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

Fort Pulaski - Part III

When we came back down to the parade ground we found a guy sitting next to the wall with a map spread out in front of him.  The map was a nautical map of the area's waterways including the Atlantic, the Savannah River, and several other smaller bodies.

He had a number of routes and notations marked on the map.  Abigail asked him where we were located, so he showed her Cockspur Island on the map.

He then proceeded to explain the different places on the map and how they were relevant to the purpose of the fort and the battle to take control of the fort.  He did a great job answering the questions of two very young children.

This room served as Colonel Olmstead's quarters when the Confederates occupied the fort.  He surrendered to the Union attackers on April 11, 1862.

 This room was the commanding officer's quarters when the Union troops held the fortifications.  According to the signs "Colonel Brown's wife added a woman's touch in these harsh surroundings by acquiring furniture confiscated from Southern homes in Bluffton, South Carolina," located just north of the border.

 This was the Federal medical dispensary where medicine was stored and wounded men were treated.

 Federal Officer's Mess.

When we wandered into the Federal Officers' Quarters we found a fire going as staff were awaiting the arrival of a group.  The signage explained that "[t]he officers' casemates were more comfortable than those of the enlisted men, still there was a great scarcity of furniture.  After several expeditions to Southern homes at Bluffton, South Carolina--miles by boat--the quarters were useful and attractively furnished."

 Soldiers reported to the guardroom for two-hour shifts.  They would be on-shift for two and then off for four hours in a cycle that lasted for the whole day.

 Here you can see the drawbridge mechanism.  As is typical of a defensive structure, raising the drawbridge was the easy part, involving releasing brakes.

"To lower the drawbridge, four men inserted bars in the drums at either end of the crankshaft and wound the iron balls back into place.  As the bridge went down, the portcullis withdrew into its slot above the door."

Though the visitor center was closed there was a well-stocked bookstore inside the fort.

 The entrance of the fort looks quite impressive and defensible from inside.

 As I left the fort it was quiet so I was able to grab a couple 360° shots without interference.

I took my shots just in time as I went to leave the demilune I ran into a large school group just entering the area for a field trip.  I'm quite glad that local kids get to take field trips like this, but I'm just as glad when I'm not touring a fort along with dozens of rowdy kids.

Though we still had a ways to drive we decided to explore just a bit more of the island before we left.  I'll cover that in my next post.

~Matt

Fort Pulaski - Part II

One of the reasons that I love visiting old forts is that you can usually wander around quite a bit and see the history of the place for yourself.  I also find it interesting to walk through places where others walked dozens or hundreds of years ago.

Fort Pulaski is actually the youngest of all the forts that we visited on this trip.  It predates the American Civil War by only a few years.

According to the fort's website Fort Pulaski is one of the best preserved forts in the "third system" of fortifications designed to protect the coastal United States.

The Third System was established during a relatively peaceful time for the United States. These conditions provided for an unprecedented level of standardization in design and planning. For the first time, a professional board was appointed to oversee design and construction. Close to 200 forts were envisioned to guard the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, however only 30 were built between 1816-1867.

By the early 1820s, the bustling port of Savannah, Georgia was in need of a larger river fortification. Preparations on what would become Fort Pulaski began in 1827. Upon graduation from West Point, Lt. Robert E. Lee, the future Confederate general, was in charge of designing the series of canals and earthworks that drained excess water from Cockspur Island, site of construction located slightly east of Savannah, Georgia. This step was necessary to provide an adequate foundation for fort construction. During the American Civil War, Lee inspected the site and noticed the dike system had worked as planned. Land maps dated the year of the siege, 1862, show the area inside the dike as the only dry expanse of land.
~Fort Pulaski National Monument website, The Third System

While Amy waited below, the girls and I explored rooms and climbed up to the top of the fort's walls.

 This 360° was taken from atop the regular flight of stairs that headed up to the top of the wall.

