Charlesfort
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The Charlesfort-Santa Elena Site is an important early colonial
archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...
on Parris Island,
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
, United States. It contains the archaeological remains of a French settlement called Charlesfort, settled in 1562 and abandoned the following year, and the later 16th-century Spanish settlement known as Santa Elena. The Spanish remains include a fort built directly on top of the abandoned Charlesfort remains. The fort and other nearby structures have been called, at various times, Fort San Marcos or Fort San Felipe, and have the designated archaeological site identifiers 38BU51 and 38BU162. Because of their remarkable state of preservation, and their importance in understanding early French and Spanish colonial practices, the site was designated a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in 2001. The site is accessible through the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
Recruit Depot in Port Royal, South Carolina.


Charlesfort (1562–1563, 1577-1578)

Charlesfort was established when a French expedition, organized by
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
leader Admiral Gaspard de Coligny and led by the Norman navigator Jean Ribault, landed at the site on the May River in May 1562, before moving north to Port Royal Sound. There, on present-day Parris Island,
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
, Ribault left twenty-eight men to build a settlement. He then returned to France to arrange supplies for the new colony but was arrested in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
after becoming involved in the period of unrest known as the
French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...
, which prevented his return. After Ribault left, most of the settlers' stores were burned and Captain Albert de la Pierria died in a
mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...
, possibly as a reaction to his heavy discipline. Without supplies or leadership, and beset by hostility from the native population, all but one of the remaining colonists sailed back to Europe after only a year. They built their own boat and set sail, without compass, across the Atlantic. During the long voyage in an open boat, they were reduced to
cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well document ...
: one crew member named La Chère was killed and eaten. The survivors were finally rescued in English waters by an English ship, and some eventually reached France. Shortly after the departure of the French, Hernando de Manrique de Rojas commanded a Spanish force from
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
that destroyed Charlesfort and took captive the one Frenchman who had remained, along with the local Native Americans nearby. In January 1577, in a period when the Spanish settlement had been destroyed and not yet rebuilt, the French returned in the ship ''Le Prince''. The expedition was commanded by Nicholas Strozzi, who may have been a brother of Filippo di Piero Strozzi. The ship was lost as she entered Port Royal Sound, and the men built a triangular fort, 130 feet on each side, enclosing five buildings. Many were killed by natives and the rest had been taken captive by the time Spanish returned in spring 1578. The Spanish obtained the captives from the natives between 1578 and 1580 and hanged almost all of them.


Santa Elena (1566–1587)

Founded in 1566 on the site of Charlesfort, Santa Elena was the first capital of
Spanish Florida Spanish Florida () was the first major European land-claim and attempted settlement-area in northern America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and th ...
. Fort San Salvador, a simple blockhouse, was built first, and then Fort San Felipe was built directly on top of the old French fort later in the year, with a new
moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
(the French one having been filled in). The fort was occupied until 1570, when it was destroyed by fire. The Spanish then built a second fort, also called Fort San Felipe, at an unknown nearby location. The fort and town were abandoned in 1576 due in part to hostility of the local natives. In 1577 the Spanish returned and built Fort San Marcos. It was used until 1582 or 1583, when a second Fort San Marcos was constructed. This fortification had a moat dug around it in 1586, in anticipation of an attack by Sir
Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English Exploration, explorer and privateer best known for making the Francis Drake's circumnavigation, second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580 (bein ...
. Santa Elena and the fortifications were finally abandoned in 1587. At its height, the town had about sixty dwellings, with an estimated population of 400-450.


Archaeological history

The area's archaeological importance was first identified in the mid-19th century by amateurs, who found what they believed to be Charlesfort and excavated large hinges such as would have been used on a large gate. In the summer of 1917 some of the earthworks associated with the first Fort San Felipe were leveled by
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
personnel, filling in part of the moat. In the 1920s Major George Osterhout led an excavation of the site, which he concluded was that of Charlesfort. In response to this determination, a memorial marker was placed at the site. Osterhout's interpretation was soon disputed, and by the 1950s
archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
consensus was that the site was part of Spanish Santa Elena. It was only after a series of excavations, running from the 1970s to the 1990s, that the full history and layout of the area was identified. Identification of the French fort location was made possible by the restricted location of distinctively French artifacts, and by the evidence that multiple moats had been dug around the site of the first Fort San Marcos. The site is one of unparalleled importance in the early colonial history of North America and South Carolina, exemplifying the early competition for control of the region. Finds at the site also include the only known early Spanish pottery
kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or Chemical Changes, chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects m ...
on the continent. Since the area was never developed agriculturally, even surface-level remains continue to be found.


See also

* Bibliography of South Carolina history * French Florida *
Spanish Florida Spanish Florida () was the first major European land-claim and attempted settlement-area in northern America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and th ...
*
List of incidents of cannibalism This is a list of incidents of cannibalism, or anthropophagy, the consumption of human flesh or internal organs by other human beings. Accounts of human cannibalism date back as far as prehistoric times, and some anthropologists suggest that c ...
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina This is a List of National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina, United States. The United States' National Historic Landmark (NHL) program is operated under the auspices of the National Park Service, and recognizes buildings, sites, structures, ...
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Beaufort County, South Carolina *
Roanoke Colony The Roanoke Colony ( ) refers to two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The first colony was established at Roanoke Island in 1585 as a military outpost, and was evacuated in 1586. ...


References


External links

*
Charles Forte (Beaufort County)
at South Carolina Department of Archives and History {{coord, 32, 18, 23, N, 80, 40, 32, W, display=title National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina Geography of Beaufort County, South Carolina Incidents of cannibalism Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Beaufort County, South Carolina Former French colonies