Fort Pulaski

The story

National Monument since 1924, preserving the masonry fort where Robert E. Lee served his first assignment and where rifled cannons changed warfare forever. The 1862 battle proved that brick fortifications were obsolete, ending 500 years of castle-based defense.

Everything that was here

• 1924–present · still open

  Fort PulaskiNational Monument

  National Monument since 1924, preserving the masonry fort where Robert E. Lee served his first assignment and where rifled cannons changed warfare forever. The 1862 battle proved that brick fortifications were…

  See the map in 1925 →
• 1862–1865

  Fort Pulaski (Union Prison)Military Prison

  After capture, the Union used the fort as a prison for Confederate officers and a garrison post. The "Immortal 600" — Confederate POWs used as human shields — were briefly held here.

  See the map in 1863 →
• 1861–1862

  Fort Pulaski (Confederate Garrison)Military Fort

  Georgia militia seized the fort on January 3, 1861 — before Georgia even seceded. Confederate forces held it until April 1862 when Union rifled cannons breached the walls in just 30 hours, making brick forts obsolete…

  See the map in 1862 →
• 1829–1847

  Fort Pulaski (Construction)Military Fort

  Construction began in 1829 under the supervision of 2nd Lt. Robert E. Lee, one of his first assignments after West Point. The masonry fort took 18 years and 25 million bricks to complete.

  See the map in 1830 →

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Nearby history