During the beginning of the Reconstruction period in Beaufort, South Carolina, a division in the Republican party grew. This political division pitted William C. Morrison and Robert Smalls, heroes of the Planter, against each other. This division in the Republican party was heated and even violent at times and involved some big names in Beaufort history. Reconstruction Era Park Ranger Eric Ellis discusses how this division began and how it played out and impacted the Republican Party of Beaufort’s Reconstruction period. 

Originally from Jacksonville, Eric Ellis joined the US Navy after high school serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. After the Navy, Eric attended school at New Mexico State University, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and his Master of Arts in Public History and 19th c. US History. After graduation Eric took a position with New Mexico Historic Sites as an Interpretive Ranger. In 2023, Eric accepted a position as a historian for the National Park Service at the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park. In his time with the Park Service, Eric focused his research on Black Landownership during the Reconstruction period and completed research on a variety of topics on the Reconstruction period for the park and park partners.  

This presentation is part of the ongoing collaboration, Historically Speaking, between the Beaufort County Historical Society, and the BCPL’s Beaufort District Collection.