A History of Georgia Forts

Book excerpt: A look at military fortifications over the centuries, with photos included. The state of Georgia has a long tradition of building stalwart military fortifications—going all the way back to the early sixteenth century, when it was part of a much larger region of the Southeast claimed by Spain and known as La Florida. After the failure of Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon’s settlement in 1526 on the coast of Georgia, French Huguenots established a small fort at Port Royal Sound and another along the St. Johns River. This book explores the centuries that followed, revealing the history behind Georgia’s many forts. Discover who emerged victorious after Savannah’s Fort Pulaski was bombarded for over thirty hours by Federal troops during the Civil War, and why Fort Oglethorpe was constructed in 1902 within the confines of Chickamauga Park, as military historian and archivist Alejandro de Quesada explores the breadth of Georgia’s forts from the colonial and antebellum eras to the Civil War and modern times.