The Beaufort National Cemetery is a beautiful and historically important site located along Boundary Street and is a must-see when visiting Beaufort’s historic sites. With Spanish moss-draped live oaks looking down on the lines of white headstones, the cemetery holds a lot of historic significance. It’s home to the remains of 117 Confederate soldiers and many more Union casualties, making it an important stop for history and Civil War enthusiasts touring our part of the South.
The original interments in the cemetery from the Civil War were men who died in the nearby Union hospitals following the Battle of Port Royal and were initially buried in several different places including Hilton Head Island and Florida. Between 1863 and 1968, the military transferred 2,800 remains of Union prisoners of war from a Georgia cemetery to Beaufort.
The Beaufort National Cemetery was designated by President Abraham Lincoln on February 10th, 1863.
There are 174 unknown Union soldiers buried in the cemetery and there was one Confederate unknown. The Confederate soldier’s identity was discovered in the 1990s. After being buried for 150 years with a gravestone that said “Unknown Confederate Soldier,” his proper gravestone was installed in a Confederate memorial ceremony in 2014.
Massachusetts 54th Infantry
Also, in 1987, the remains of 19 soldiers from the all African-American Massachusetts 54th Infantry were found on Folly Island near Charleston and were transferred to the Beaufort National Cemetery with full military honors. Cast members of the film Glory, which had recently been released in theaters, were present for the Memorial Day 1989 ceremony acting as the Honor Guard. The ceremony was attended by Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and descendants of those that served in the Massachusetts 54th Infantry.
More information about these Civil War soldiers can be found by checking out the burial records of the cemetery.
With its roots buried deep in the Civil War, the Beaufort National Cemetery is indeed a very special, historic place.
