EUTAWVILLE -- A full-uniform military ceremony to honor the 12 veterans of the Civil War buried on Lake Marion's Church Island will be held during the annual public spring pilgrimage and family picnic on Saturday, March 24.

The Church of the Epiphany in Eutawville is sponsoring the pilgrimage to Church Island, which is the site of the old Rock's Church.

Members of the Gen. Ellison Capers Camp No. 1212 of the Sons of the Confederacy of Moncks Corner will conduct a special ceremony at the old Rock's Church cemetery in which a red rose memorial will be placed on the graves of each of the veterans.

Since 2002, the Gen. Ellison Capers SCV Camp has assumed the responsibility for the upkeep on the cemetery, and its members make annual trips to the island to clean the cemetery and prepare it for the pilgrimage.

In 2004, after documenting the war record of each Civil War veteran buried there, the camp erected the Iron Cross of Valor on the following graves: Pvt. W.j. Childers, 1830-1891; 1 Lt. Peter James Couturier, 1839-1890; Capt. Christopher Gaillard, 1829-1896; Sgt. Eugene McBride Gaillard, 1816-1895; Pvt. Henry Berkeley Kirk, 1846-1927; Pvt. Philip Kirk McKelvey, 1836-1862; Cpl. Robert A. McKelvey, 1818-1902; Pvt. Horlbeck Gaillard Palmer, 1836-1915; Lt. Col. Julius Theodore Porcher, MD, 1829-1863; Pvt. William Henry Singleton, ????-1873; Pvt. William Henry Sinkler, 1844-1922 and 2 Lt. Edwin John White, 1835-1903.

The historical Rock's Church site is a Hurricane Hugo-scarred tract of land listed on the navigational charts as "Church Island." It was the site of the second Rock's Church, dedicated to God as the Church of the Epiphany and symbolic of the strong faith of the French Huguenots who tamed the Santee swamps and cut out of the wilderness some of the richest cotton land in South Carolina.

Springfield Plantation, of which the site was once a part, now lies under the waters of Lake Marion. The first burial in the cemetery was that of George Benisco, 1769-1807, and the last to be buried there -- just before the rising waters separated the site from the mainland -- was James Samuel Gaillard, 1857-1942, of Numertia Plantation.

The church building no longer stands, but more than 200 graves, many of which are remarkable examples of elaborate funeral art common to 18th and 19th century Carolina, remain as a silent tribute to the faith and courage of families like Causey, Childers, Couturier, Dwight, Gaillard, Gasque, Gourdin, Harleston, Kirk, McKelvey, Palmer, Porcher, Shingler, Simons, Singleton, Sinkler, Spiers, Steedman, Tate, White and Warley who helped shape South Carolina.

One surprising witness to the cosmopolitan outlook of these plantation families is the grave of Sir Henry V. Stonehouse, an English nobleman who spent the last years of his life as a guest of Dr. Joseph Palmer on Springfield Plantation and now lies buried among the many friends who welcomed him into their midst.

A free pontoon-boat shuttle will provide transportation to and from the island from Rock's Pond Campground off Highway 6 near the Orangeburg/Berkeley County line. Boats will begin running at 10 a.m. and continue operating until 1 p.m.

Visitors will be free to spend all day on the island or just make a short visit and return to the mainland. Casual attire and comfortable shoes are recommended. Participants are also invited to bring a lawn chair and a picnic lunch.

The Parish House Tea Room is offering special box lunches for the pilgrimage for $7. Those interested can call 803-496-7315 to order one.

A donation of $5 from each adult for the upkeep of the cemetery is suggested as visitors board the shuttle boats for the event, but donations are not required. Souvenir booklets, recording the history of Church Island and listing the location of the various family graves, will be available, along with a pictorial CD of the island and every tombstone in the cemetery.

For additional information, call The Historic Church of the Epiphany in Eutawville at 803-492-7644 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or e-mail historic@epiphanychurchsc.com.

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