Fort James Jackson

Fort James Jackson. The Guardian of Savannah. In 1776 a small earthwork called Mud Fort was built at this site, known as Salter's Island, on the east side of Savannah. Unhealthy conditions soon forced the abandonment of Mud Fort. In the early 1800s, United States President Thomas Jefferson authorized the construction of a series of fortifications to defend the American coastline. The Mud Fort location was chosen for construction of a new brick fort, to be named Fort James Jackson after a local Revolutionary War hero, later a U.S. Senator and Governor of Georgia. Work began in 1808 and within four years the waterfront brick battery, still visible today, was completed. Fort Jackson saw no action during the War of 18 12 and construction continued between 1847 and 1861. By the beginning of the Civil War, Fort Jackson was a formidable stronghold., On Saturday, January 26, 1861, Georgia militia troops commanded by Colonel Alexander R. Lawton seized Fort Jackson. Although the fort was never heavily engaged during the Civil War it became the headquarters for the Confederacy's Savannah River defenses. During the war, local units garrisoned the fort, including the Irish Jasper Greens, Republican Blues, 1st Georgia Regulars and 22nd Georgia Heavy Artillery Regiments. The Confederacy built a network of earthen structures around the fort and along the river. Some of this work was supervised by Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Numerous cannon were placed in these fortifications. Floating and submerged explosives, and other obstructions, were placed in the water to prevent Federal ships from continuing upstream toward the city. The Confederacy's “Savannah River Squadron,” composed of seven gunboats and four ironclad ships, added extra protection., By December 1864, Union Major General William T. Sherman's army was approaching Savannah. Confederate troops evacuated the city on Tuesday, December 20th. Troops garrisoned at Fort Jackson burned the barracks, threw weapons and ammunition into the moat and river, spiked the guns and booby-trapped the powder magazine. They scuttled the ironclad “Georgia” in the Savannah River in front of the fort. The following morning, the Federal 28th Pennsylvania and 29th Ohio Infantry Regiments arrived at Fort Jackson. They found it abandoned and still burning. Members of the 29th Ohio climbed the fort's ramparts to raise the Stars and Stripes, which one soldier later recalled, “I had the honor of doing.” The last unit stationed at Fort Jackson during the war was the Federal 55th Massachusetts, an African-American infantry regiment. Its sister regiment, the renowned 54th Massachusetts, was immortalized in the 1989 Oscar-winning film “Glory.”, Captions , (Top row, left to right) , . James Jackson , . Fort James Jackson (Image courtesy of Starforts.com) , . “Interior of Fort Jackson” (Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper) , .The National Colors of the 28th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment This flag was one of two raised over Fort Jackson on December 21, 1864. , (Bottom row, left to right) , . Map of “Savannah, Ga. and Vicinity” in December 1864 (adapted from the Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies) , . Colonel Alexander R. Lawton (after becoming a Confederate Brigadier General) , . Officers of the 29th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment , . Confederate General Robert E. Lee , . Members of the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment