GEORGIA5) Fort Pulaski National Monument Built between 1829 and 1847 on Cockspur Island to protect the river approaches to the city of Savannah, Fort Pulaski was part of America's ambitious Third-System of coastal fortifications. Featuring walls of solid brick seven and one-half feet thick, the fort was considered impregnable by most military authorities. At the beginning of the Civil War, Confederate forces occupied Fort Pulaski, and early in 1862, Union forces laid siege to it. Using newly developed rifled cannons with superior range and penetrating power, the Federals breached the walls of the fort in a 30-hour bombardment that forced a Confederate surrender. The restored fort stands today as a monument to the power of technology to render previous conceptions of invincibility instantly obsolete.
Fort Pulaski National Monument, administered by the National Park Service, is east of Savannanh off of US Highway 80. Open daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information visit the National Park Service website, Fort Pulaski National Monument, or call 912-786-5787.
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