Rare CDV of Fort Pulaski in Savannah, Georgia by J. N. Wilson

Rare CDV of Fort Pulaski in Savannah, Georgia by Photographer J. N. Wilson.
 
Fort Pulaski, located near Savannah, Georgia, on Cockspur Island, was constructed in the early 19th century as part of a national coastal defense system following the War of 1812. Named after Revolutionary War hero Count Casimir Pulaski, the fort was designed to protect the vital port of Savannah from foreign invasion. Construction began in 1829 under the supervision of young U.S. Army engineers, including a then–recent West Point graduate named Robert E. Lee. The massive brick structure, featuring 7.5-foot-thick walls and a surrounding moat, took nearly two decades to complete, with most of the labor performed by enslaved people hired out by local planters.
 
During the Civil War, Fort Pulaski gained national attention for demonstrating the obsolescence of traditional masonry fortifications. In April 1862, Union forces used newly developed rifled cannons to bombard the Confederate-held fort from more than a mile away—a distance once thought too great for effective artillery fire. After only 30 hours of bombardment, the fort’s southeast wall was breached, forcing Confederate commander Charles Olmstead to surrender. This marked a turning point in military engineering, proving that rifled artillery could destroy even the strongest brick fortresses. Today, Fort Pulaski is preserved as a National Monument, offering visitors a glimpse into both its architectural significance and its pivotal role in military history.