Fort James Jackson

The original brick fort, now the oldest standing brick fortification in Georgia, was built in 1808 and manned during the War of 1812. Fort Jackson was enlarged and strengthened between 1845 and 1860 and saw its greatest wartime activity serving as the headquarters for the Confederate defenses on the Savannah River during the Civil War. The fort was part of a system of nine fortifications that protected the river with a total firepower of nearly one hundred heavy guns. Today, visitors to Fort Jackson can see a variety of military hardware, including projectiles and cannons from the CSS Georgia, a Confederate ironclad that lies at the bottom of the Savannah River.