Tybee Island in Chatham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

History of Emancipation:

Gen. David Hunter and General Orders No. 7

Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2008

1. History of Emancipation Marker

Inscription. On April 13, 1862, following the Union capture of Ft. Pulaski during the Civil War, Maj. Gen. David Hunter issued General Orders No. 7 freeing those enslaved at the fort and on Cockspur Island. Hunter, an abolitionist advocating the enlistment of black soldiers in the Union Army, ordered freedmen subject to military service. Not yet committed to a comprehensive plan of emancipation, President Abraham Lincoln overturned the orders. However, Hunter’s orders were a precursor to Lincoln’s own Emancipation Proclamation, formally issued January 1, 1863, and to the establishment of the Bureau of Colored Troops on May 22, 1863. Local African-American units included the 103rd Regiment USCT, which served at Ft. Pulaski 1865-1866.

Erected 2008 by Georgia Historical Society and Sam. (Marker Number 25-32.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 13, 1863.

Location. 32° 1.653′ N, 80° 53.556′ W. Marker is on Tybee Island, Georgia, in Chatham County. It can be reached from Islands Expressway (U.S.

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80), on the left when traveling east. At Fort Pulaski National Monument, Visitors Center. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tybee Island GA 31328, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Coastal Plain, on the Georgia Coast and the Golden Isles,

in Greater Savannah,

and on the Sea Islands.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cockspur Island Lighthouse (here, next to this marker); A Bustling Village (here, next to this marker); The Waving Girl (a few steps from this marker); Cisterns of the Construction Village (a few steps from this marker); John Wesley (a few steps from this marker); Soldier of Liberty (within shouting distance of this marker); Sheltering Crown (within shouting distance of this marker); Freedom Ahead! (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tybee Island.

Also see . . .
1. General Order No. 7, NPS excerpt. "The three States of Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, comprising the military department of the south, having deliberately declared themselves no longer under the protection of the United States of America, and having taken up arms against the said United States, it becomes a military necessity to declare them under martial law. This was accordingly done on the 25th day of April, 1862. Slavery and martial law in a free country are altogether incompatible; the persons in these three States — Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina— heretofore held

History of Emancipation: Marker, at Visitor Center at Fort Pulaski image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, October 19, 2008

2. History of Emancipation: Marker, at Visitor Center at Fort Pulaski

as slaves, are therefore declared forever free." (Submitted on November 2, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)

2. Gen. David Hunter. David Hunter (July 21, 1802 – February 2, 1886) was a Union general in the American Civil War. He achieved fame by his unauthorized 1862 order (immediately rescinded) emancipating slaves in three Southern states and as the president of the military commission trying the conspirators involved with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. (Submitted on November 2, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)

History of Emancipation Marker, Fort Pulaski in background image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2008

3. History of Emancipation Marker, Fort Pulaski in background

General David Hunter image. Click for full size.

4. General David Hunter

1862 order (immediately rescinded) emancipating slaves in three Southern states.
(Library of Congress Collection)

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 5, 2013

5. History of Emancipation Marker

Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, March 9, 2013

6. History of Emancipation Marker

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, July 6, 2025

7. History of Emancipation: Marker

New location of marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 2, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,713 times since then and 32 times this year. Last updated on August 2, 2025, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 2, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 5. submitted on August 17, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 6. submitted on March 10, 2013, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. 7. submitted on August 2, 2025, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.