Confederate Savannah

Confederate Savannah. . The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 brought years of festering political differences between Southern and Northern states to a head. In mid-January 1861 Georgia delegates voted to secede from the Union. The April 1861 bombardment and surrender of the Union Garrison at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor made it clear that the citizens of Savannah should prepare for war., A Short Blanket , ( Picture included ) , A December 1861 Harper's Weekly cartoon suggests that Confederate military efforts to cover Savannah, as well as Charleston and Virginia, are grossly ineffective. ( Georgia Military Flag included ), Fort Pulaski Occupied by Confederates in January 1861 , ( Picture included ) , Built between 1831 and 1845, Fort Pulaski was concidered an impregnable defense against warships entering the Savannah River. However , the development of rifled cannon and explosive ordnance made masonry fortifications obsolete. In April 1862, Union artillerists positioned on Tybee Island damaged the fort during a 30-hour bombardment and forced Confederates to surrender., Slaves Prepare Fortifications , ( Picture Included ) , Georgia slaves construct mounds near the Savannah waterfront. The earthworks effectively deterred Union ordnance., Anaconda Plan , ( Picture of Scott's Great Snake. ) , A popular name in Northern states used to describe the Union Naval blockade of Southern Ports like Savannah to destroy the Confederacy's lifeline of supply from Europe. , Gen. William Hardee , ( Picture Included ) , Called " Old Reliable ", the Georgia native, served as Commander of the Confederate garrison in Savannah. , ( Stars and Bars Flag and Secession Flags included ), Military Transforms Prewar Oddity , ( Picture Included ) , In 1860, the Savannah Republican advised readers that a " Grand Ballon Ascension" was scheduled near South Broad Street. A few months later, Confederate and Union armies used balloons to scope out enemy positions., USS/CSS Water Witch , ( Picture Included ) , The Union gunboat was stationed on blockade duty near Savannah for several months before its capture by Confederate Navy raiders. ,