The earliest records are of the Neanderthal people about 230,000 years ago. However, proper civilization did not start until 12,000 years ago. A lot of remains of the Bronze Age and the Stone Age are still present to this date which includes popular structures like the Stonehenge and Avebury.

The Britons were the main inhabitants of England in the Iron Age and were part of the Celtic race. The origin of the English people began with invasion from the Anglo-Saxon civilization after the liberation of England from the Roman civilization, gone several centuries of occupation. The Old-English language was introduced by the Anglo-Saxon people, which provided the basis of the British language.

A large portion of the current state of England was once occupied by the Norsemen in the 9th century. The official Kingdom of England emerged as a sovereign state in the 10th century. England saw great civil war and anarchy in 10th- 12th century. The anarchy came to an end when Richard I made England a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. The kingdom regained its sovereignty in the 14th century after being made a vassal of the Holy See for more than 100 years.

England united with Scotland in the 18th century after conquering Whales in the 12th century and formed the Kingdom of Great Britain which colonized and conquered a large portion of the world to form the great empire of Britain. This empire became the largest empire in the world and then was decolonized in the 20th century to form several independent states.

However, due to the colonization of most parts of the world, English language and system of English law is still a part of major constitutions of the world. At present, England is one of the most advanced countries in the world. England also had a very important role in the world war, as an ally of the United States of America.

The industrial revolution also brought a great change in the Kingdom of England. Much of the workforce was replaced by the usage of steam engines and other machinery which created serious threat for the labor force of England. Education was also promoted to a great extent in this era and ever since, England has become one of the most prestigious places of education.

England has been around since the dawn of humanity and has seen much wear and tear throughout the history. England had been under occupation several times but emerged as the ultimate empire in the 18th century. Even though the empire is no more, it has lasting effects on the colonies it created. England joined the European Economic Community in 1973 which transformed into European Union in 1993. This is just a brief history of England.

An important chapter in South Carolina history was written November 7, 1861 at the Battle of Port Royal. The first critical step in Lincoln’s “Anaconda Strategy” to blockade key Southern ports was secured by this early Union victory. The South was thereby denied import of strategic war supplies.

South Carolina history was never the same with that victory. The South relied heavily on foreign imports because it was largely an agrarian economy. With Port Royal secured, Hilton Head Island became a base from which the North could deny those vital imports up and down the Eastern seaboard.

Battle Of The Brothers

It is often said that the Civil War divided families and pitted brother against brother. Nowhere was that more dramatically played out than at the Battle of Port Royal. It might just as well be called the Battle of the Brothers. Here’s how the Fort Walker interpretative marker describes it:

Thomas Fenwick Drayton, Brigadier General, C.S.A., a West Point graduate, and his brother, Commodore Percival Drayton, U.S.N., Captain of the USS Hartford, met at the outbreak of the Civil War, shook hands, and each went the way his conscience directed.

Battle Of Port Royal

On November 7, 1861, the brothers met in combat at the Battle of Port Royal. Commander Percival Drayton, on the Union gun boat Pocahontas, attacked fort Walker of which General Thomas Drayton was in command.

The Battle of Port Royal marker provides further details on this decisive battle in South Carolina history. 18 Union warships with about 55 supporting craft led by Adm. S.E. DuPont bombarded for 4 ½ hours the Confederate forces in Fort Walker on this shore and Fort Beauregard on the opposite point.

About 13,000 troops under Gen. Thomas W. Sherman then landed on this beach to establish the main Union blockade base on the South Atlantic coast. And so, one of the earliest and largest amphibious operations of the American Civil War transformed South Carolina history.

For More Information

To learn more about how the Civil War was lost on Hilton Head Island, America’s #1 vacation destination, follow the links below.