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Post Civil War History                                            

Spanish-American War 

After the American Civil War, Spanish colonialism in the Western Hemisphere continued to strain diplomatic ties between Spain and the United States.   Coastal defense was at a crossroads.  The United States' coastal defense centered on a system of brick forts made obsolete with the violent efficiency of the rifled cannon.  April 12, 1862, the rifled cannon's power was proven during the Battle of Fort Pulaski.  The nation cried out for an updated defense system to protect its vulnerable coastline. 

William Endicott, the Secretary of War, assessed the coastline and recommended construction to include concrete and stone batteries.  The Savannah port was protected by a series of such bunkers on Tybee Island.  April 25, 1898, 33 years after the close of the American Civil War, Congress declares war on Spain.   With war's end November, 1898, the United States continues work on the Endicott System.

Savannah defense was improved with construction of an earthen and concrete battery on Cockspur Island along the Savannah River.  The riverside battery guarded entrance to the port.  It was designed to hold three rapid fire guns.   After the Spanish-American War, the battery was named for Horace Hambright, an affable second lieutenant of infantry who was killed in a peacetime horse accident. 

Additional batteries were erected in the Fort Pulaski demilune.  The demilune is the triangular area outside the fort entrance.  These earth and concrete bunkers stored ammunition and housed electric generators that supplied energy to mines planted in both channels of the river. 

The Great Depression 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established a series of federal relief programs to effect economic recovery.  These New Deal programs offered hope to offset the despair so prevalent throughout the nation.   The Civilian Conservation Corps was one of the first relief programs envisioned by the President.  Participants worked on public lands in exchange for food, clothing, shelter, as well as the opportunity to advance their education.  Work included reforestation, infrastructure, and restoration projects.

Fort Pulaski and the park grounds were ripe for restoration.   Marsh mud and vegetation filled the moat and dike system, weeds strangled loose bricks, large areas of wood flooring and understructure had rotted, and the lead roof leaked throughout.  Fort Pulaski and its environs had been reduced to an unsafe playground.  From 1933 to 1942, the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp 460 worked to restore the neglected site.

Restoration began in the autumn of 1933.  Projects included clearing the fort and moat of vegetation, surveying the dike system, repointing masonry, and restoring the officers' quarters along the gorge wall.   The photograph to the right is of the parade ground circa 1933. 

Enrollees at Fort Pulaski learned trades including carpentry, masonry, surveying, and auto mechanics. American history, mathematics, and journalism classes were offered.  Journalism students published a newsletter on camp life, that covered baseball, boxing, and basketball  tournaments.         

        The young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps were the first to protect and preserve                                                 Fort Pulaski National Monument.

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Date of Last Modification:  06/22/00
Web Page Contact: Kimberly & Ron