Fort Pulaski - Part IV

After exiting the actual walls of Fort Pulaski we weren't quite ready to leave the island.  We did head back towards the parking lot, but then headed towards the nearby short trail that we spotted.  According to the signage it was North Pier Trail.

"Cockspur Island has changed tremendously in the last 200 years.  Before the early 1800s, the island was mainly a salty grass marsh with a few forested bits of dry land.  With the US Army's decision to construct a fort here, they cut down trees to create a clear view of approaching ships or enemy forces.  The army prevented trees from growing on the island while they occupied Fort Pulaski.  After the military abandoned the fort in the late 1800s, tons of sand and silt dredged from the Savannah River were heaped on the Cockspur Island shoreline.  Trees and brush grew on this higher ground and the maritime forest you see before you began to emerge."
~from exhibit signage

 Along the trail we saw several interesting signs that explained more about the area.

 It was great to have a chance to get the kids to stretch their legs and to see some beautiful scenery.

 This fortification was called Battery Hambright and was part of Fort Screven on Tybee Island constructed after the Spanish American War to protect the approach to Savannah.  It was intended that guns would be installed here to cover the minefield to the north, but for some reason guns were never installed.

When the army occupied the island and fort there was a very busy wharf here on the north side of the island.  Apparently traffic was quite brisk between the island and Hilton Head island.

The girls couldn't understand why I wouldn't let them go play on the beach and build a sandcastle.  I tried to explain that it wasn't an incredibly warm day and they'd get cold rather quickly, but I don't think they wanted to listen, ;-).

 When we got to the end of the path we saw the remnants of the wharf.

Amy had waited at the treeline while the girls and I went to the end of the wharf.

 Interestingly in light of the later history of the island during the war, Cockspur Island has a connection to Robert E. Lee when he was a young US Army engineer.  In 1829 he "designed and began the system of drainage and dike protection for the island, and located for what was to become Fort Pulaski....  Lee oversaw the construction of 3.2 [k]m (2 miles) of dikes, and ditches within, a formidable first step in the construction of the Fort."

As we walked through the wooded area we saw quite a few branches that had fallen and been trimmed where they'd fallen over the path.

All in all the fort was a great place to visit and I'd definitely go back when next we're in the area.  You can see all of the pictures I took and uploaded in my Google Photos album.

~Matt