Revolutionary War Lecture Series
Join us for a new speaker series that looks ahead to the 250th anniversary of the American Revolutionary War. These engaging talks by scholars, historians and cultural commentators explore the war’s pivotal events and legacy, including South Carolina’s prominent role.
Whether you're a history buff, educator, student, or curious citizen, this series invites you to reflect on the founding struggles of the United States and consider what liberty, resistance, and democracy mean 250 years later.
$7 per person. Ages 13 and older, please.
Reservations are required.
Register Now
TEA AND
TORTURE
September 24, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Lee Wilwerding
The Boston Tea Party wasn’t the first protest against British policies—and it wasn’t the only one. Cities like Charleston, Philadelphia, Annapolis, and Edenton, North Carolina, all staged dramatic acts of resistance. Edenton’s may have been the smallest, but it caused a stir in Britain because it was organized by women. This talk also looks at the brutal tactics used by the British on American rebels, including the case of John Malcolm of Boston—the most famous victim of tarring and feathering, but not the only one.
Presented in partnership with the Beaufort County 250 Committee.
Lee Wilwerding is the former president of the World Affairs Council of Hilton Head Board of Directors.
Register NowTEA AND
TORTURE
September 24, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Lee Wilwerding
The Boston Tea Party wasn’t the first protest against British policies—and it wasn’t the only one. Cities like Charleston, Philadelphia, Annapolis, and Edenton, North Carolina, all staged dramatic acts of resistance. Edenton’s may have been the smallest, but it caused a stir in Britain because it was organized by women. This talk also looks at the brutal tactics used by the British on American rebels, including the case of John Malcolm of Boston—the most famous victim of tarring and feathering, but not the only one.
Presented in partnership with the Beaufort County 250 Committee.
Lee Wilwerding is the former president of the World Affairs Council of Hilton Head Board of Directors.
Register NowCOLONIAL HILTON HEAD:
COMMUNITY AND CONFLICT
October 1, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Richard Thomas
After the Indian wars and the rise of the indigo market in South Carolina in the 1740s, Hilton Head Island became a growing settlement. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, about 25 families owned and worked plantations along the island’s northern and western shores. As the population grew south of the Broad River, so did the need for protection—militias formed, and fortifications were built to guard against Indian raiders, pirates, and Spanish invaders. Many of these settlers went on to fight in the Revolution, and several rose to national prominence in the years that followed.
Presented in partnership with the Beaufort County 250 Committee.
Richard Thomas is an owner and guide for Hilton Head History Tours and author of Backwater Frontier: Beaufort County, SC at the Forefront of American History.
Register Now
COLONIAL HILTON HEAD:
COMMUNITY AND CONFLICT
October 1, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Richard Thomas
After the Indian wars and the rise of the indigo market in South Carolina in the 1740s, Hilton Head Island became a growing settlement. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, about 25 families owned and worked plantations along the island’s northern and western shores. As the population grew south of the Broad River, so did the need for protection—militias formed, and fortifications were built to guard against Indian raiders, pirates, and Spanish invaders. Many of these settlers went on to fight in the Revolution, and several rose to national prominence in the years that followed.
Presented in partnership with the Beaufort County 250 Committee.
Richard Thomas is an owner and guide for Hilton Head History Tours and author of Backwater Frontier: Beaufort County, SC at the Forefront of American History.
Register Now
DOROTHY SINKLER RICHARDSON:
THE WOMAN WHO SAVED FRANCIS MARION'S LIFE
October 15, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Peggy Pickett
During the American Revolution, Brigadier General Francis Marion—nicknamed the "Swamp Fox"—was known for his daring guerrilla tactics, leading surprise attacks that frustrated British forces in South Carolina. But in the summer of 1780, when the British set a trap for Marion, it was Dorothy Sinkler Richardson who saved him by outwitting the enemy.
Margaret (Peggy) Pickett is an independent researcher, author and living history presenter.
Register NowDOROTHY SINKLER RICHARDSON:
THE WOMAN WHO SAVED FRANCIS MARION'S LIFE
October 15, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Peggy Pickett
During the American Revolution, Brigadier General Francis Marion—nicknamed the "Swamp Fox"—was known for his daring guerrilla tactics, leading surprise attacks that frustrated British forces in South Carolina. But in the summer of 1780, when the British set a trap for Marion, it was Dorothy Sinkler Richardson who saved him by outwitting the enemy.
