Fort McAllister State Historic Park: the end of Sherman's March to the Sea, 2013 January

The end of Sherman's March to the Sea . . .

Fort McAllister was the southernmost and most active Confederate fortification in Savannah's defenses. In 1861, General Robert E. Lee, then commander of the Confederate Department of South Carolina, Georgia and East Florida, inspected the new battery and made recommendations on strengthening the work. Lee's ideas, including the addition of river pilings, were implemented by McAllister's designer, Captain John McCrady of the Confederate engineers. Fort McAllister's earthen walls proved to be better equipped to absorb the impact of the newer, heavier artillery projectiles.
Fort McAllister had seven gun emplacements separated by large traverses, the center bombproof used as a hospital and supply area, a barracks, officers' quarters, ten other cannons and several powder magazines. A ten-inch mortar battery was separated from the fort to keep the mortar concussion from shaking down the walls of sand and marsh mud blocks.
Fort McAllister was a good testing ground for the Union ironclads before they began attacking Confederate defenses in Charleston harbor in March 1863. For almost two years, the fort's defenses withstood shelling by several warships --- the Montauk, Passaic, Nahant and Patapsco wooden gunboats and mortar schooners.
After the fall of Fort Pulaski in 1862, the Confederates obstructed the river, allowing only friendly vessels to navigate the Ogeechee. The boredom of garrison life at McAllister was broken in July 1862 after the arrival of the Confederate blockade runner Thomas L. Wragg, formerly Nashville. Thwarted in an attempt to run the Union blockade into Charleston, the swift

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3894 Fort McAllister Road Richmond Hill, GA 31324 GeorgiaStateParks.org/FortMcAllister

LOCATION
Located 10 miles east of I-95 (exit #90) on Georgia Spur 144.
HOURS
Park Hours: 7 am to 10 pm daily Museum & Fort Hours: 8 am to 5 pm daily Office Hours: 8 am to 5 pm daily Office & Museum closed Thanksgiving and
Christmas Day.
OTHER
There is a small fee charged for museum tour. Group rates available with advance notice. The park offers camping, cottages, fishing, picnicking, hiking and more. ParkPass required.

Division Headquarters 2600 Highway 155 SW, Suite C Stockbridge, GA 30281 404-656-2770 (TDD 770-389-7404) GeorgiaStateParks.org
Please keep this brochure as a souvenir or return it to the Visitor Center so another guest may use it. Thank you for visiting!

side-wheeled steamer eluded her pursuers and slipped into the river. The Union Navy's attempt to destroy the ship had to wait on silencing Fort McAllister's guns. But four Federal attacks on the fort in 1862 failed to take the work or to sink the Nashville.
On January 27, 1863, the ironclad U.S.S. Montauk steamed up the Ogeechee and anchored 150 yards below the barrier of river pilings. Her revolving turret housed II-inch and I5-inch Dahlgren smoothbore cannons. (The I5-inch gun was the largest used in the Civil War.) For almost five hours the Montauk threw its great shells against the stronghold, plowing huge holes in the parapets but causing no significant damage and no casualties because the
earthen walls absorbed the heavy shells. Fifteen direct hits scored by Confederate gunners caused little more than slight indentations in the Montauk's armor.
On February 1, 1863, the Montauk made another unsuccessful assault on the fort, killing garrison commander Major John B. Gallie while he directed part of the defense. The Montauk was struck 48 times, again with minor damage. During another onslaught on March 3, a seven-hour bombardment by several Union warships inflicted little damage. The only fatality during that attack was "Tom Cat," the garrison mascot. The cat's death was deeply regretted by the soldiers, and news of the loss was communicated to General Pierre G. T. Beauregard in the report of the action. On February 28, 1863, the Privateer Nashville (Rattlesnake) was shelled and sunk by the ironclad Montauk.
Garrison life was somewhat quiet until December 13, 1864 when Union General William T. Sherman's army arrived after fighting its way to the Georgia coast. The fort stood before Sherman, blocking his supply lines and the long-sought prize - the city of Savannah. William B. Hazen's infantry division stormed the defenses. Despite Major George W. Anderson's valiant effort to defend the work with 230 men, Federal troops overpowered

