South Carolina has seen more than
its share of military engagements through time. As the South Carolina
Battlefield Preservation Trust (SCBPT) website states "Since the Province
of Carolina was chartered in 1663, hundreds of battles representing nearly
every regional and national conflict have been fought on South Carolina
soil." At present the SCBPT is undertaking an archaeological inventory and
some site investigations of colonial and Revolutionary War battlefields. You
have the opportunity in August to learn a bit more about a forgotten colonial
war in a free lecture co-sponsored by the Beaufort District Collection and the
Beaufort Chapter, Archaeological Society.
Historian William Ramsey states that the little remembered Yamasee War (1715-1717) “easily ranks with King Philip’s War and Pontiac’s Rebellion” as a key colonial conflict.Yet compared to these other wars, it remains woefully understudied. “The Sadkeche Fight,” as it has been called, occurred in April 1715, just days after the Yamasee War began. It was a pivotal engagement within the war, marking the first major battle between the Yamasees and the South Carolina militia. In this battle, the militia, numbering 240, defeated a force of Yamasee Indians roughly twice its size. A number of Yamasee leaders were also killed in the fighting, which halted their advance toward Charleston.
Historian William Ramsey states that the little remembered Yamasee War (1715-1717) “easily ranks with King Philip’s War and Pontiac’s Rebellion” as a key colonial conflict.Yet compared to these other wars, it remains woefully understudied. “The Sadkeche Fight,” as it has been called, occurred in April 1715, just days after the Yamasee War began. It was a pivotal engagement within the war, marking the first major battle between the Yamasees and the South Carolina militia. In this battle, the militia, numbering 240, defeated a force of Yamasee Indians roughly twice its size. A number of Yamasee leaders were also killed in the fighting, which halted their advance toward Charleston.
On Wednesday, August 15th
at 2:00 pm Dr. Jon Marcoux of Salve Regina University will give us
an update about the search for the Battle of Sadkeche. He is an
archaeologist who specializes in cultural and historic preservation and the
study of late prehistoric and early historic Native American Indian societies
(ca. A.D. 1000-1800). Dr. Marcoux is particularly interested in studying
cultural interaction among late 17th-century Native American Indian
communities, enslaved Africans and European settlers.
We’ll set up 85 seats in the
Beaufort Branch Meeting Room - which should be more than plenty given that we
are now in the dog days of Summer and so many of our area residents are away in cooler climes. But if you’re nervous about not getting a
seat, please arrive early. We will have staff on hand beginning at 1 pm to
start giving out free tickets.
Please note: The archaeological
field work and lecture is funded with a grant from the National Park Service
American Battlefield Protection Program.
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