Fort Howell, named in honor of Brigadier General Joshua B. Howell, is located on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Its primary function was to protect Mitchelville, a freedmen's town located to its east. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places on June 15, 2011. It is an earthworks fort built in 1864 during the American Civil War by the 32nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment (Union) from Pennsylvania. The fort covers approximately 3 acres of land once part of the plantation of William Pope. Today, it is an historic site that is open to the public.