at Fort McAllister
Early in the Civil War, a battery
that evolved into a massive earthwork was erected by the Confederate Army to protect, Savannah, the Ogeechee River, a vital railroad bridge upstream, and rice and cotton plantations bordering the river. Named for the family of Colonel Joseph L. McAllister, the stronghold withstood seven major naval attacks by Federal forces, including the largest guns used by the Union Navy.
Please . . .
e Do not climb on the fort's walls
and bombproofs. The work is extremely susceptible to erosion from foot traffic and weather.
e Watch your step because the
fort was built for war, not for safety.
e Keep this brochure as a souvenir,
share it with a friend or return it to the office so another visitor may use it. Thank you for recycling.
Cover photo courtesy of Jamie Parker, Bryan County Now.

the Confederates in about 15 minutes while Sherman watched from a distant rice mill roof. Hazen's troops suffered 134 casualties; the fort's garrison lost 48 men with about 200 soldiers and 15 guns captured.
The fall of Fort McAllister marked the end of Sherman's March to the Sea. After the battle, General William J. Hardee withdrew his 10,000 Confederate forces from Savannah. A week later, Sherman's forces abandoned Fort McAllister and burned its bunkers.
Today, Fort McAllister is one of the best preserved Confederate earthwork fortifications. During the late 1930s, Henry Ford purchased the site and began extensive restoration. In 1958, the International Paper Company which had purchased the property from Ford's estate, gave the site to the state of Georgia. Under the supervision of the Georgia Historical Commission, the earthworks and bombproofs have been restored to their 1863-1864 appearance. The museum contains many artifacts of the fortification and the Nashville. The fort was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1980, Fort McAllister Historic Site was combined with Richmond Hill State Park to form Fort McAllister Historic Park.

Self-Guided Tour of Fort McAllister
Numbers correspond with marker posts.
1. Bridge over the Moat:
A deep ditch (dry moat) surrounding the fort never held water; it held sharpened palisades like those you see today as obstacles to land attacks.
2. Parade Ground:
The parade ground was a center of activity for soldiers when the fort was idle; but during attacks the open area could be a dangerous place. An eyewitness wrote, "For five hours the fort was subjected to a continued and heavy bombardment (not only) from the ironclads but also from the gunboats and mortar boats, which at a distance beyond the reach of our guns, with their rifled cannon, threw projectile after projectile within the very parade of the fort." Proceed to the left of the next marker.
3. Hot Shot Gun:
This 32-pounder gun earned its name by aiming heated cannon balls at wooden ships to set them on fire. The gun is a smoothbore and is typical of the 32-pounders which were originally emplaced in the fort. Proceed down the steps into the parade area.
4. Hot Shot Furnace:
Solid iron cannon balls were heated red hot for use in the hot shot gun. Gunners entered the furnace through the tunnel in the rear where heated projectiles could be removed and carried to the gun. Proceed to the center bombproof.
5. Center Bombproof:
The large bombproof was used as a hospital and supply area as well as a refuge during naval bombardments. During the March 3, 1863 assault, a group of Confederate officers and men were assembled in the hallway and around the outside entrance when a I5-inch shell struck the top of the bombproof, rolled down to the door sill and exploded. All the soldiers were burned by the explosion's flash, but no one was seriously injured. Enter the bombproof and look around. After exiting, turn right and walk up the steps onto the parapet.
6. Left Angle:
The left angle gun position was one of the original four which made up the battery that became Fort McAllister. During the naval bombardment of February 1, 1863 a I5-inch shell from the Union Montauk passed completely through the parapet at this point. After Sherman's forces captured the fort in December 1864, a signal station was established on this site to communicate with the naval vessels in the river.

