John Warley's Articles

As president of the Beaufort History Museum, I take seriously our obligation to highlight and preserve the 500 years of Beaufort’s illustrious past. My focus today and for the next several months will be the dramatic lead-up to the American Revolution, the 250th anniversary of which we will celebrate in 2026.

My focus today, as it was last month and will be for the next several months, is on the dramatic events leading up to the American Revolution, the 250th anniversary of which we will celebrate in 2026.

My focus today is the tension in Beaufort building toward Revolution.

In my last post, I discussed Royal Governor Montagu’s misguided and futile attempt in 1772 to stick a royal finger in the eye of the Charleston government by moving it to Beaufort. Humiliated, Montagu mumbled a short speech before directing that the Commons House convene back in Charleston. In 1773 and 1774, growing strain in the relations between the British and American Patriots would cause the governor and Crown officials to threaten moving the colonial capital to Beaufort, but it is hard to believe anyone took it seriously after the fiasco of 1772.

Last month, I wrote about the critical importance of gunpowder to the Patriots reconciling themselves to armed revolt as the price of independence from England. And I noted that there was no commercial manufacturer of gunpowder in the colonies. The major source of the world’s best gunpowder came from Britain, the very country against whom it would be needed.

The activity that is the subject of these messages has been financed in part with state funds from the SCAmerican Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC250). However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of SC250, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by SC250.