Fort Pulaski National Monument

The American Civil War pitted brother against brother and
parent against child when it erupted in the mid 19th century. Today,
however, the conflict is uniting family members. Together, they listen to
accounts of the struggle and explore the battlefields and defensive
structures where it raged. At Savannah, Georgia’s Fort Pulaski, for example, architecture, natural surroundings, and demonstrations of historical weapons afford experiences for members of a family to share.

A moat and a drawbridge, built as protective features, render the brick
fortification vulnerable to visitors’ interest. Instead of blocking people’s entry, the moat and the bridge draw them into the building, where they walk in the footsteps of Confederate and Union soldiers, on the parade ground of the fort, and among its arches and thick walls.

Visitors can also climb to the top of the fort and look out over the Savannah River and Cockspur Island, across marshes and woodlands. The interior of the fort, which housed Confederate prisoners after falling to Union troops, seems to demand that visitors stay alert, like prison guards or defenders, while the external, natural world soothes those who stroll through it in the shade or under the warm sun.

The liveliness of a visit to Fort Pulaski can only increase when one stops at the visitor center for exhibitions and a film or witnesses a ranger at the fort firing a Civil War-era musket. The history in which the fort is steeped engages visitors of all ages.