7. Sharpshooters in the Marsh:
During the naval assaults on the fort, the Federal ironclads took up positions at the same point against the opposite side of the river. These positions provided the best angle for shelling the fort. The Confederates quickly grasped the situation, and volunteer sharpshooters landed in the marsh opposite the fort. From this point they braved the fire to harass the ironclads by firing at the open gun ports. One naval officer was wounded when he stepped on deck to observe the effects the ironclad's guns were having on the fort. The ironclad raked the marsh with grapeshot and canister in response, but no casualties were sustained by the sharpshooters. Proceed to the right to the next marker.
8. Eight-inch Columbiad:
This gun emplacement was one of four positions comprising the original battery. During the February 1, 1863 attack, the fire of the ironclad Montauk was directed principally at this gun. The continuous fire on this point knocked down the wall leaving the gun and its crew completely exposed. Major Anderson wrote, " The detachment did
not leave the gun But fought to the close of the action, refusing to be relieved." During the March 3, 1863 attack, the Federal ironclads' fire was again directed at this gun. An 11-inch shell struck the gun carriage and exploded in the gun chamber among eight or ten men without injuring anyone. A shell fragment the size of a man's head passed between two men only 20 inches apart. The gun carriage was completely shattered. That night Federal mortar boats kept up an intermittent fire in an attempt to prevent repairs, but a volunteer detachment of sharpshooters worked throughout the night to repair the fort's damage. Continue around to the right to the Columbiad position. After examining the gun, return up the stairs and continue along the front face of the fort to the next marker.

9. Addition to the Fort:
This position was one of two positions added to the fort after January 27, 1863 to reinforce the smaller battery. An eight-inch Columbiad mounted here was disabled during the naval assault on March 3, 1863 when one of its traverse wheels, used to move and aim the gun, was
broken by a shell fragment. Private Carroll Hanson of the Emmett Rifles dodged falling shot and shell to get to the rear of the fort to retrieve a spare wheel. He rolled the heavy wheel the entire distance, passing safely back through the falling shells. The gun was quickly repaired and once again took part in the action. Proceed down the steps to marker #10 to the left.
10. Reconstructed Service Magazine:
This is a reconstruction of the service magazine which held shells, powder, fuses and implements for the 32-pounder rifled gun. Proceed to the left to marker #11.
11. Rifled Gun Position:
This gun position, together with the eight-inch Columbiad position adjoining it, comprised the two positions which were added to the battery in late January 1863. A 32-pounder rifled gun, the only one ever mounted in the fort, was emplaced here. The rifled gun and Major Gallie's gun were the cannons carrying the burden of the fort's long range defense. Continue to the right past the rear of the center bombproof to the sally port and marker #12.
12. The Sally Port:
After the Union naval assault on March 3, 1863, the fort's rear defenses were strengthened and light field guns brought in to defend against land attacks. The sally port allowed easy access for supply wagons and heavy guns to the interior of the fort. During Sherman's December 13, 1864 assault, the sally port was probably filled in, blocked by palisades and a cannon emplaced here. Walk out through the moat and turn right to return to the museum or turn left for the extended tour. Follow the boardwalk to the mortar battery and marker #13. This earthen wall provided shelter during the naval bombardments allowing soldiers to move between the fort and the mortar battery safely while under fire. After the March 3, 1863 Naval Assault, Union mortar schooners kept up an intermittent fire on the fort during the night to hinder any repair operation. The only shell to strike the fort during this time hit the top of this wall, caused a crater measuring four feet in diameter and two feet deep. Proceed on to the mortar battery
14. The Mortar Battery:
Confederate Captain Robert Martin commanded the 10-inch mortar emplaced here. During the February 1, 1863 naval attack, the mortar responded to the Federal fire for an hour and a half before the wooden platform supporting the piece collapsed under the weight of continuous firing. Captain Martin continued to use the mortar by firing from the chamber's ground floor. He wrote. "My men were frequently covered with sand, and fragments of shell frequently fell around us." During the March 3, 1863 naval attack, the mortar fired some shells filled with sand in an attempt to penetrate the ironclads' decks, but most of the shells hitting the vessels burst open on the deck, scattering sand. Go down steps and across bridge to the riverside of the Fort.
15. The Northwest Angle:
During the final attack by Sherman's troops on December 13, 1864, soldiers of the 47th Ohio Infantry advanced along the river shore areas, bypassing the palisades which ended at the highwater mark, and scaled the fort's river face. The first U.S. flag planted on the parapets was emplaced at this point on the river wall. During furious fighting in this position, Union troops were driven back but other Federals penetrated the southwest angle and gained entrance to the fort.