Fort Howell was a Civil War fort built by the U.S. Army to defend Hilton Head Island and the nearby freedmen’s village of Mitchelville from potential Confederate raids or expeditions. Named for Gen. Joshua Blackwood Howell (1806-1864), it stood near Mitchelville, which had been established by Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchel in the fall of 1862 and named for him after his death. The fort was an enclosed pentagonal earthwork with a 23’ high parapet and emplacements for up to 27 guns, and it was built from August to November 1864 by the 32nd U.S. Colored Infantry and the 144th N.Y. Infantry. Although Fort Howell never saw action, it is significant for its design and structural integrity and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.