“The cities having forts are privileged for these are rare gems
a midst sprawling beads of malls.”
Shabhana
Basnet
On a
camping trip that Joe and I went on in the fall last year, we went to
Savannah for the weekend. On Saturday morning, we decided to head
out to Fort Pulaski since we had never had the chance to check out
this National Monument before and we were anxious to see it. This
most impressive 19th century historic fort is located on
the low, marshy, coastal inlet called Cockspur Island which is
between Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia. This military fort is
an outstanding, well preserved part of of the history of our nation.
We
drove from Savannah onto McQueens Island which is a marshy beautiful
wetland that stretches for miles. We stopped at the Entrance Station
of the fort and were told by the park ranger that they were going to
fire the cannons today during a short re-enactment at the fort. How
lucky we were to have come on a day to witness that. We paid our
fee, $10 per adult, children 15 and under are free, and then drove
onto Cockspur Island. Where did the odd name Cockspur originate?
Credit has been given to a settler who gave a small thorny plant that
grows abundantly on the island that name. Some of the earlier
settlers called this islet, which at the time, was not much more than
a reef, “The Peeper” since the island was first only visible
during high tide. Later the island grew to where it no longer
disappeared with tidal changes.
The
grounds at Fort Pulaski are meticulously maintained and the fort
remains in great shape. We walked over the seven foot deep moat and
looked down into the water where alligators are known to play. We
didn’t see any that day. The moat varies in with from 32 feet to
48 feet and is quite impressive. The drawbridge when down leads you
to the inside of the fort. Those 32 foot walls of the fort seemed
quite imposing. Once through the entryway, it opens to a large
courtyard. How impressive to see and you could just imagine the
Confederates working here and fighting for their lives.
Cockspur
Island was chosen as a great place to put a fort because it was
between Tybee Island and Savannah and a perfect place to block
enemies from heading upriver to Savannah. The first fort was built
near the South Channel and Lazaretto Creek and was called Fort George
named after King George II of England. It was built from earth and
logs as a lookout for early warning to spot Spanish Ships. It was
later destroyed by patriots over a two year period between 1774-1776.
The second fort was called Fort Greene took two years to build
starting in 1794 but later got destroyed by a hurricane in 1804 after
a short life.
Walking
around the fort, it was amazing seeing where the officers and
soldiers ate and slept, the magazines where the gunpowder was stored,
the prison area, church, and common areas. We walked up the winding
brick stairs to to top of the fort where the cannons were set up
aiming at Tybee Island. The views were spectacular from above.
This
massive fort, built in 1829 out of 24 million Savanna Gray and Rose
Red bricks and was considered indestructible and came with a one
million dollar price tag. It took the United States military
engineers 18 years to complete. They named it after Count Casimir
Pulaski, a Polish hero of the American Revolution and noted
cavalryman, who lost his life during the unsuccessful siege of
Savannah in 1779. This fort was part of the Third System (meaning
greater structural durability than what was built before) of coastal
fortification on the Atlantic coast as well as the Gulf Coast.
This
fort was a training ground and didn’t see much action until 1861
when eleven states in the South left the Union and went to war with
the US. President Abraham Lincoln ordered the US Navy to blockade
the southern ports which cut off their supplies and hurt the
Confederate economy.
Capt.
Quincy Gillmore, a Union soldier took command of all troops on Tybee
Island on February 1862 and put his troops and 36 guns and mortars
along the north shore of Tybee Island. The Confederates were not
worried as the fort was a good mile from where the Union troops were
located. Unbeknownst to the Confederates, Capt. Gillmore included 10
new experimental rifled cannons. What made these canons different
from regular canons is this one has a spiraled groove inside the
barrel making the shell spin giving them better accuracy and power.
On
April 10, 1862 the Union soldiers asked one more time for the
Confederates to surrender. They refused and soon after the Union
soldiers started to blast the fort. The experimental canons worked
even better than they imagined and broke a large hole in the 7 ½
foot thick walls. The commander of the fort, Col. Charles Olmstead
decided to surrender as of fear for the lives of his men. If a shell
was to hit the main magazine – all would have died and he didn’t
want to risk that on his men. Only one Union soldier died during
this battle, but 385 Confederate soldiers died.
After
the battle, the fort was used as a Prisoner of War camp for military
and Political men for a short period. At one time 550 Confederate
prisoners were kept. The conditions were horrid. The POW’s were
frozen, starved, beat, and diseased with scurvy, crippling dysentery,
and dehydrated. Thirteen prisoners died and are buried on the
grounds.
Fort
Pulaski was also one of the final destinations on the Underground
Railroad. Once the slaves arrived on Cockspur Island, they were freed
by virtue of Gen. David Hunter, commander of the Union Garrison, by
General Order #7 which said slaves from Florida, Georgia, and South
Carolina were to be free. Some of these free black men, joined the
military and made up the first colored troop division, joining the
1st and 3rd South Carolina Volunteers.
President Abraham Lincoln quickly rescinded that order but later
issued his own order being the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
The
fort came under the National Park Service in 1933 and the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) arrived and started repairs. It was later
opened to the public just before WWII but once again was closed as
the US Navy used a section of the fort. After the War, it reverted
back to the park service and is now listed on the Register of
Historic Places.
Many
wonder if there ghosts at Fort Pulaski. You bet. There have been
many sightings of Confederate Soldiers on duty on the fort and on the
surrounding grounds. Many visitors have experienced a feeling of
fear, despair, misery, and even not feeling well at different
sections of the fort. Orbs have been seen as well. The strangest
occurrence was when the movie “Glory” was being filmed in
Savannah in the 1980’s. A group of seven extras came to the fort
before going on set to see Fort Pulaski. While there, they
encountered a young Confederate Lieutenant who yelled at them for not
giving him a proper salute. The seven thought it was a part of a
show and apologized. The Lieutenant asked them to fall in and
proceeded to scold them and said they would have been in serious
trouble for not saluting and disrespecting an officer, if they were
not in imminent danger of attack. He told them to about face and
the when they did, the soldier disappeared. They searched high and
low for him but he was no where to be found.
 |
We
saw men dressed in Confederate uniforms forming up in courtyard near
the cannons. The speaker asked for everyone to stand back and
explained what they were doing. It was fascinating watching how
they had to prepare the cannons and the time it takes to load them.
They explained the boom from the cannons would be loud. They left the
area only to march back in with the sound of drums. They lined up
and lit the fuse. They were not kidding. It sure was loud. We
took pictures and Joe managed to get the best picture when the
explosion went off. After they were through with the demonstration
and the smoke had cleared, they marched back out. They were
available for questions after the show. How thrilling it was to get
to see this.
After
we walked out of the fort, we walked around the outside and got to
see the damage. From the inside, all looked pretty much in tack
but walking around on the grassy fields looking up at this impressive
structure, you get the feel for the massive size of the fort and what
really happened that day. The huge holes that were blasted in the
wall by canon fire. There was so much damage but thankfully this
fort still stands. It gave me chills just thinking about how
frightening it must have been. It was a fascinating day here at the
fort and one that I hope you get a chance to do. Besides the history
of this place, Fort Pulaski National Monument is also a great place
to hiking, kayaking, biking, bird watching, fishing, and photography.
Go check it out. You will not be sorry.
Till
next time. Bye bye for now.
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