The Stono River, a tidal channel southwest of Charleston in southeastern South Carolina, has been intertwined with major episodes of natural and human history. Nearby excavations in 1725 uncovered Columbian mammoth teeth, an early North American discovery reportedly recognized by African slaves as resembling elephant teeth from their homeland. On September 9, 1739, the river gave its name to the Stono Rebellion, the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies before the American Revolution. It was also the site of the Battle of Stono Ferry in 1779 and of the Confederate capture of the Union steamer USS Isaac Smith on January 30, 1863.