Battle of Port Royal The Battle of Port Royal was one of the earliest amphibious operations of the American Civil War , in which a United States Navy fleet and United States Army expeditionary force captured Port Royal Sound , South Carolina , between Savannah , Georgia and Charleston , South Carolina , on November 7 , 1861 . The sound was guarded by two forts on opposite sides of the entrance , Fort Walker on Hilton Head Island to the south and Fort Beauregard on Phillip ' s Island to the north . A small force of four gunboat s supported the forts , but did not materially affect the battle . The attacking force assembled outside of the sound beginning on November 3 after being battered by a storm during their journey down the coast . Because of losses in the storm , the army was not able to land , so the battle was reduced to a contest between ship - based guns and those on shore . The fleet moved to the attack on November 7 , after more delays caused by the weather during which additional troops were brought into Fort Walker . Flag Officer Du Pont ordered his ships to keep moving in an elliptical path , bombarding Fort Walker on one leg and Fort Beauregard on the other ; the tactic had recently been used effectively at the Battle of Hatteras Inlet . His plan soon broke down , however , and most ships took enfilading positions that exploited a weakness in Fort Walker . The Confederate gunboats put in a token appearance , but fled up a nearby creek when challenged . Early in the afternoon , most of the guns in the fort were out of action , and the soldiers manning them fled to the rear . A landing party from the flagship took possession of the fort . When Fort Walker fell , the commander of Fort Beauregard across the sound feared that his soldiers would soon be cut off with no way to escape , so he ordered them to abandon the fort . Another landing party took possession of the fort and raised the Union flag the next day . Despite the heavy volume of fire , loss of life on both sides was low , at least by standards set later in the Civil War . Only eight were killed in the fleet and eleven on shore , with four other Southerners missing . Total casualties came to less than 100 . Preparations . Development of Northern strategy . Early in the war , the U . S . Navy had the responsibility of blockading the Southern coastline , but found this task difficult when forced to rely on fueling and resupply ports in the North for its coal - fired steamships . The problems of the blockade were considered by a commission appointed by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles . Chairman of the commission was Capt . Samuel Francis Du Pont . The commission stated its views of the South Carolina coast in its second report , dated July 13 . In order to improve the blockade of Charleston , they considered seizing a nearby port . They gave particular attention to three : Bull ' s Bay to the north of Charleston , and St . Helena Sound and Port Royal Sound to the south . The latter two would also be useful in the blockade of Savannah . They considered Port Royal to be the best harbor , but believed that it would be strongly defended and therefore were reluctant to recommend that it be taken . Southern preparations . Shortly after the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor had started the war , Confederate Brigadier General P . G . T . Beauregard did not believe that Port Royal Sound could be adequately defended , as forts on opposite sides of the sound would be too far apart for mutual support . Overruled by South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens , he drew up plans for two forts at the entrance . Soon called away to serve the Confederate Army in Virginia , he turned the task of implementing his plans over to Maj . Francis D . Lee of the South Carolina Army Engineers . Before the war , Lee had been an architect , and had designed several churches in Charleston . Work on the two forts began in July 1861 , but progressed only slowly . Labor for the construction was obtained by requisitions of slave labor from local plantations , which the owners were reluctant to provide . Construction was not complete when the attack came . Beauregard ' s plan was also altered because the heavy guns he wanted were not available . To compensate for the reduced weight of fire by increased volume , the number of guns in the water battery of Fort Walker was increased from seven columbiad s to 12 guns of smaller caliber , plus a single . Fitting the increased number into the available space required that the traverses be eliminated . The battery was therefore vulnerable to enfilade . In addition to the 13 guns of the water battery , Fort Walker had another seven guns mounted to repel land attacks from the rear and three on the right wing . Two other guns were in the fort , but were not mounted . Fort Beauregard was almost as strong ; it also had 13 guns that bore on the channel , plus six others for protection against land attacks . The garrisons were increased in size ; 687 men were in and near Fort Wagner in mid - August . On November 6 , another 450 infantry and 50 artillerymen were added , and 650 more came from Georgia the same day . Because of its isolated position , the garrison of Fort Beauregard could not be easily increased . The force on Philip ' s Island was 640 men , of whom 149 were in the fort and the remainder infantry defending against land assault . For lack of transportation , all of the late - arriving troops were retained at Fort Walker . While