Cockspur Island is located between Tybee Island and Savannah.
Fort Pulaski was built in the 1840's after President James Madison earlier ordered the construction of a system of coastal fortifications to protect the U.S. from foreign invaders. It took 18 years to build the fort. It was built on Cockspur Island to protect the important Port of Savannah.
Masonry fortifications were used as defensive structures in the U.S. during the 19th century. However in 1862 during the Civil War the Union Army used rifled canon fire against this Confederate fort. Rifled canon fire was more accurate and had a longer range than any similar weapon previously used and was able to penetrate the 11 foot thick walls of the fort. The Union Army attacked the fort from Tybee Island which had been abandoned by Confederate forces. The Confederate garrison inside the fort was compelled to surrender after one of the fort's walls was breached. After the surrender of the fort, ships could no longer use Savannah Port to support the Confederate cause. The use of rifled canon fire against this fort was an important milestone in the history of warfare because masonry fortifications could no longer stand against this new weaponry.
This fort also played a role in the Underground Railroad. In the early 1860's slaves who reached this fort were declared free. After the Civil War the fort also served as a military and political prison for high ranking Confederate officials.
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