Today newly-freed former slaves gather in the Baptist Church of Beaufort, South Carolina, a coastal town under Union control and a base of operations for the housing, training and education of freedpersons, many of whom are now serving in the United States military. The story of the gathering of these freepersons in the Baptist Church…
Beaufort, South Carolina is an epicenter of African life in the South, a story of which Baptists have played a central role. During the years 1831-32 a great revival, characterized by evangelistic fervor, led many slaves to join the Baptist Church of Beaufort, a congregation founded in 1804. The slaves in Beaufort District were predominantly…
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…