the forts were being built , the state of Georgia was forming a rudimentary navy by converting a few tugs and other harbor craft into gunboats . Although they could not face the ships of the US Navy on the open seas , their shallow draft enabled them to move freely about in the inland waters along the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia . They were commanded by Flag Officer Josiah Tattnall . When the Georgia navy was transferred to and became part of the Confederate States Navy , Tattnall found himself in charge of the coastal defenses of both South Carolina and Georgia . He had four gunboats in the vicinity of Port Royal Sound ; one was a converted coaster , and three were former tugs . Each mounted only two guns . Command . Federal army and navy . Throughout the summer of 1861 , the task of blockading the entire Atlantic coast of the Confederacy was assigned to the U . S . Navy ' s Atlantic Blockading Squadron . Because of the great distances involved , the squadron was split in mid - September . Responsibility for the coast south of the North Carolina – South Carolina state line was given to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron . Command of the new squadron was given to Du Pont , who henceforth was addressed as Flag Officer Du Pont . Du Pont did not assume command immediately , as he continued to prepare for the attack . As retaining possession of shore facilities would require land forces , getting the cooperation of the U . S . Army was among the first requirements . The War Department agreed to furnish 13 , 000 troops , to be commanded by Brigadier General Thomas W . Sherman . Sherman ' s force was organized into three brigades , under Brigadier Generals Egbert L . Viele , Isaac I . Stevens , and Horatio G . Wright . Serious planning was thereafter done by Du Pont , Sherman , Wright , and the Quartermaster General , Brigadier General Montgomery C . Meigs . Confederate army . In the months preceding the battle , the army in South Carolina went through several changes in leadership . On May 27 , 1861 , Beauregard left , being called to serve with the Confederate States ( CS ) Army in Virginia . Command of the state volunteer forces was then transferred to Colonel Richard H . Anderson . Anderson was in turn replaced by Brigadier General Roswell S . Ripley of the CS Army , who on August 21 , 1861 was assigned to command of the Department of South Carolina . The final relevant change at the top took place almost on the eve of battle , on November 5 , 1861 , when the coasts of South Carolina , Georgia , and East Florida were constituted a military department under the command of General Robert E . Lee . ( General Lee was not closely related to Major Francis D . Lee , the engineer responsible for building Forts Walker and Beauregard . ) None of these changes was particularly important , as most attention was given to more active parts of the war than Port Royal Sound . The most important change of command directly affecting the forts took place on October 17 , 1861 , when Brigadier General Thomas F . Drayton was assigned to the Third Military District of the Department of South Carolina , which meant that the forts were in his jurisdiction . Drayton , who was a member of a prominent Charleston family and a graduate of the US Military Academy , remained in command through the actions of November 7 . Whether he could have hastened the preparations of the forts for battle is debatable ; the fact is that he did not . The expedition . Although preparations for battle proceeded throughout the summer and early fall of 1861 , the schedule proposed by the administration could not be met . As late as September 18 , President Lincoln could still advocate a start date of October 1 . Du Pont felt that the Navy Department was rushing him in without proper preparation . Despite his reservations , the force was assembled — the soldiers and their transports at Annapolis , Maryland , the sailors and warships at New York . The two branches rendezvoused at Hampton Roads . Bad weather delayed departure from there by another week , during which time Du Pont and Sherman were able to make final arrangements . Among the issues to be settled was the target ; up until this time , the decision of whether to strike at Bull ' s Bay or Port Royal had not been made . Only after he was sure that the latter would meet future needs of the fleet , and Bull ' s Bay would not , did Du Pont finally commit the expedition to the attack on Port Royal . On October 28 , 25 coal and ammunition vessels departed Hampton Roads , accompanied by two warships , and . The remainder of the fleet , including 17 warships and all of the army transports , put out to sea the next day . The full fleet of 77 vessels was the largest assemblage of ships that had ever sailed under the American flag ; the distinction would not last long . In an effort to maintain secrecy , Du Pont had not told anyone other than his immediate staff the destination . He had given each captain a sealed envelope , to be opened only at sea . The message given to Captain Francis S . Haggerty of " Vandalia " is typical : " Port Royal , S . C . , is the port of destination for yourself and the ships of your convoy . " Efforts at secrecy notwithstanding , almost everything about the expedition except its target was known to the entire world . Two days before departure of the main fleet , the " New York Times " carried a front - page article entitled " The Great Naval Expedition , " in which the full order of battle