A Plan of the River and Sound of D'Awfoskee, in South Carolina. after Captain John Gascoigne. Copperplate engraving. London: Jefferys and Faden, 1776 (after 1729 manuscript plan). 30 x 21 3/4 inches sheet. HILTON HEAD IN THE REVOLUTION During the American Revolution, this area was an active military theatre and the detail provided by the present chart would have been of great use to commanders on both sides. At the outbreak of the war, Hilton Head and most other areas sided with the Americans, however Daufauskie Island fell under British control. Britain's superior naval power allowed its ships to conduct frequent raids along the coast for the duration of the war, however the real threat to the American cause came in December 1778, when British General Augustin Prevost seized Savannah, determined to use it as a base for further operations. The following February, he dispatched a team of marines to take control of Port Royal Sound. They initially engaged the Americans at Hilton Head before proceeding further up Port Royal Sound. However, the invasion was ultimately repelled by Gen. William Moultrie at Beaufort. On September 24th of the same year, in what was to become known the Battle of Hilton Head, three British ships were set upon by a trio of French ships allied to the American cause. After a dramatic chase and an intense exchange of cannon fire, the principal British ship, the HMS Experiment, was forced to surrender.