Bluffton, South Carolina - Union troops burn town, Heyward Home/Museum

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This is another reason why the War is called, "The War of Nothern Aggression" or "Lincoln's War on Americans". This is one of the many American towns that were not only plundered and ransacked, but also burned. The Burning of Bluffton, South Carolina, occurred on June 4, 1863 as part of a Union operation known as the Bluffton Expedition. Bluffton, a small town on the May River in Beaufort County, was notably tied to the 1844 Bluffton Movement, which advocated for South Carolina’s secession over federal tariffs.
Under orders from infamous Maj General David Hunter who had a reputation for extreme brutality and abolitionist extremist, approximately 1,000 Union troops, led by Colonel William Barton, landed near Bluffton. Union troops set fire to Bluffton, destroying about two-thirds of its estimated 60 structures, including 40 homes, businesses, and public buildings. The blaze was so intense that smoke clouds lingered into the next day, marking the end of Bluffton’s antebellum way of life. Approximately 15-17 structures survived, including the Heyward House, Campbell Chapel AME Church, the Church of the Cross, and a few antebellum homes.
The burning devastated Bluffton’s residents, many of whom lost homes and livelihoods. Confederate forces, after retreating westward along what is now May River Road, received reinforcements and pushed the Union troops back to their gunboats, but the damage was done. The event symbolized the war’s brutality against civilian populations and foreshadowed the decline of the Southern antebellum era. The Bluffton Historical Preservation Society and the Heyward House Museum preserve artifacts and provide resources on the event.
This historical sign is located at map coordinates: 32°14'04.0N 80°51'40.8W. Many of the photos are of the Heyward House (now museum) that was one of the few buildings in town that survived the burnings. Photos taken Sept 29, 2020.
#blufftonsc #southern #dixie #dixieland #civilwar #heyward

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