down to regimental level was laid out for all to see . The article was repeated , word for word , in the Charleston newspapers of November 1 . Although Du Pont and others muttered aloud about treason and leaks in high places , the article was in fact the product of straightforward journalism . The author had gained most of his information by mingling with soldiers and sailors . No one had thought to sequester the men from the populace , even though the loyalties of the citizens of Maryland and Hampton Roads were divided . ( Perhaps some real espionage was also available . Although the destination was supposed to be unknown until after the fleet sailed , acting Confederate Secretary of War Judah P . Benjamin on November 1 telegraphed the South Carolina authorities that " the enemy ' s expedition is intended for Port Royal . " ) The fleet maintained its formation as it moved down the coast until it had passed Cape Hatteras . As it passed into South Carolina waters on November 1 , however , the wind increased to gale force , and in mid - afternoon Du Pont ordered the fleet to disregard the order of sailing . Most of the ships managed to ride out the storm , but some had to abort their mission and return home for repairs , and others were lost . Gunboat had to jettison most of her guns in order to stay afloat . Three ships carrying food and ammunition were sunk or driven ashore without loss of life : " Union " , " Peerless " , and " Osceola " . Transport " Governor " , carrying 300 Marines , went down ; most of her contingent were saved , but seven men were drowned or otherwise lost in the rescue . The scattered ships began to arrive at the entrance to Port Royal Sound on November 3 , and continued to straggle in for the next four days . The first day , November 4 , was devoted to preparing new charts for the sound . The Coast Survey vessel , under her civilian captain Charles Boutelle , accompanied by gunboats , , and , entered the harbor and confirmed that the water was deep enough for all ships in the fleet . Confederate Flag Officer Josiah Tattnall took his small flotilla , consisting of the gunboats CSS " Savannah " , " Resolute " , " Lady Davis " , and " Sampson " out to interfere with their measurements , but the superior firepower of the Union gunboats forced them to retire . Early in the morning of November 5 , gunboats " Ottawa " , " Seneca " , " Pembina " , " Curlew " , " Isaac Smith " , and , made another incursion into the harbor , this time seeking to draw enemy fire so as to gauge their strength . Again the Confederate flotilla came out to meet them , and again they were driven back . At about the time that the gunboats returned to the anchorage and the captains of the warships assembled to formulate plans for the assault on the forts , General Sherman informed Du Pont that the army could not take part in the operation . The loss of his ships in the storm had deprived him of his landing boats as well as much of his needed ammunition . Furthermore , his transports were not combat loaded . Sherman would not commit his troops until the arrival of transport " Ocean Express " , carrying most of his small ammunition and heavy ordnance , and delayed by the storm . She would not arrive until after the battle was over . Unwilling to cancel the operation at this point , Du Pont ordered his fleet to attack , concentrating their fire on Fort Walker . As they moved in , however , flagship , drawing , grounded on Fishing Rip Shoal . By the time she was worked free , the day was too far gone to continue the attack . The weather on the next day , November 6 , was stormy , so Du Pont postponed the attack for one more day . During the delay , Commander Charles Henry Davis , Du Pont ' s fleet captain and chief of staff , had the idea of keeping the ships in motion while bombarding the forts . This was a tactic that had recently been used successfully at the Battle of Hatteras Inlet . He presented his idea to the flag officer , who agreed . The plan as completed by Du Pont called for his fleet to enter the harbor at mid - channel . On the way in , they would engage both forts . After passing the forts , the heaviest ships would execute a turn to the left in column and go back against Fort Walker . Again past the fort , they would once more turn in column , and repeat the maneuver until the issue was decided . While the main fleet was thus engaged , five of his lighter gunboats would form a flanking column that would proceed to the head of the harbor and shield the rest of the fleet from Tattnall ' s flotilla . Battle . On November 7 , the air was calm and gave no further reason for delay . The fleet was drawn up in two columns and moved to the attack . The main body consisted of nine ships with guns and one without . In order , they were flagship " Wabash " , , , " Seminole " , " Pawnee " , , " Ottawa " , " Pembina " , " Isaac Smith " , and " Vandalia " . " Isaac Smith " had jettisoned her guns during the storm , but she would now contribute by towing the sailing vessel " Vandalia " . Five gunboats formed the flanking column : , " Seneca " , " Penguin " , " Curlew " , and . Three other gunboats , , , and " Penguin " remained behind to protect the transports . The fight started at 09 : 26 , when a gun in Fort Walker fired on the approaching fleet . ( This first shell exploded harmlessly a short distance out of the muzzle . ) Other shots followed , the fleet replied by firing on both forts , and the action became general . Shells from the fleet ripped into the forts , although