Battle of Port Royal
Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles appointed a commission to study the difficulties of blockading the Southern coastline. Captain Samuel Francis Du Pont chaired this group, which later became known as the Du Pont Board. The commission issued its second report on the 13th of July 1861, evaluating potential targets along the South Carolina coast. They identified three specific locations: Bull's Bay, St. Helena Sound, and Port Royal Sound. While they deemed Port Royal the best harbor for future operations, they hesitated to recommend it due to fears of strong defenses. This initial assessment set the stage for a major naval operation that would not occur until November.
Work on Fort Walker and Fort Beauregard began in July 1861 using requisitions of slave labor from local farms. Plantation owners were reluctant to provide these workers, causing construction to progress slowly. Confederate Brigadier General P. G. T. Beauregard had originally planned two forts too far apart for mutual support, but Governor Francis Pickens overruled him. Maj. Francis D. Lee, an architect who designed several Charleston churches before the war, implemented the new plans. Heavy guns required by Beauregard were unavailable, so engineers increased the number of smaller caliber weapons instead. This change forced the removal of traverses, leaving the water battery vulnerable to enfilade fire during the upcoming battle.
On the 28th of October 1861, twenty-five coal and ammunition vessels departed Hampton Roads accompanied by two warships. The remainder of the fleet, including seventeen warships and all army transports, put out to sea the next day. A total of seventy-seven vessels formed the largest assemblage ever to sail under the American flag at that time. Bad weather delayed departure by a week, allowing Du Pont and Sherman to finalize arrangements. Almost everything about the expedition except its target was known to the world when the New York Times published a front-page article on October 26 detailing the full order of battle. Two days after the main fleet left, gale force winds struck, forcing some ships to abort their mission or return home for repairs.
Flag Officer Samuel F. Du Pont ordered his ships to keep moving in an elliptical path while bombarding Fort Walker and Fort Beauregard. This tactic had recently been used effectively at the Battle of Hatteras Inlet. The plan called for the heaviest ships to execute turns to the left in column and repeat the maneuver until the issue was decided. First to leave the line was the third ship, Mohican, under Commander Sylvanus W. Godon. Godon found he could enfilade the water battery from a safe position, so he dropped out. Those following him were confused and also dropped out, leaving only Wabash and Susquehanna in the line of battle. The breakdown occurred shortly before noon on the 7th of November 1861.
Despite heavy volume of fire, loss of life on both sides remained low by later Civil War standards. Only eight men were killed in the fleet and eleven on shore, with four other Confederates missing. Total casualties came to less than 100 people during the engagement. When Fort Walker fell, Colonel Robert Gill Mills Dunovant feared his soldiers would be cut off with no way to escape. He ordered them to abandon the fort without destroying their stores to avoid attracting fleet attention. A landing party took possession of Fort Beauregard and raised the Union flag the next day after realizing the fort was unmanned.
Union forces consolidated their victory by occupying Beaufort immediately following the capture of the forts. They then moved north to take St. Helena Sound, continuing up to rivers on the south side of Charleston. This expansion initiated the siege of Charleston, which continued until the last days of the war. Confederate General Robert E. Lee withdrew his forces from the coast to defend vital interior positions instead of contesting the gunboats. He successfully thwarted Federal efforts to cut the railroad link between Savannah and Charleston even after being recalled to Richmond for command of the Army of Northern Virginia.
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Common questions
Who appointed the commission that studied blockading the Southern coastline before the Battle of Port Royal?
Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles appointed a commission to study the difficulties of blockading the Southern coastline. Captain Samuel Francis Du Pont chaired this group, which later became known as the Du Pont Board.
When did the fleet for the Battle of Port Royal depart from Hampton Roads?
On the 28th of October 1861, twenty-five coal and ammunition vessels departed Hampton Roads accompanied by two warships. The remainder of the fleet including seventeen warships and all army transports put out to sea the next day.
What tactical error occurred during the bombardment phase of the Battle of Port Royal?
Flag Officer Samuel F. Du Pont ordered his ships to keep moving in an elliptical path while bombarding Fort Walker and Fort Beauregard. This tactic led to confusion when ships dropped out of line leaving only Wabash and Susquehanna in the line of battle shortly before noon on the 7th of November 1861.
How many total casualties were recorded during the Battle of Port Royal?
Total casualties came to less than 100 people during the engagement with eight men killed in the fleet and eleven on shore. Four other Confederates went missing but no further details exist regarding their status.
Why did Confederate forces withdraw from the coast after the Battle of Port Royal?
Confederate General Robert E. Lee withdrew his forces from the coast to defend vital interior positions instead of contesting the gunboats. He successfully thwarted Federal efforts to cut the railroad link between Savannah and Charleston even after being recalled to Richmond for command of the Army of Northern Virginia.
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2 references cited across the entry
- 2bookIn War Time and Other PoemsJohn Greenleaf Whittier — Ticknor and Fields — 1864