Military Sites and Museums
South Carolina's Military Sites and Museums honor those men and women who lived and fought during the troubled birth of a young nation and those who have sacrified for freedom and liberty throughout the world. From Revolutionary War rebels to modern-day soldiers, South Carolina's military sites and museums feature historic forts, sites and battlegrounds of the American Revolution to the Civil War to the war in Iraq. Soldiers once trodded the grounds of South Carolina's state parks like Musgrove Mill and Rivers Bridge state historic sites, leaving a path of history that visitors now travel.
From the shores of Charleston to the Upstate mountains, visitors can learn more about the important roles South Carolinians had in many of America's major conflicts. The NEW Military Heritage Trail spans 14 counties, has more than 20 sites and covers history from the founding of the colony of Carolina to the Second World War. The trail celebrates the bravery of South Carolinians who risked their lives to defend their state and union.
Scroll through the listings below to locate South Carolina Military Sites and Museums. Click on the name of an attraction for more information on the site. Use the tool bar to the right of the listings to add a location to your South Carolina Trip Planner.
| |
Location |
Trip Planner |
|
Site of one of the Confederacy’s last stands against General William T. Sherman’s sweep across the South, the still-intact earthen fortifications at Rivers Bridge State Historic Site bear silent witness to the fierce battle that raged there on Feb. 2-3, 1865.
The outnumbered Southerners held on for two days, marking the only major resistance the Union army encountered on its march from Georgia through South Carolina, which culminated a few weeks later with the burning of Columbia. The war itself ended soon after.
Today, Rivers Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the only state historic site in South Carolina that preserves a Civil War battlefield.
Rivers Bridge also preserves and interprets the Memorial Grounds where Confederate dead from that two-day struggle are interred. Ranger-guided tours and special programs help educate visitors about the battle and military life during the Civil War.
|
 Ehrhardt |
Add
|
|
The Santee Indian Mound is over 3,000 years old and served as a prehistoric ceremonial and subsequent burial for the Santee Indians. It is the largest ceremonial center found on the coastal plain. Perhaps the mound's greatest notoriety comes from its use as a British fort during the American Revolution. This outpost was built by the British and was at least 30 feet high. Gen. Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, and Light Horse Harry Lee laid siege to the post April 15-23, 1781, by erecting a tower of logs under the cover of night enabling them to fire into the British stockade. This brought about the surrender of the fort cutting off the main British supply line to Camden, forcing Lord Rawdon to withdraw from that position. The Battle of Fort Watson is one of the murals featured on the Swamp Fox Murals Trail in Summerton, Paxville, Manning & Turbeville, I-95, Exit 108 to Exit 135. From an observation point at the top of Indian mound, visitors can get a panoramic view of Santee Cooper and the countryside. Santee Indian Mound and Santee National Wildlife Refuge make a historic and adventurous place to visit for hiking, biking and birding.
|
 Summerton |
Add
|
|
The Tamassee area of Oconee County is also closely associated with General Andrew Pickens and the Cherokee campaign of 1776. Follow SC 11 north of Walhalla to Oconee Station Road and turn left on S.37.95. On your right, approximately three miles is Oconee Station State Historic Site, a militia outpost and Indian trading post from the late 18th century. About one mile further was the site of Pickens' last home, the Red House. A small granite marker designates the spot, which affords the visitor a beautiful view of Tamassee Knob and the adjacent valley. Andrew Pickens built his home not far from the site of the Ring Fight, one of the most unusual battles of the Revolution. While leading a scouting party of 25 men in advance of Andrew Williamson's army, Pickens was surrounded by 185 Cherokee Indians. Although outnumbered more than seven to one, the small party defeated the Indians by firing in relays under the direction of Pickens. Tradition also recounts how the Patriots successfully set fire to the canebrake so that the popping of the burning cane would fool the enemy into thinking reinforcements were arriving
|
 Walhalla |
Add
|
|
Founded in 1896 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is the oldest museum in the Columbia area and is an agency of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board, accredited by the American Association of Museums. The museum focuses on the state's military history from the Revolutionary War to the present, with an emphasis on the Civil War era. Museum includes a gift shop.
|
 Columbia |
Add
|
|
The parish church for St. James, Goose Creek is one of the earliest Georgian style churches found in the English colonies. Built between 1713-19 by planters from Barbados this compact stucco single story structure features a slate jerkinhead roof and arched windows. Tradition has it that the church was saved from burning by British troops because of the Royal arms over the chancel. On Sunday, July 15, 1781, Wade Hampton made a raid on the church while services were in progress making prisoners of several Loyalists in the congregation.
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark.
|
 Goose Creek |
Add
|
|
Built in 1962, this automated lighthouse is adjacent to Fort Moultrie. An active light house, the 163-ft. tall structure is not open for tours but can be viewed from the road.
|
 Sullivan's Island |
Add
|
|
Artifacts and memorabilia from 1850-1900 are on exhibit here. Pictures of military personalities are displayed in the museum, as well as many items from the Florence Stockade (Union prison camp). A reference library dealing with this time period is available for public use, and museum employees will help with visitors' family genealogies. The museum gift shop offers a host of items.
|
 Florence |
Add
|
|
This American Legion War Museum contains histories of military bases both local and abroad, exhibits of actual uniforms from local units, WWII artifacts and weaponry, military awards, decorations and souvenirs from foreign campaigns. Displays cover the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, both world wars, Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf Wars.
|
 Greenville |
Add
|
|
On the campus of Clemson University is the site of Seneca Old Town where a 1776 battle between American forces led by General Andrew Williamson and the Cherokees who were supporters of the British. The Patriots erected Fort Rutledge on the site of Seneca. Today Clemson's Tillman Hall stands on the site of Fort Rutledge.
|
 Clemson |
Add
|
|
With the National Cemetery Act of 1863 Abraham Lincoln established this cemetery for soldiers who died in the Civil War. Of the 7,500 Civil War soldiers buried here, 117 are Confederate. In the 1870s the Union Soldiers monument was erected to honor the 174 unknown Union soldiers buried at the cemetery. A large granite monument dedicated to “the Defenders of American Liberty Against the Great Rebellion” was erected during the 1880s. More recently, in 1989 a ceremony was held for the reinterment of the remains of 19 Union soldiers from the 55th Regiment and the 1st North Carolina Regiment located on Folly Beach missing in action since 1863. In 1997, a memorial in honor of Confederate soldiers interred at the cemetery was installed. Today soldiers of all wars are buried here.
|
 Beaufort |
Add
|