Fort Pulaski, GA

Date(s): April 10-11, 1862

Location: Please click on link below for map.

Campaign(s): Operations Against Fort Pulaski [1862]

Battles in Campaign:

• Fort Pulaski, GA - April 10-11, 1862 B

Situation:

Commanders:

• Union: Maj. Gen. David Hunter and Capt. Quincy A. Gillmore

• Confederate: Col. Charles H. Olmstead

Principal Forces:

• Union: The Port Royal Expeditionary Force’s Fort Pulaski investment troops

• Confederate: Fort Pulaski Garrison

Description:

• Fort Pulaski, built by the U.S. Army before the war, is located near the mouth of the Savannah River, blocking upriver access to Savannah.

• Fortifications such as Pulaski, called third system forts, were considered invincible, but the new technology of rifled artillery changed that.

• On February 19, 1862, Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Sherman ordered Captain Quincy A. Gillmore, an engineer officer, to take charge of the investment force and begin the bombardment and capture of the fort.

• Gillmore placed artillery on the mainland southeast of the fort and began the bombardment on April 10 after Colonel Charles H. Olmstead refused to surrender the fort.

• Within hours, Gillmore’s rifled artillery had breached the southeast scarp of the fort, and he continued to exploit it.

• Some of his shells began to damage the traverse shielding the magazine in the northwest bastion.

• Realizing that if the magazine exploded the fort would be seriously damaged and the garrison would suffer severe casualties, Olmstead surrendered after 2:00 pm on April 11.

Photo Gallery:¹

Classification²: B

Casualties³:

• Union: 1

• Confederate: 364

Results: Union Victory

Battlefield Website:

• Fort Pulaski National Monument - National Park Service

• Fort Pulaski - Answers.com

Recommended Resources:

¹ Please click on the image to enlarge it. You may copy the images if you include the following note and link with each image: "Courtesy of civil-war-journeys.org."

² Classification:

• A - having a decisive influence on a campaign and a direct impact on the course of the war

• B - having a direct and decisive influence on their campaign

• C - having observable influence on the outcome of a campaign

• D - having a limited influence on the outcome of their campaign or operation but achieving or affecting important local objectives

³ Casualties are someone killed, injured, wounded, captured or missing.

Revised 06/05/2008