many of them passed harmlessly overhead and landed well beyond . Because the motion of the ships disrupted their aim , most of the shots from the forts missed ; generally , they aimed too high , sending the missiles that were on target into the masts and upper works of the vessels . The ships proceeded according to Du Pont ' s orders through the first turn , but then the plan fell apart . First to leave was the third ship in the main column , " Mohican " , under Commander Sylvanus W . Godon . Godon found that he could enfilade the water battery from a position safe from return fire , so he dropped out . Those following him were confused , so they also dropped out . Only " Wabash " and " Susquehanna " continued in the line of battle . The two ships made their second and third passes , and then were joined , inexplicably , by gunboat " Bienville " . The bombardment continued in this way until shortly after noon , when , delayed by the storm , put in her appearance . Her captain , Commander Percival Drayton , placed the ship in position to enfilade Fort Walker and joined the battle . Commander Drayton was the brother of Thomas F . Drayton , the Confederate general who commanded the forces ashore . Ashore , Fort Walker was suffering , with most of the damage being done by the ships that had dropped out of the line of battle . The exhausted gunners had only three guns left in the water battery , the others being disabled . About 12 : 30 , General Drayton left the fort to collect some reserves to replace the men in the fort . Before leaving , he turned command over to Colonel William C . Heyward , with instructions to hold out as long as possible . As he was returning at 14 : 00 , he found the men leaving the fort . They explained that they were almost out of powder for the guns , and had therefore abandoned their position . The departure of the soldiers from the fort was noticed by sailors in the fleet , and signal was soon passed to cease fire . A boat crew led by Commander John Rodgers went ashore under a flag of truce and found the fort abandoned . Rodgers therefore raised the Union flag . No effort was made to further press the men who had just left the fort , so the entire surviving Confederate force was permitted to escape to the mainland . Fort Beauregard had not suffered punishment as severe as that given to Fort Walker , but Colonel R . G . M . Dunovant was concerned that the enemy could easily cut off his only line of retreat . When the firing at Fort Walker ceased and cheering in the fleet was heard , he realized that his command was in peril . Rather than be trapped , he ordered the troops on Philip ' s Island to abandon their positions . This they did without destroying their stores , because to do so would have attracted the attention of the fleet . Their departure was not noted , and not until a probing attack by gunboat " Seneca " elicited no reply was it realized that the fort was unmanned . As it was then very late in the day , raising the Union flag on Fort Beauregard was delayed until the following morning . Aftermath . The battle being over , personnel losses could be determined . Despite the large expenditure of shot and shell by both sides , casualties were rather light . In the forts , 11 men had been killed , 47 were wounded , and 4 were missing . In the fleet , 8 were killed and 23 wounded . These numbers do not include those lost in the sinking of transport " Governor . " Immediately following the capture of the forts , the Union forces consolidated their victory by occupying Beaufort , and then moved north by next taking St . Helena Sound . The northward expansion continued up to the rivers on the south side of Charleston , where it was halted . Thus , the siege of Charleston , which continued until the last days of the war , can be said to have been initiated at Port Royal Sound . General Lee , who had been placed in command too late to affect the battle , decided that he would not contest the Union gunboats . He withdrew his forces from the coast and defended only vital interior positions . He was able to thwart Federal efforts to cut the vital railroad link between Savannah and Charleston . Lee ' s strategy was maintained even after he was recalled to Richmond and given command of the Army of Northern Virginia , where he earned his fame . Flag Officer Du Pont was widely honored for his part in the victory . When the rank of rear admiral was created for the U . S . Navy in July 1862 , he was the second person ( after David G . Farragut ) to be promoted . He retained command of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron , and directed continuing naval operations against the coast , including Charleston , Savannah , and Fernandina , Florida . To that end , he set up extensive works at Port Royal Sound for maintaining the fleet , including coaling , provisioning , and repair facilities . Unfortunately , Du Pont proved to be unduly cautious , and his reputation could not survive the failure of the fleet attack on Charleston of April 7 , 1863 . He soon thereafter retired from the service . General Sherman continued to serve in various capacities throughout the war , but without distinction . His abrasive personality made him difficult to work with , so he was shunted off to lesser commands . He lost his right leg in combat at Port Hudson . General Drayton also continued to serve , with even less distinction . He proved to be incompetent in the field , so he was put in various administrative positions . References . Abbreviations used :