In Beaufort, South Carolina, citizens and soldiers wait anxiously for federal warships off the coast. “No Fleet yet, off Port Royal,” reports Thomas R S Elliott to his father. Batteries are being laid out, cannons put in place, a fort on Ladies Island is now finished, and the arrival of Dunnovants Regiment is anticipated.
The Baptist Church of Beaufort plays a role in the defenses of the city. The South Carolina congregation is a prominent church in the South. It is the home church of Richard Fuller, a leading figure in the Southern Baptist Convention, one of the founding members of the SBC in 1845, and pastor of the Beaufort congregation from 1832 to 1847.
Now, as the city fears the approach of federal forces, the church grounds are a staging area for Confederate forces and the future of the congregation is in jeopardy. While awaiting reinforcements, “One Guerilla Company, Mounted Rifles, 110 Men, are now here in camp near the Baptist Church. They are from St Lukes Parish,” Elliott reports.
The fears are well-founded. Union forces arrive and the city and church are transformed. In November 1861:
“federal forces occupied Beaufort and white residents fled, this church counted 166 white members and 3,557 African-Americans. For the next four years this was a Union town and the church building was a hospital for black soldiers. Graffiti is still visible on the belfry beams.”
