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HISTORIC LOCAL FORTS
FORT PULASKI |
FORT PULASKI - Cockspur Island 14 miles east of Savannah - on U.S. Highway 80 (Islands
Expressway) Built between 1829 and 1847, it was the first assignment for young Robert
E. Lee. The fort has five sides wit brick walls 11 feet thick, surrounded by a moat.
Fort pulaski was designed to withstand any attack, but it fell to the Union forces
in 1862 after 5,275 shells and little more than 30 hours. The sword surrendered
by Major James G. Halpine is on display in the visitor's center, along with numerous
other artifacts of the civil war. Fort Pulaski was proclaimed a national monument
in 1924. Consisting of over 5,000 acres total, it is now operated by the U.S. Park
Service and is open for tours.
fortpulaski.com
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FORT SCREVEN - Tybee Island 15 miles east of Savannah - on U.S. Highway 80 (Islands
Expressway) Completed in 1896 as Fort Tybee, the name was first changed to Fort
Graham, then to Fort Screven in 1899. The fort was manned during the Spanish-American
War, World War I, and World War II. Originally it was a coast artillery fort, later
an infantry post and finally a military school for deep sea diving, the only one
offered by the army in America. For 50 years Fort Screven was a powerful coastal
defense base with the most massive concrete emplacements on the Atlantic seaboard.
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FORT JACKSON - President Street Extension
Two miles east of Savannah, this is the oldest standing fort in Georgia and originally
the location of a Revolutionary War earthen battery. All boats entering Savannah
had to pass this point, which, surrounded by marshes offered defense from a ground
attack and deep anchorage near shore allowed easy shipment of supplies and troop
movement. Fort Jackson was occupied by Confederate troops during the Civil War until
Savannah was captured by General Sherman. The fort offers both a Maritime Museum
and a Black Military History Museum and is open to the public.
fortjackson.com
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