McHenry County Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT): Forts Discussion

Robert Anderson raised the same flag he lowered in surrender that flew over Fort Sumter on April 14, 1865.

FORT McALLISTER on the Ogeechee River in Georgia.  Built to prevent Union troops from landing on dry land and marching to Savannah.

An earthen fort which was attacked by ironclads several times but no damage to the earthen walls and none to the ironclads.

The Confederate privateer Rattlesnake, formerly CSS Nashville (commerce raider),  ran aground in the Ogeechee River on 5 November 1862 and was destroyed by the monitor USS Montauk.

The discussion topic for the April 23 discussion group will be artillery.

That is, of I can afford the gas to drive there.

--Old Secesh

Events From the Civil War, December-- Part 2: Clara Barton Born 1821

13--  Battle of Fredericksburg 1862

13--  Fort McAllister, Ga. surrenders, 1864

15-16--  Battle of Nashville, 1864

20--  South Carolina secedes, 1860

25--  Clara Barton born, 1821   Yesterday, December 3, our McHenry County Civil War Round Table had our Christmas dinner at the 1966 Grand Old Mill in Wonder Lake, Illinois, and we heard Clara Barton speaking about her very interesting life.

31--  Union Gen. George Meade born, 1815

31--  Second Battle of Murfreesboro, aka the Battle of Stones River begins, 1862

--Old Secesh

Final Battle of Sherman's March at Fort McAllister-- Part 3: An Alamo Comparison

Some compare Fort McAllister to Texas' Alamo.  At both, it was a small garrison against a much larger enemy.  In both cases, that small group of defenders were in a very difficult-to-defend fortification.  In the case of Fort McAllister, it was an earthen fort.

Both groups of defenders knew they had little chance of success.

In Union hands, the fort was used to house Confederate prisoners.  After the war, it was abandoned and fell into disrepair and stayed that way until the 1930s when Henry Ford bought the property.  In 1935, he had the earthworks cleared of underbrush and the ramparts repaired.

It was later sold to the International Paper Company who deeded the site to the Georgia Historical Commission in 1958.

--Old Secesh

Final Battle of Sherman's March at Fort McAllister-- Part 2: To Protect Savannah's Back Door

Sherman's troops crossed a narrow causeway between the marshes and the river and arrived at Fort McAllister about noon.  Just before sunset, they advanced on the fort and it was theirs in fifteen minutes.  Just around 200 were defending the fort so it wasn't much of a fight.

Fort McAllister was built on Genesis Point, on the plantation owned by Lt.Col. Joseph McAllister, near the mouth of the Ogeeche River.  Its purpose was to protect Savannah's backdoor and defend the rice plantations in the area.  From 1862-1863, the fort had fended off seven Union attacks.

On December 13, 2014, hundreds of re-enactors were at the old fort to mark the 150th anniversary of its fall.

--Old Secesh

Final Battle of Sherman's March at Fort McAllister-- Part 1: To the Sea

From the December 7, 2014, Savannah Now "Final battle of Sherman's March to the Sea to be recreated at Fort McAllister Saturday.

Saturday December 13 marked the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Fort McAllister.

On the night of December 12th, 1864, 4,000 Union soldiers camped on the north side of the Ogeechee River near where Love's Restaurant is today.  They crossed the river early in the morning of December 13th on a makeshift bridge and marched toward what is today Richmond Hill.

When they reached the intersection of what is today US-17 and Ford Island, they turned east.  A few miles later they moved north along today's Fort McAllister Road.

Bringing it to an End.  --Old Secesh

Fort McAllister Flag Comes Back-- Part 3

There is one small tear on the flag and the red field has faded to a pink color. But the blue "X" and stars are still as crisp as it was new, as are the hand-painted words "Emmett Rifles" and "Fort McAllister."

Historians say it is not one-of-a-kind, but is quite rare.

The Clayton family retained control of it after the war, even though all captured flags were ordered to be turned over to the federal government. Even so, many Union units and individuals kept their flags as souvenirs (as did states.)

Many Confederate unit flags were destroyed to prevent capture. Other flags were cut into pieces by the victors so everyone would have a memento of its accomplishment.

In 1905, by order of Congress, the federal government began returning captured flags to their respective Southern state as an act of reconciliation.

Great to Have It back. --Old Secesh

Fort McAllister Flag Comes Back-- Part 2

When Union General Sherman arrived in the Savannah area after his March to the Sea he sent 4,000 troops to take Fort McAllister Dec. 13, 1864.

