The Breached Wall
The southeast angle of Fort Pulaski was breached by early afternoon on April 11, 1862. With devastating accuracy, Union rifled artillery accomplished this task in only 30 hours. It would take over 1,000 Federal troops six weeks to repair the battle damage and make the fort ready to be garrisoned for the remainder of the war – a Union outpost in the deep South.
While the Union commander prepared to order an infantry attack through the breach, the young Col. Olmstead made his decision to surrender:
Under these circumstances, cut off from all hope of relief or the possibility of retreat, the Fort practicably breached, some of my most effective guns rendered useless, and the magazine liable to be blown up in a very short time, I felt compelled to yield.
You can form no idea of the ruin of our South East Angle. Two casemates are completely torn to pieces, the outer wall having fallen out into the moat, while the casemates adjoining are cracked and crumbling from top to bottom.
Col. Charles Olmstead, CSA
Commanding Officer, Fort Pulaski
to his wife, April 11, 1862
The 1860 Artillerist’s Manual shows the desired effect of creating “a practicable breach’ by breaking down the walls and filling the moat with debris. A determined but costly attack would follow.
New technology, coupled with time-honored tactics, prevailed at Fort Pulaski.
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.