The issue of secession still inflames the hearts and minds of some Americans in the current political environment. But that is not an appropriate topic for this blog. The Secession that I am talking about here is Beaufort District's role in the 19th century Secessionist movement in the United States.
Secession had been championed by native Beaufortonian and Charleston Mercury publisher Robert Barnwell Rhett
ever since his fulminant speech under the live oak tree near Bluffton
in 1833. Others known as "Fire-Eaters" followed his lead and over the years more and more influential Southern White men began to consider secession as a viable option to their political, social and economic problems during the mid-19th century. Dr. John McCardell, Jr. examined how this change in thought came about in his lecture "The Idea of a Southern Nation" as part of the 2009 Beaufort Tricentennial Lecture Series.
On December 20th, 1860, one hundred sixty-nine (169) delegates sat in Charleston's Institute Hall deciding whether or not South Carolina could - and should - leave the United States of America. Representing Beaufort District at the Convention were: Robert Woodward Barnwell; Langdon Cheves; Richard James Davant; John Edward Frampton; William Ferguson Hutson; Joseph Daniel Pope; George Rhodes; and Ephraim Mikell Seabrook. You can read what they and others said at the Convention in South Carolina on the "Documenting the American South" website. All these men -- indeed all the delegates present at the Secession Convention -- voted in favor of secession and signed the state's Ordinance of Secession.
However, not everyone in South Carolina was in favor of secession. Beaufort native William John Grayson, though pro-slavery, remained a Unionist until his death during the war years. South
Carolina's most ardent Unionist was James Louis Petigru who had taught
school at Beaufort College and practiced law at the Beaufort District
Courthouse when it was located in Coosawhatchie. He is most remembered
for saying "They've gone mad. South Carolina is too small to be a
republic and too large to be an insane asylum."
Petigru remained an Unionist until his death in Charleston in 1863. He was highly respected despite his political views. City and state officials, as well as Charleston's Confederate officer corps, followed his coffin to St. Michael's Cemetery in tribute.
- The real SC Ordinance of Secession is safely stored away in the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
- We have a facsimile of the Ordinance of Secession in the BDC Research Room.
- For
a basic introduction to South Carolina's Ordinance of Secession
published by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History we
recommend Relic of the Lost Cause.
- The American
Battlefield Trust has created lesson plans for elementary through high school students to help them draw conclusions about the legality of the Ordinance.
- The text of the Ordinance of Secession is found in the "Teaching American History in South Carolina: a state-wide approach to teaching professional development" web page about the historic document.
- Dr. John McCardell, Jr. examined how disgruntlement turned into Secessionism in his lecture "The Idea of a Southern Nation" as part of the 2009 Beaufort Tricentennial Lecture Series.
- The first "true copy" of the South Carolina Ordinance of Secession to
fall into Union hands was actually captured in the immediate aftermath
of the Battle of Port Royal Sound -- right here in Beaufort County.
There are indeed many more titles on the topic of "Secession" in the SCLENDS catalog and through the Hoopla catalog if the ones that I have chosen for the flyers are not enough for you to get started exploring the topic. A valid Beaufort County Library card is all that is needed to borrow circulating materials from the SCLENDS consortium.
In addition, the BDC's WordPress blog contains lists of links and materials about the man who started the Bluffton Movement that ultimately led to the Palmetto State's secession, Robert Barnwell Rhett; his cousin, Robert Woodward Barnwell; Unionist William John Grayson; and Unionist James Louis Petigru. 
SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENTS:
Please note that the Library is entering the year-end holidays so there are some closures of note for you to pencil into your calendars.
Special Circumstances in the Research Room:
Since October 5th, 2020 access to the Research Room is by advance appointment only.
If you want to schedule an appointment, be sure to email bdc@bcgov.net or call 843-255-6468 to make the necessary arrangements. Just be aware that permanent reduction in BDC staff size has severely restricted appointment opportunities.
The Beaufort District Collection Research Room will be closed from Thursday, December 23, 2021 through Monday, December 27, 2021. Appointments will be accepted as available on December 28, December 29, and December 30th.
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