text: battle of beaufort the battle of beaufort , also known as the battle of port royal island , was fought on february 3 , 1779 , near beaufort , south carolina , during the american revolutionary war . the inconsequential battle took place not long after british forces consolidated control around savannah , georgia , which they had captured in december 1778 . brigadier general augustine prevost sent 200 british regulars to seize port royal island at the mouth of the broad river in south carolina in late january 1779 . major general benjamin lincoln , the american commander in the south , sent south carolina brigadier general william moultrie from purrysburg , south carolina with a mixed force composed mainly of militia , but with a few continental army men , to meet the british advance . the battle was inconclusive , but the british withdrew first and suffered heavier casualties than the americans . background the british began their " southern strategy " by sending expeditions from new york city and saint augustine , east florida to capture savannah , georgia late in 1778 . the new york expedition , under the command of lieutenant colonel archibald campbell , arrived first , and successfully captured the town on december 29 , 1778 . remnants of savannah 's defenders combined with south carolina militia under major general benjamin lincoln at an encampment at purrysburg , south carolina to oppose the british . when brigadier general augustine prevost arrived from saint augustine in mid - january 1779 , he assumed command of the garrison there , and on the 22nd sent a force under campbell to take control of augusta and raise loyalist militia companies . prevost decided thereafter to send a force to occupy port royal island just up the coast in south carolina , where he had been led to believe that loyalist sentiment was strong . on january 29 the hms vigilant , an unseaworthy ship of the line that had been converted to a floating battery , was towed by royal navy crews in longboats through the channel separating hilton head island from the mainland . she was accompanied by a flotilla of smaller ships that carried 200 infantry from the 16th and 60th regiments under major william gardner , who had orders to take control of beaufort , the island 's main settlement . the only major defense establishment on port royal island was fort lyttelton , which was garrisoned by a company of continental army troops under captain john . when he learned that a comparatively large british force was moving in his direction , he spiked the fort 's cannons and blew up its main bastion in order to deny their use to the superior force . when general lincoln learned that communications with port royal island had been cut off by the british advance , he sent south carolina brigadier general william moultrie , who had distinguished himself in the 1776 battle of sullivan 's island , and 300 men to counter the move . moultrie 's force was composed mostly of south carolina militia from the beaufort area , but it was accompanied by a few continental army regulars , and two companies of artillery from charleston , which were headed by former congressmen edward rutledge and thomas heyward , jr . this force arrived at the main port royal ferry on the 31st , not long after had finished destroying the fort . they crossed over to the island on february 1 and occupied beaufort . battle gardner 's men landed on port royal island at the plantation of andrew deveaux ( present - day laurel bay ) , a loyalist who may have guided them , on february 2 . gardner sent a detachment to secure the island side of the ferry . these men retreated when they encountered patriot troops , and gardner began to move his main force toward beaufort to face the americans . early on february 3 general moultrie was alerted to the british presence , and moved his forces out of town . the two forces met near the highest ground on port royal island , a rise called gray 's hill that was about 3 miles ( 4 . 8 km ) south of the ferry and in the middle of the island . gardner lined his men up at the edge of some woods near the top of the hill and advanced with bayonets fixed . the americans approached and lined up in an open field outside musket range . general moultrie positioned two six - pound field cannons in the center of his line , with a smaller two - pounder on the right . the americans then advanced on the british , moultrie observing that the action was " reversed from the usual way of fighting between british and americans ; they taking the bushes and we taking the open ground . " the americans opened fire first with the artillery , and then with musket volleys . the battle continued for about 45 minutes , at which point the americans were running low on ammunition . moultrie had begun a withdrawal when the british were also observed to retreat , leaving the field to the americans . a company of light horse militia chased after the british , very nearly cutting them off from their boats . they successfully captured 26 men , but were unable to hold all of them due to their small numbers . aftermath in addition to the prisoners taken ( sources cite either seven or twelve were retained ) , the british reportedly suffered 40 killed or wounded , although deserters reported that nearly half of gardner 's men had been hit by american fire . the americans , in contrast , suffered only 8 killed and 22 wounded . gardner was criticized by prevost for the mauling his detachment received because he strayed too far from his boats . it was not gardner 's fault , however , that he had no loyalist support . the victory of a largely militia force over british regulars was a boost to the americans ' morale . however , severe losses incurred in early march at brier creek delayed american plans to move against prevost 's forces in georgia . when lincoln began moving troops toward augusta in april , prevost moved in force toward charleston , but was able to do little more than briefly blockade the city before retreating back to savannah . port royal island was again occupied by the british during this campaign . the battle is commemorated by a highway marker on u. s. route 21 near the battle site . fort lyttelton 's remains are listed on the national register of historic places .