Tybee Island in Chatham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Long Range Artillery Duel
By Craig Swain, May 5, 2010
1. Long Range Artillery Duel Marker
This recreated gun battery marks the center of the Union lines. Between February and April 1862, eleven gun batteries were erected on Tybee Island. A battery was not located on this site, but the cannon on the left is an original from the battle.The Battle of Fort Pulaski features the first significant use of rifled artillery in combat. Prior to the battle no one could predict the impact of these new weapons. General Robert E. Lee told Colonel Olmstead, the commander of Fort Pulaski, that federal guns on Tybee Island "will make it very warm for you with shells ... but they cannot breach your walls at that distance." The power of rifled artillery would prove Lee wrong.
The Union commander wrote, "The result of this bombardment must cause a change in the construction of fortifications as radical as that ... of the conflict between the Monitor and the Merrimac. No works of stone or brick can resist the impact of rifled artillery."
Spiralled grooves on the interior of rifled cannons imparted stabilizing spin to their projectiles. This tight spinning action dramatically improved the range, accuracy and hitting power
By Bill Coughlin, August 5, 2013
2. Long Range Artillery Duel Marker
Rifled Cannon (30-Pounder Parrott)
Range: 5 miles
(Key to diagram on lower left)
1 Projectile
2 Expansion skirt
3 Barrel
4 Rifling
5 Elevating Screw
6 Siege carriage
Erected by Fort Pulaski National Monument - National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.
Location. 32° 1.003′ N, 80° 52.242′ W. Marker is in Tybee Island, Georgia, in Chatham County. Marker is at the intersection of Battery Park/Catalina Drive and U.S. 80, on the right when traveling west on Battery Park/Catalina Drive. Located at the entrance to Battery Park community. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tybee Island GA 31328, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Cockspur Island Lighthouse (a few steps from this marker); A Turning Point In History (within shouting distance of this marker); Federal Batteries on Tybee Island (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lazaretto (approx. half a mile away); The Breached Wall (approx. 1.3 miles away); 5,275 Shots & Shells in 30 Hours (approx. 1.3 miles away); Shifting Shoreline
By Craig Swain, May 5, 2010
3. Close Up of Cannon Illustration
More about this marker. On the upper right is a photo of Fort Pulaski after its walls were breached. By the close of the battle a section of Fort Pulaski's walls lay in ruins.
In the lower center-left is a diagram of a rifled cannon from the Civil War.
By Craig Swain, May 5, 2010
4. Battery Park Exhibit Area
The Battery Park exhibit area is a new addition to Fort Pulaski. Set aside by the developers of Battery Park, with support from the National Park Service and the City of Tybee Island, the site interprets the Federal activities during the siege of Fort Pulaski.
By Craig Swain, May 5, 2010
5. 30-pdr Parrott Rifle
One of four original (along with one reproduction) 30-pdr Parrotts at Fort Pulaski. This example is mounted on a siege carriage overlooking the south wall of the fort.
By Craig Swain, May 5, 2010
6. Sling Cart and 30-pdr Parrotts
An exhibit at Fort Pulaski. Artillerists used sling carts to maneuver heavy guns into position, particularly where soft ground inhibited movement of the siege carriage. To the left and right of this display are 30-pdr Parrott rifles. These MAY be earmarked for placement in the Battery Park display at a future date. In the center is a 6-pdr Model 1834 Field Gun.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on May 9, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,328 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on May 9, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2. submitted on August 8, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 9, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
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