Studio39Designs

Fort Pulaski – Outside Perimeter and Above

In the second quarter of the 19^th century, US military engineers built Fort Pulaski on marshy Cockspur Island to guard the river approaches to Savannah, GA.  It was named after Count Casimir Pulaski, who lost his life here during the American Revolution.  Building started in 1829 and it cost $1 million to build in 1829, used 25 million bricks and took 18 years to finish.  It was considered invincible and “as strong as the Rocky Mountains” by its many admirers.

Oysters on Side of Moat

The wet ditch that completely surrounds the fort is 7 feet deep and from 32 to 48 feet wide.  The water is brought thru a canal from the Savannah River.  A variety of small marine life inhabit the moat, including the oysters you see in the above image.

Fort Pulaski inside Grounds

Imagine what this fort was like during the Confederate occupation during the Civil War.  There would have been about 385 men on the grounds.  Federal strength reached a peak of about 1100.

Shelter in the Fort

On the far right side of the above image, there is an example of what was called the Confederate Defense System.  The heavy timber blindage that’s shown in the photo covered the interior perimeter of the fort to protect against shell fragments.  In addition, they built earthen traverses between the guns and over the magazine and dug ditches in the parade ground to catch rolling cannon shot.

Stone Spiral Stairs

In order to get up onto the top perimeter section of the fort, there were spiral staircases.  This is one view of one staircase.  Notice the steps are made of stone!

Spiral Stairs Looking Up

Here’s another view of the stone stairs.  The amount of work that would have been done to construct this is remarkable, considering the dates when it would have been built.

Enjoy!