Fort Pulaski on a Rainy Day

On Friday we went to visit Fort Pulaski just outside of Savannah, GA. The Fort was captured from the Confederates during the Civil War and became a strong hold and prison for the Union. I was curious to see how this Union history would be presented in a southern state. The boys were very excited to see a real fort.

The excitement was palpable as we approached the fort. It was a tidy brick structure with perfect lines but the moat and the narrow slit windows were reminiscent of a medieval fortress.

When you first cross over the moat there are grassy mounds that hide the entrance to the fort. Underneath these mounds is a labyrinthian series of passages leading to storage rooms used to house munitions.

The steps going up out of the passages were slick from the rain. When you first come up out of the ground there is a sense of relief.

The relief turns to confusion when as we were presented with another passage. The only other option was to climb over the wall and jump into the moat.

Fort Pulaski is a noted technological military victory. The union used a howitzer gun which blasted holes into the masonry walls of the fort, that had been safely out of range of other older weapons. When you first walk through the entry to the fort you are greeted by the howitzer pointing directly at you.

Brick was not used to build forts after this. The tidy brick lends itself to a feeling that the ancient systems of protection were transforming into a modern more rational structure. The boys were extremely excited by all of the big cannons.

There was a strange beauty to the red brick colonnades juxtaposed against the lush green lawns of Georgia.

The kids looked in every room of the fort. The barracks and officers quarters as well as the guard house. The signs posted to describe the various rooms emphasis the places where furniture was used that had been confiscated from southern homes by the union soldiers.

The views of the moat from every window was picturesque but also an interesting reminder that this is a protected space. Apparently alligators show up in the moat when the waters are low.

When we first arrived we were informed that there would be a musket demonstration at 3:30. We hovered near by so that we could see it.

I was surprised when the ranger who came out to give the demonstration was in Union garb. I did not expect that after so many days traveling through Confederate country. It turned out that the man was recently in the military. He did not have a heavy southern accent, I was not brave enough to ask if he was from the south. He was very friendly and gave a very interesting lecture on the uses and technology of the guns used at the fort, and during the Civil War.

The gun he is shooting is a Springfield. The union army had a contract with Springfield. At one point they were making a 1000 guns a day to provision the troops. The firing mechanism is a little cap that is not different from the caps used for toy cap guns. It's very loud when fired so we all had to cover our ears. Afterwards the ranger had a mouthful of gun powder. It turns out that shooting these old guns is messy. He had gun powder all over him. He was very friendly about answering all of Eli's questions about historical weapons.

These narrow windows are reminiscent of the archery windows in ancient castles.

We were allowed to go up on the battlements and look at the cannons.

It was raining, but after the muggy heat the night before we were glad of the cool rain. The mosquitoes kept biting us even in the rain.

The grooves in the floor are set to reposition the cannons which are on big wheels. They can be angled in any direction from the windows of the fort. Only a few cannons were positioned for display, but I imagined the intensity of an entire two story row of guns blasting out from the fort in battle. I wonder if the men who fought here lost their hearing early.

One of the striking exhibits within the fort was the prison. During the war Fort Pulaski became a holding tank for Confederate prisoners. The display of this section of the fort was filled with pathos. Set up to make it clear how horrible conditions were. I can't imagine sitting in that heat for years at a time, no protection from the bugs. The only thing worse would be the windowless powder room that had been turned into a prison farther over in the corner of the structure.

The plane bunks of prisoners of war doesn't seem to change. There is a language of austerity that humans use to state how much or how little they value the individuals sleeping in any given bed. The only difference between these beds and the guard quarters was the lack of paint used on these beds.

Izzy became silent and thoughtful while walking through the prison section. He has been mostly very loud and talkative over the last couple weeks, in a constant state of motion.

Eli listening to a recorded story of Confederate soldiers attempting to flee the prison, only to be caught and brought back. The recording made a point to mention, by name, men from a number of southern states. There was a continuous struggle within the narrative of the fort displays as to whether this was a display of "northern aggression" or a display of the military prowess of the union "triumphing over the south." In the end it came off as fairly balanced, but I still am uncertain whether this was the intention, or simply the artifact of the internal conflict that comes from a southern display of northern history.

It rained the entire time we were in the fort. The effect was to make the brick building seem that much more like a European castle.

One room displayed the kegs of gun powder that would have been stored in the fort. My little racoons were especially excited to go into this room and pose for a picture. These kids get a little excited about weapons.

Apart from the moat one of the most striking ancient remnants to the fort was the drawbridge and entry gate.

On the way out we examined the moat, looking at the creatures living in the water. Mostly fish and crabs.

One of the most interesting facts about the fort came to us when we were leaving. It turns out that the military is often far more progressive than the rest of a country. This often comes from the necessity of needing men who will hold guns, but it should be noted that in our own times it is the military that has begun to openly prepare for the issues that may come from global warming while the government still debates whether there is such a thing. Just something to think about.