On the last day of our Georgia Coastal trip, we toured one last fort. Old Fort Jackson, located just a few miles from Savannah’s historic district, is the oldest standing brick fort in Georgia.
By this time, I was getting tired of touring so many forts in Georgia. In just two days, we’d visited Fort Frederica, Fort King George, and Fort Morris. However, the engaging guide at Old Fort Jackson made this interesting and worth a visit.
Old Fort Jackson
If you’re staying out on Tybee Island, as we’ve done on several occasions, you pass right by the turnoff from the Islands Expressway. The small road leads to Old Fort Jackson in just a couple of miles, where you’ll park at the Tybee Depot building. Coastal Heritage Society (CHS), a non-profit founded in 1975, operates the fort and several other local points of interest.
CHS restored the original 1888-built depot and relocated it here to serve as Old Fort Jackson’s welcome center. The Savannah and Tybee Railroad began carrying passengers to Tybee Island in 1897. Before that, visitors had to travel there by steamship! When the government completed the Tybee Road in 1923, the railroad line struggled to keep customers and closed ten years later.
We planned our visit to coincide with the cannon demonstration at 11:00 am. After paying for our tickets at the depot, we walked to the fort just a few yards away. A guide, dressed in a Civil War (Ohio Regiment) uniform, led an informative 30-minute discussion before the demonstration.
Guided Talk
He sat us on benches in what had been the barracks and gave us a history of what was here before the fort. The residents of Savannah were ill-prepared during the Revolutionary War. The Colonists used $3,000 to quickly set up an earthen battery here called Mud Fort. It overlooked Five Fathom Hole, a deep-water section of the Savannah River. However, by 1778, the soldiers abandoned the fort when the leader, Captain Thomas Lee, and most of the soldiers died of malaria. The British captured the city in December 1778 and held onto it until 1782.
Now we come to the birth of Old Fort Jackson. He told us that in the early 1800s, President Thomas Jefferson wanted to strengthen the US coastline with Second System forts, using stronger materials. Captain William McRee, from the US Corps of Engineers, began erecting a brick fortification at Savannah’s Mud Fort, renamed Fort James Jackson, in 1808.
James Jackson (1757-1806) was a local Revolutionary War veteran who later served as a U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, and Governor of Georgia. Jackson County, near Athens, and the ghost town of Jacksonboro, in Screven County, were also named for him.
The War of 1812
The fort, which could house up to 150 soldiers, became operational just in the nick of time. The War of 1812 broke out between the US and Great Britain. Federal troops and local militia manned the fort to protect Savannah. Although the British occupied nearby Cumberland Island, the war ended before the fort saw any action. Troops left in 1815, and the fort fell into neglect.
At this point, our guide pointed out artifacts on display. He then told us that Fort Jackson looked different from what it does today. Originally, a 9-foot-tall wooden palisade with loopholes enclosed the fort, which consisted of three wooden barracks. Only the battery, two magazines, and shot furnace remain from the 1812 period.
Second Phase of Construction and Civil War
As we looked around, we noticed the brick palisade, two open-air barracks, and other features. So if these weren’t part of the original fort, when and why were these built? It turns out, the US government appropriated funds in 1845 to restore Fort Jackson so it could serve as a second line defense for the newly constructed Fort Pulaski, 10 miles away.
Additions included the 20-foot-wide moat, drawbridge, two barracks for enlisted men, a larger magazine, and four demi-bastions. When completed around 1860, only one caretaker was assigned to the fort. This made it easy for the Georgia militia, which had just seceded from the Union, to take over just before the Civil War. As our guide said, “If you’re alone and trying to man a fort, and all of a sudden an army arrives to take over, you’re just going to hand them the keys.” When nearby Fort Pulaski fell to Union forces in 1862, Fort Jackson became the headquarters for the Savannah River Defenses.
By the end of 1864, Sherman’s land-based March to the Sea campaign arrived in Savannah. Confederate troops soon abandoned Fort Jackson, but not before they burned most of the fort first.
Shortly after Union forces occupied Fort Jackson in December 1864, the CSS Savannah fired upon the fort. In all of Fort Jackson’s history, this was the only direct attack it faced. The bombardment didn’t do any damage to Fort Jackson.
Post Civil War
The fort became obsolete after the Civil War, and few funds were allocated to maintaining it. Renamed Fort Oglethorpe in 1886, it was decommissioned in 1905. For a few years, the state operated it as a museum. However, CSS took over the fort’s operations and opened it to the public in 1976.
About this time, our guide passed out earplugs and protective glasses. We walked across the parade ground to a single cannon overlooking the river. He walked into the artillery store room to get supplies and then lit the cannon. The noise was deafening, even with the earplugs!
At this point, we all walked around to explore the fort in more detail. I even saw a baby alligator when I looked out of one of the windows. You definitely wouldn’t find me trying to cross that moat!
Conclusion
If you’re interested in forts and have a bit of time in Savannah, I recommend Old Fort Jackson. I would definitely see Historic Savannah and do some house tours first. But if you have a couple of hours to spare after seeing the main sights, then make a visit here.
CHS operates daily cannon firings of Old Fort Jackson. For more information, click the website here. The nonprofit also operates Savannah History Museum, Savannah Children’s Museum, Battlefield Memorial Park, Georgia State Railroad Museum, Pin Point Heritage Museum, and Harper Fowlkes House.