And they called it a "Civil" War

While we were in Savannah, my friend Michelle rented a car so we could visit Tybee Island. We figured we'd hit a couple of Civil War forts onthe way and see what there was to see.

The first was Old Fort Jackson. It was originally built as an earthen fortress during the Revolutionary War, then underwent improvements during the War of 1812, and was used by the state of Georgia during the Civil War. It isn't a large fort by any stretch of the imagination, but it held a certain charm for me. The static displays were informative of what everyday life at the fort must have been like, and I just got a good feeling from the place. Here are a few snippets.


The storeroom for rations. I loved the "essence of peaches".



The moat. I'm trying to imagine August here, with heat, humidity, and mosquitoes. Yuck.

After our visit to Old Fort Jackson, we headed to Fort Pulaski. While it was under Confederate control early in the Civil War, by 1862 it had been taken over by Union troops, and remained so throughout the rest of the war.


The moat, complete with alligators. This was taken from the upper level, where all the cannon were arrayed to defend the fort.


Methinks this cannon has seen better days. But note the wheels on the back and the track it was on, so it could be positioned as needed.


For a time Fort Pulaski was used as a POW camp, and the Confederate soldiers were ill treated in retaliation for whatever was going on in Andersonville and beyond. There's a small cemetery that's part of the entrance to the fort to remind us of the horrors of war.