776, a force of British Army regulars attempted to cross Breach Inlet in an effort to capture Fort Sullivan (Fort Moultrie). Their advance was thwarted and many British lives lost when their boats were caught in treacherous currents while under…
Confederate Lines
The earthworks nearby are remains of the 1861 fortification built to defend Mount Pleasant. They extended east 2.5 miles from Butler’s Creek at Boone Hall Plantation to Fort Palmetto on Hamlin Sound. Supporting this line were Battery Gary and those…
Hobcaw Shipyards
Shipyards built on Hobcaw Creek included Pritchard’s Shipyard, the largest in colonial South Carolina. Notable ships launched there were the 180 ton Heart of Oak (1776) and the 200 ton Magna Carta (1770). The South Carolina Navy built and maintained…
Hobcaw Point Powder Magazine
In 1770, the South Carolina colonial government authorized construction of a powder magazine near the Wando River plantations and Hobcaw Point shipyards. A four-sided earthen embankment with a brick powder magazine and guardhouse stood near here from…
Hobcaw Point Battery
Beauregard returned to Charleston in September 1862 to, once again, assume command of the Department of South Carolina and Georgia for the Confederacy. Headquartered in Charleston, he quickly began working on improving the defenses of the city.…
Lempriere's Point Battery -1780- Revolutionary War
Lempriere’s Point was located on the northwest shore of Mount Pleasant at the mouth of the Wando River. The property was part of a plantation owned by Captain Clement Lempriere and the location of Lempriere’s Ferry that offered daily runs to and from…