Margaret (Peggy) Pickett is an independent researcher, author and living history presenter.
Register NowBEAUFORT DISTRICT IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:
THE FIRST SHOTS
October 22, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Stephen Wise
Some of the earliest incidents of armed resistance in the Revolutionary War, and the war on South Carolina, occurred in Beaufort District—an area that now includes Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and parts of Allendale counties. This presentation focuses on the “first shots” and notable events in the district at the beginning of the Revolution.
Presented in partnership with the Beaufort County 250 Committee.
Dr. Wise is the Curator and Director of the Parris Island Museum, and the Cultural Resource Manager for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina. He also serves as an adjunct history professor for the University of South Carolina Beaufort and on the board of the Beaufort County Historical Society.
Register NowBEAUFORT DISTRICT IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:
THE FIRST SHOTS
October 22, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Stephen Wise
Some of the earliest incidents of armed resistance in the Revolutionary War, and the war on South Carolina, occurred in Beaufort District—an area that now includes Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and parts of Allendale counties. This presentation focuses on the “first shots” and notable events in the district at the beginning of the Revolution.
Presented in partnership with the Beaufort County 250 Committee.
Dr. Wise is the Curator and Director of the Parris Island Museum, and the Cultural Resource Manager for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina. He also serves as an adjunct history professor for the University of South Carolina Beaufort and on the board of the Beaufort County Historical Society.
Register Now
THE SIEGE OF
SAVANNAH
October 29, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Coastal Heritage Society
This talk takes you through the timeline leading up to the Second Battle of Savannah—better known as the Siege of Savannah—on October 9, 1779. Learn about key figures involved, including Comte d’Estaing, Casimir Pulaski, Benjamin Lincoln, and William Jasper, along with British commander Augustine Prevost and his wife, Nanette, and local observer Elizabeth Lichtenstein. The lecture highlights French involvement, the order of battle, major casualties, and what the siege meant for the Revolutionary War in the South.
Register NowTHE SIEGE OF
SAVANNAH
October 29, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Coastal Heritage Society
This talk takes you through the timeline leading up to the Second Battle of Savannah—better known as the Siege of Savannah—on October 9, 1779. Learn about key figures involved, including Comte d’Estaing, Casimir Pulaski, Benjamin Lincoln, and William Jasper, along with British commander Augustine Prevost and his wife, Nanette, and local observer Elizabeth Lichtenstein. The lecture highlights French involvement, the order of battle, major casualties, and what the siege meant for the Revolutionary War in the South.
Register NowMUSKETRY, INFANTRY,
AND GUERRILLA TACTICS DURING THE REVOLUTION
November 12, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Coastal Heritage Society
This talk explores British, American, and French musketry drills and how they shaped tactics during the Revolutionary War—based on original, primary source material. You'll also learn about the use of guerrilla warfare in the South and the military careers of William Jasper and William Moultrie, heroes of the Revolution.
Register Now
MUSKETRY, INFANTRY,
AND GUERRILLA TACTICS DURING THE REVOLUTION
November 12, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Coastal Heritage Society
This talk explores British, American, and French musketry drills and how they shaped tactics during the Revolutionary War—based on original, primary source material. You'll also learn about the use of guerrilla warfare in the South and the military careers of William Jasper and William Moultrie, heroes of the Revolution.
Register Now
LOYALISTS & LIBERTY:
SAVANNAH IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
November 19, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Coastal Heritage Society
What’s it like to uncover sunken Revolutionary War-era artillery in the Savannah River? This lecture shares the story behind a remarkable discovery of 18th-century cannon and other artifacts—and what will become of them. You'll see images from the conservation process and learn how these objects connect to the American Revolution in Savannah and the Lowcountry, the pivotal Southern Campaign, and the eventual end of the war at Yorktown in 1781.
Register NowLOYALISTS & LIBERTY:
SAVANNAH IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
November 19, 2025 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Speaker: Coastal Heritage Society
What’s it like to uncover sunken Revolutionary War-era artillery in the Savannah River? This lecture shares the story behind a remarkable discovery of 18th-century cannon and other artifacts—and what will become of them. You'll see images from the conservation process and learn how these objects connect to the American Revolution in Savannah and the Lowcountry, the pivotal Southern Campaign, and the eventual end of the war at Yorktown in 1781.
Register Now