Fort Pulaski National Monument facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Pulaski National Monument |
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 Fort Pulaski National Monument
Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Fort Pulaski National Monument
Location in the United States
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| Location | Chatham County, Georgia, USA |
| Nearest city | Savannah, Georgia |
| Area | 5,623 acres (22.76 km2) |
| Created | October 15, 1924 |
| Visitors | 408,104 (in 2011) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Fort Pulaski National Monument |
| Area | 260 acres (105.2 ha) |
| Built | 1861 |
| Architect | Bernard, Simon |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000064 |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
Fort Pulaski National Monument is a special place in Georgia. It's located on Cockspur Island, between the cities of Savannah and Tybee Island. This monument protects Fort Pulaski, a historic fort that played a big role in the American Civil War.
In 1862, during the Civil War, the Union Army used new types of rifled cannon here. They successfully tested these powerful cannons in battle. This showed that old brick forts, like Fort Pulaski, could no longer protect against modern weapons. The fort was also used as a prisoner-of-war camp during and after the war. The National Park Service now manages this important site.
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Building a Strong Fort
After the War of 1812, the United States wanted better ways to protect its coast. President James Madison ordered new forts to be built. Construction of Fort Pulaski began in 1829. It was built to guard the port of Savannah.
A young officer named Robert E. Lee, who later became a famous general, helped build the fort. It was named Fort Pulaski in 1833. This honored Casimir Pulaski, a brave Polish soldier. He fought with George Washington during the American Revolution. Pulaski was a skilled horseback soldier and helped train American troops.
Fort Pulaski was part of a group of strong coastal forts. These forts were built to last. Workers sank wooden poles up to 70 feet (21.3 m) deep into the mud. This helped support the fort's huge weight. About 25 million bricks were used to build it!
The fort was finished in 1847, after 18 years of work. Its walls were 11 feet thick. People thought the fort was impossible to attack. The cannons of that time couldn't shoot very far. The closest land, Tybee Island, was too far away for them to reach. Robert E. Lee even said that attacking Fort Pulaski would be like "bombarding the Rocky Mountains!"
Fort Pulaski in the Civil War
Even though it was finished in 1847, Fort Pulaski had only two caretakers for many years. This changed in 1860 when the Civil War began. South Carolina left the United States, and Georgia soon followed.
Georgia's Governor, Joseph E. Brown, ordered his state to take control of Fort Pulaski. A steamship with 110 men from Savannah quickly seized the fort. After Georgia joined the Confederate States of America in 1861, Confederate troops moved in.
By December 1861, Confederate forces left Tybee Island. They thought it was too hard to defend. This allowed Union troops to take over Tybee Island. Union forces, led by Quincy Adams Gillmore, began setting up cannons there. They aimed these cannons across the Savannah River at Fort Pulaski.
The Attack on Fort Pulaski
On April 10, 1862, Union forces asked the Confederates to surrender. They wanted to avoid a fight. But Colonel Charles H. Olmstead, who commanded the Confederate soldiers, refused.
Fort Pulaski was ready for a possible attack by soldiers on foot. But that attack never came. Instead, Union troops began a long bombardment. They used 36 cannons, including new James Rifled Cannon and Parrott rifles. These new rifled cannons could shoot much farther and more accurately. Their shells could travel 4 to 5 miles.
Within just 30 hours, the new cannons broke through one of the fort's thick corner walls. Cannon shells then flew dangerously close to the fort's main powder magazine. This was where all the gunpowder was stored. Colonel Olmstead had no choice but to surrender the fort. Only two soldiers were hurt in the entire battle.
Union Control of the Fort
After the surrender, Union forces quickly fixed the fort. They stopped all ships from going into or out of Savannah. Losing Savannah as a port greatly hurt the Confederate war effort.
With the fort safely under Union control, General David Hunter made an important order. He declared that all enslaved people in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina were now free. President Abraham Lincoln quickly canceled this order. However, Lincoln later issued his own Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Fort Pulaski became a final stop on the Underground Railroad. Enslaved people from the area found freedom once they reached Cockspur Island.
At first, about 600 Union soldiers guarded the fort. Later, this number was reduced to about 250. Toward the end of the war, Fort Pulaski became a prison. It held a group of captured Confederate officers known as "The Immortal Six Hundred." Thirteen of these men died while imprisoned at the fort. After the war, Fort Pulaski continued to be a prison for a short time. It held important Confederate leaders, including former government officials and state governors.
After the War
After the Civil War, some changes were made to the fort. But by the early 1900s, the fort started to fall apart. To save this historic place, the War Department declared Fort Pulaski a National Monument. This happened on October 15, 1924, by order of President Calvin Coolidge.
In 1933, the monument was given to the National Park Service. Members of the Civilian Conservation Corps then arrived. They worked hard to repair and restore the fort.
Fort Pulaski opened to the public for a short time. But then World War II began, and the island was used by the US Navy. After the war, the National Park Service took control again. Fort Pulaski was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
Today, Fort Pulaski is still open to visitors. A museum opened in the 1980s. The fort has also been used for filming movies. In 2009, parts of the movie The Conspirator were filmed here. It was also used in the 2012 movie Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies.
Gallery
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Wall damaged by Union artillery
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Room where Colonel Olmstead surrendered to the Union Army, April 11, 1862
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Fort Pulaski in 2012
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Bunks that were used by prisoners at Fort Pulaski
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Close-up of the moat around Fort Pulaski
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Memorial for the Immortal Six Hundred
Images for kids
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CSS Livingston (misspelled Livingstone), Ida, Beauregard and other ships at Savannah River, near Fort Pulaski; under flag-of-truce.
