Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-08-20
HISTORIC DAWFUSKIE ISLAND.
Scene Of Many Indian Struggles and
the Battle of Bloody Point.

! Dawfuskie island, one of the island:
not far distant from the city. and one
Of the most interesting historically
Dawfuskie is the Indian name of the
island. 1t is some six miles in Length
and four miles in width. noted Tor its
fish, oysters and crabs, and famous q
late years for its deer hunting. Tie
Indians were very partial to il. that IS
judging from the mounds. tomahawks
arrow heads and ether relics of that
race which are still to be found On tie
island. 1t is the southeastermost point
of South Carolina, and directly oppo-
site Tybee island, and in what was
formerly known as St Luke's parish
Beaufort district, but now legally deslg.
mated as Yemassee township. Beaufort
county.
The island was at one time the prop.
erty Of the Mongin family, who settle I'd
it about 1850, and up to the beginning
of the late war it was divided into sew.
eral plantations and had a population
in addition to the planters families, Ct
about 1900 slaves. Several places on
the island are still owned by the de-
scendants of the Mongins, "BlooGy
Point" by Mongin Stoddard. and Mel
rose" by Alfred H. Stoddard.
The following story of Dawfuskie is
land appeared IN the Morning News OF
June "a, 1878, and is all of its early
history that can be found:
The massacre of Bloody Point
though previous to the revolutionary
war, IS still interesting as relating 10
the ancient history of St Luke. The
island cf Port Royal and st. Helena
were pretty thickly settled with white
population, when Hilton Head, Dow
Dusky, Pinckney and the other neigh
boring islands were held il possession
by few isolated Indians, or were alto
gether uninhabited, they formed a kind
Of neutral ground between the white
and red men. The Indians from Georgia
were in the habit Of making frequenz
inrOads upon the white settlements,
killing the inhabitants, and carrying
off whatever plumber they could gather.
to their remOter homes in the further
south-they formed large war parties
and would proceed as far north as lii
ton Head; here they would skuI!1 2Ecut
till a fair chance offered whel they
would cross Broad River and ravage
the neighboring settlements, hence the
name of Skulk Greek land not Skull,
as is now written).
'The Indians were in the habit OF re-
turning to Skulk Creek after these in
vasions, and would elude pursuit
among its numerous hooks and wind
ings. Upon one of these occasions,
after having committed a number of
murders, and having loaded their ca
noes with whatever plumber they were
able to collect, having secured a quau-
THY of fire water it is presumed,
from the sequel, they passed through
Skulk Greek on their return south,
without stopping in their old haunts,
and never halted until they reached
Dow Dusky, where they thought they
would be beyond the reach of the
whites.
"a very strong and determined party
of whites went in pursuit of them. On
from few Indians of a friendly tribe
that their enemies had not halted, but
had proceeded on south. Having in
duced these frieesadly Indians to join
them as gu1ues, 1Eney uu.-ts->,,nd their
pursuit farther south. When they had
gone on as far as Dow Dusky they dis
covered from the smoke Of their camp
that the Indians had halted at the
southeast point of the island. The
whites landed on the northwest por-
tion. and marched toward their enc
mics. The Indians had put up all their
boats a short distance up what is now
known as New River, to avoid the
surf, which breaks upon the point; the
Indians were at the extreme point, en-
loving themselves in an unWonted
roun d of conviviality and feasting
The whites approached cautiously and
stealthily, and, having got between the
Indians and their boats, effectually cut
off their retreat. A shower of bullets
was the first intimatiOn they had OF
the presence Of an enemy. They were
shot down, bayoneted, sabered and
were finally driven into the sea-.
THE surprise was complete; the
/ massacre was dreadful; the white sands
were crimsoned with blood, and the
/ earth was strewn with wounded, dying
and dead. A whole tribe was almost
destroyed A few, very few, escaped
by swimming, some to the opposite
marsh. and one swan entirely over tc
Tybee, a distance of three miles. From
the dreadful carnage at this point i
received the name of Bloody Point
! which it retains to this time, it being
the extreme southeastern point o.
| South Carolina. After this decisive
victory the settlements to the north o.
Broad River received no further mo
lestation from the southern Indians
and soon after Hilton Head itself be
gan to be settled by the whites. The
Indians who escaped, having collected
after a lapse of some time, returned II
Hilton Head, and, finding only two q
The tribe who had guided the whites II
! their pursuit, avenged the downfall q
the tradition Of st. Luke .'-SayannaI