Bluffton, South Carolina had a reputation as an early secessionist center and after the Union's landings served as a refugee center and Confederate military headquarters. Union forces landed nearby soon after dawn and occupied the town. The land forces commander ordered fires set and as the buildings burned Confederate forces counter-attacked. The Union troops reboarded the five naval vessels in the force under cover of their fire and withdrew. Most of Bluffton, barring the two churches and a few residences, was destroyed in the raid. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Frank Moore, ed., The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, with Documents, Narratives, Illustrative Incidents, Poetry, Etc. (New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1861), VII: 2.