Of the 230 Confederate defenders in the fort, one unit was 2nd Co. B of the 1st Georgia Regulars, a Savannah-based unit called the Emmet Rifles, commanded by Major George Anderson. At the surrender, he turned the company's ceremonial flag to the victorious Union forces.

Four other unit flags are also known to have been taken at that time as well.

Robert Clayton delivered the flag to the fort himself, fearing for its safety in the mail. (I wonder how he found out where to return it and hope he also included his great grandfather's handwritten note. That makes the flag even more of interest.)

The flag has been determined to be authentic as the dates match actions at the fort and it is known that a Union major by the name of Clayton took it.

It is hand-sewn from pieces of silk.

More to Come. --Old Secesh

Unexploded Shell Found at Fort McAllister-- Part 3

Just Some More Facts.

** November 1863, the Patapsco tested a large obstruction-clearing device designed by Monitor inventor John Ericsson. (Either to remove Confederate river and coastal obstructions or mines.)

** In January 1864, boat crews from the Patapsco took part in a reconnaissance of the Wilmington River in Georgia.

** Eight-inch Parrot rifled guns could fire a shell 3-5 miles.

** Parrot shells were made of cast iron and manufactured at West Point Foundry in Cold Springs, New York.

** The shell was called a 200-pounder, but actually weighed just 145 pounds because it is empty except powder. It was not a bolt or solid shot.

** This is the 4th unexploded shell found at Fort McAllister, but the first found in the last 30 years.

** Monitors were actually more designed for Naval battle than for firing at shore installations.


So That's the Facts. --Old B-Runner

Unexploded Shell Found at Fort McAllister-- Part 2

Just the Facts, Sir!!

** The USS Patapsco was a 1335-ton Passaic-class monitor built in Wilmington, Delaware, commissioned Jan. 1863, and assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Fleet.

** 241-feet long, 46 feet wide, 6 knots, 105 officers and men, single turret, Armament: 1 X 15-inch smoothbore, 1 X 8-inch Parrott rifle (the found-shell would have been fired by this one).

** It bombarded Fort McAlister March 3, 1863.

** In April 1863, hit 47 times by Confederate shells in an attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.

** January 14, 1865, struck a Confederate mine in Charleston Harbor and sank in less than a minute with 62 deaths.

More to Come. --Old B-R'er

Unexploded Shell Found at Fort McAllister-- Part 1

From the January 20, 2011 Savannah (Ga) Morning News.

An unexploded Union Naval shell was recently found at Fort McAllister, Georgia. It was from the USS Patapsco, a monitor, lying 1,160 yards from the fort on the Ogeechee River in March 1863.

How and where the shell turned up is a bit of a mystery though, but that it was still "live" and capable of exploding is for sure.

A man using a metal detector claims that he found it a mile from the fort and decided to turn it in. You have to winder how a ship could miss its target by a mile. It is also possible that the guy was illegally metal detecting on fort property (which to me seems more likely). It was live because there were no holes in it and the fuse was intact.

The 200-pound Parrott (a cannon) rifled shot was deactivated by drilling two holes in it (I'm sure I wouldn't want to do that), flushing the powder out with water and removing the fuse.

If it was indeed found a mile from the fort, one historian thinks that maybe the Patapsco was just getting rid of excess ammunition (although I have to question whether ships did that). Also, the Parrot guns could be notoriously erratic when they fired (which seems more logical).

The shell will be restored and placed in the fort's collection for viewing.

A Piece of History. --Old B-Runner

USS Monitor Montauk

From Wikipedia. A nice photograph of the USS Montauk tied up beside the monitor USS Lehigh around 1902 in the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

It was commissioned December 14, 1862 under Cmdr. John L. Worden, former captain of the USS Monitor in its fight against the CSS Virginia. Its primary Civil War actions were with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Charleston and Savannah.

It arrived at Port Royal January 19, 1863 and was sent right away to attack Fort McAllister, protecting an approach to Savannah. In action Jan. 27, 1863, the Montauk was hit by Confederate fire 13 or 14 times but had no damage. A second attack was launched against the fort February 1st and the Montauk was hit 48 times and again, no damage.

On February 28, 1863, the Montauk destroyed the privateer Rattlesnake which had been the Cinfederate raider CSS Nashville and also had been a blockade runner.

It also took part in the April attacks on Fort Sumter and other Charleston Harbor defenses.