What's a fort without cannons to look at and take pictures of?

 We ended up crossing over the wall towards these railings.  Inside we found a spiral staircase.

 It was an interesting experience walking down the staircase holding the hands of two small children.

At the bottom we started to explore more rooms inside the walls of the fort.  All of these ones had grooves in the floor from where I assume gun carriages carved them into the wood as they rotated.  You can also see the many arches used to support the walls and ceiling.

 This was the inside (and also outside) section of the walls facing the parade ground.

The inner portion looked like this.  I assume these date from when the fort was used to house several hundred Confederate prisoners.

I looked out an opening and saw this tree.

 This 360° was taken while the kids were with me.  In instructed them to stay behind me as I turned around to complete the picture.

Amy grabbed this picture as both girls were still trying to stay behind me.

 These labels show you the directions to various local landmarks like the south channel of the Savannah River or Hilton Head Island which is just to the north.

Some signs of battle damage remain in the walls of the fort.  Confederate forces didn't expect Union troops to be able to shell the fort from the mainland, but after sustained bombardment and heavy damage they surrendered the fort to Federal troops.

The next post will be the last, covering the barracks and other furnished rooms inside the fort.

~Matt

Fort Pulaski - Part I

Leaving my sister's place last week we headed to Savannah, Georgia.  The evening we arrived we drove through the city towards Fort Pulaski National Monument, on the seaward side of town.

We knew we wanted to take time to go through the fort, but due to a desire to avoid Atlanta traffic we hadn't gotten as early of a start in the morning as we had originally hoped.

We arrived in town less than an hour before the fort closed, but we still figured it was worth stopping by.  Our last Interagency Annual Pass had expired and while we'd saved up money for a new one we hadn't had a chance to purchase one yet.  Passes are only $80 and last for over 12 months (through the end of the month one year from when you buy it) and we always make sure we have one whenever we're travelling so that we can use it for access to any National Parks site we go to.  So once we arrived we bought our pass and briefly checked out the visitor center and the fort.

 A new bridge is being built right next to the old one, so the old one is down to one lane of traffic and regulated by a stoplight.

The visitor center was closed (due to repairs from hurricane damage I believe), but they had quite nice portable restrooms on-site.

The next morning when we arrived there was only one car waiting, but while we pulled off to the side other cars just waited in line, so we drove around and joined the end of the line.  A couple minutes after 9:00 we showed our pass and drove on to the bridge.

The fort is located on Cockspur Island in the middle of the Savannah River so that it could guard the approaches to the city.

The visitor center is closed as I mentioned above, but I heard signs of work from inside, so hopefully it will open up again soon.  I'd like to see what it has to offer the next time we're in the area.

A small cemetery is located outside of the fort.

Controlling tidal flow over the island was a critical first step in the construction of Fort Pulaski,  A complex system of ditches and dikes drain water away from the fort.  Designed in 1829 by young Army engineer Lieutenant Robert E. Lee, the system created and maintained dry land to support the massive fort.
~exhibit signage

The canal and moat carried supply barges to the fort during its construction and operation.  The moat feeder canal is still used to flush and maintain the moat.
~exhibit signage

The moat is seven feet deep.  As you walk up to the fort you cross over the moat into the outer area called the demilune (French for "half-moon") that protects the entrance.  The area now consists of earthen mounds that could be used to protect other materials in vaulted chambers.

 You can see several recessed doorways in the earthen mounds.

 I walked down the steps with the girls and out the other side.

We even found a large vaulted chamber.

View to the left as you approach the drawbridge.

View to the right.

This is a 360° view just outside the drawbridge.

 The girls really liked the idea of crossing over a drawbridge into the fort.

This 360° view is from the center of the ground inside the fort.

Somebody had a great idea when it came to theming the fort's trash and recycling barrels.

That's all I have time for now.  Next time I'll cover the walk up to the top of the fort's walls and walking around.

~Matt