In February 1865, it was transferred to the Cape Fear River and took part in the fighting there. Later, it served as a floating prison for the Lincoln assassination conspirators and the autopsy on John Wilkes Booth was done aboard the vessel.

The Montauk was decommissioned in 1865 and spent the rest of its career in the Philadelphia Navy Yard with the brief time when it protected Portland, Maine, during the Spanish-American War.

Quite an Active Monitor. --Old B-Runner

Naval Attacks on Fort McAllister, Georgia

The good folks at HMdb, Historical Marker data base recently featured the historical marker at Fort McAllister detailing times the fort came under naval attack.

July 1st and 29th, 1862, and Nov. 19th-- by ironclad Wissahickon and two escorts. The Wissahickon was hit below the waterline and withdrew after firing seventeen 11-inch and 25 other shells. The escorts fired forty-nine 100-pdr and forty-two other shells.

JANUARY 27, 1863-- Monitor Montauk fired sixty-one 15-inch and thirty-five 11-inch shells (first time 15-inch shells had been used against a land battery)

FEBRUARY 1, 1863-- shelled fort for five hours

FEBRUARY 28th-- destroyed blockade runner Rattlesnake, former CSS Nashville

MARCH 3, 1863 Monitors Passaic, Patapsco, and Nahant under Captain P. Drayton engaged fort for eight hours.

I had never heard of an ironclad by the name Wissahickon.

Watch Out for Those Shells. --Old B-Runner

Fort McAllister Chronology

Also from the March 14th Savannah Morning News.

1850-- Joseph L. McAllister inherits Genesis Point, where the fort was later built.

1861-- He allows construction of the fort to guard the entrance of the Ogeechee River and Savannah's southern defenses.

1862-- The Blockade-Runner Nashville makes its third voyage to the Ogeechee. The US Navy unsuccessfully tries to get upriver to sink it.

1863-- Monitors now augment the US Navy blockading force. The Nashville is now a privateer named the Rattlesnake. On February 27, the Rattlesnake makes an unsuccessful attempt to break out.

On February 28th, the USS Montauk, a monitor, sinks her. Several days later, three monitors attack Fort McAllister, but the sand walls withstand the pounding.

December 1864-- Sherman's army quickly overwhelms the fort's defenders. After the war, the fort is abandoned and largely forgotten.

1930s-- Henry Ford, who had a nearby house, gets interested in the fort and commences its reconstruction. The property eventually passes to the International Paper Company who turns it over to the State of Georgia.

1963-- Fort McAllister State Park opens.

See http://www.fortmcallister.org/ or www.civilwarfortifications.com/fortifications_FortMcAllister This one will say it's not available online, but you can click the mainpage and go to it.

April 5th, there will be a Park Volunteer Day for an annual cleanup of the fort property.

Hold Da Fort, Hold Da Fort. --Old Blockade-Runner

Fort McAllister, Georgia

The March 14th Savannah, Ga., Morning News ran a great article on Fort McAllister which is becoming a much bigger tourist attraction thanks to the efforts of Park Manager Daniel Brown and his staff. They have won several Georgia awards for best programming and interpretive exhibits in 2007.

One program called "Bunk in a Bunker" enables young people to sleep out at the fort overnight to see what it was like to be a soldier.

They have also gotten living history re-enactments and are currently working on a CSS Nashville exhibit to show what a blockade-runner would carry in its runs, with cotton bales and cases of rifles. The Nashville/Rattlesnake was sunk off the fort in 1863. Divers have retrieved artifacts recently which will also be shown. Further excavation won't be attempted, however, because of cost.

The 1,725 acre site also now features 65 tent, trailer, and RV sites along with three cottages that can be rented.

Annual visitation has increased from 10,000 to 200,000.

My sister and her family live in Richmond Hill, Georgia, which is right by the fort.

My Hat's Off to Mr. Brown and His Staff for a Job Well Done. --The Old B-R'er

Fort McAllister Reenactment

The December 13th Savannah Morning News reports that a reenactment took place at Fort McAllister in Richmond Hill, Ga. This is also where my sister and family live. I was unable to determine the date, but imagine it was last weekend.

One hundred men, women, and children recreated the battle and there were about 400 onlookers.

The original battle took place December 13, 1864 and it was the last battle before General Sherman captured Savannah.

The fort was built to protect the Ogeechee River, a backdoor to Savannah and the original battle only took 15 minutes.

That Was One Fast Battle. --Block-Head