Friends of Fort McAllister State Historic Park

09/04/2026

We HOPE that everyone has a SAFE and HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND...
Your Friends of Fort McAllister State Park

09/02/2026

It’s Georgia History, Y’all
September 2, 1864

“Atlanta is ours, and fairly won,” were the immortal words of General William Tecumseh Sherman when he captured Atlanta on this date in 1864. Sherman had taken one of the Deep South’s primary manufacturing centers and railroad hub, a massive loss for the Confederacy.

Unwilling to attack Atlanta’s strong defenses, U.S. forces swept west and south around the city. At Jonesboro, they cut the last railroad supplying Atlanta, forcing General John Bell Hood’s Confederate troops to abandon the city. Atlantans who remained were rudely awakened that morning by the apocalyptic explosions of Hood’s ammunition train being blown up by Confederate soldiers. Atlanta Mayor James Calhoun surrendered the city to Sherman in a formal note, saying, “The fortune of war has placed Atlanta in your hands.” The 2nd Massachusetts Regiment reached downtown first and raised the American flag over City Hall.

President Abraham Lincoln’s re-election in November and final Confederate defeat seven months later were both virtually assured after Atlanta’s fall on September 2, 1864.

Source:
Georgia Historical Society

08/29/2026

South of Atlanta, Georgia
August 1864

Today, the permanent destruction of the Confederate rail lines going into Atlanta began. This is a great description of how Sherman's Neckties, or Sherman's Hairpins, were made. One example is located at Fort McAllister State Park. Park staff and volunteers have a video of the making process on YouTube.

The US 16th Army Corps spent the day destroying the railroad from the vicinity of Fairburn, Georgia southward. Major William Chamberlain of the 81st Ohio Infantry noted that the Pioneer Corps of the 2nd Division, which was “composed mostly of escaped slaves or contraband was the most effective at destroying the railroad.

He wrote “These men had been employed in building bridges, repairing roads and such work, which seemed to their woolly heads to be rather aiding than injuring the south, but now when the opportunity came of absolutely tearing up a great Highway of rebeldom, their joy knew no bounds, and manifested itself in Herculean efforts at overturning long sections of the road at once, accompanied with songs and shouts of gladness.”

A soldier of the 105th Ohio described how the railroad was destroyed for the most successful performance. “That force engaged was always divided into three bodies, with separate and distinct duties. The first marched in a single file along the side of the track to be torn up until each man stood at the end of a tie. Then, at the word of command, each stooped, took a hold of the tie, and at the other word, the whole track was lifted up and overturned. Then this party marched on and renewed the movement.

The second party heaped the ties upon the track, laid the rails across them, leaving the ends extended on each other, and set the ties on fire.

The third party, coming up later, took the rails then red hot in the middle, twisted them about trees or otherwise bent and distorted them so that no rolling mill could straighten them, wholly destroying the road for use until new ties and new rails could be supplied.”

General Sherman had given detailed instructions on how he wanted the West Point Railroad to be wrecked. On August 29th, his troops put them into effect. While 2/3 of them entrenched and stood guard against enemy attack, the other third lined up along the track, two men to a tie, stuck their bayonetted rifles into the ground so that they would be handy, and then at a heave ho, grabbed the ties and lifted, ripping up the track and flipping it over.

They then took sledgehammers, hand spikes, or anything else that would serve the purpose, and knocked the ties loose from the rails. With that done, they piled up the rails, set them on fire, and laid the iron rails on top.

When the rails were red hot, they picked them up at both ends and twisted them around telegraph poles or trees. General Sherman also ordered that the deeper railroad cuts through which the rail beds passed be filled with brush logs and rocks, to which they added explosive shells fixed so that they would explode if the Confederates tried to remove them. Altogether 12 and a half miles of the West Point Railroad between Fairburn and Red Oak, Georgia, received this treatment.

Source:
A Summer of Battles: The First Weeks of the Civil War, 1864 Atlanta Campaign
Volume 1
by David Allison

Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864
by Albert Castell

08/29/2026

A Look Back
Fort McAllister State Historic Park
Summer 1864

Orders arrived at Fort McAllister in May for the Republican Blues to report to Savannah for immediate deployment to North Georgia, leaving the Emmett Rifles to man the fort. Shortly after the departure of the Republican Blues, the Emmetts received orders for an assignment in Savannah, and the Terrell Artillery replaced them at Fort McAllister. Major George Anderson was also ordered to Fort Bartow(Savannah) on detached duty, and Captain John Brooks assumed command of Fort McAllister.

On June 24, Company A of the 27th Georgia Reserves was ordered to duty at Genesis Point to bring the garrison back to its two company-level units. On August 29, Major Anderson was ordered back to resume command of Fort McAllister. On September 12, the Emmett Rifles and Companies D and E of the 1st Georgia Regiment were ordered to the post to replace Company A.

Source:
The Guardian of Savannah-Fort McAllister, Georgia, in the Civil War and Beyond
By Roger S. Durham

08/29/2026

A Look Back
Fort McAllister State Historic Park
August 1864

Though his army was still several hundred miles away from the Georgia coast, General Sherman already had his eyes on Savannah and Fort McAllister, as one unknown soldier discovered.
Weeks before, while the Union army was yet among the hills of Georgia, some soldier while rummaging among a package of letters which he found in the house by the roadside, came upon a scrap of thin brown paper marked with curved lines, which to an ordinary eye would have been meaningless; but to any intelligent American soldier who had been a pick-and-shovel, it had interest and significance. The writing on the paper read something like this.

"Dear Mother
Here I am in a big fort way off on the Ogeechee River. It is called Fort McAllister, which is the name of the plantation hereabout. It is a big fort with 30 or 40 guns, which we fire at the Yankee vessels whenever they come up the river. They have tried it on with ironclads and all that, but we always beat them, and are perfectly safe behind our tall bomb proofs. You can't imagine how crooked this river is- a snake wriggling is a straight line compared to it. I send you a little drawing which I have made of the bend in the river and the position of the fort. A strong place it is, and the Yanks can never take it so long as they knock at the front door. We don't have much to eat, and it is right here.”

The soldier gave this bit of paper to his Captain. So it came on through General Oliver Howard to General Sherman, and as he carefully examined it, I remember hearing someone say, “Fort McAllister! I never heard of such a place before. It must be one of the Rebel lines of sea defenses.”
(Union soldier Robert Knox Sneden drew this map...)

Source:
The Guardian of Savannah-Fort McAllister, Georgia, in the Civil War and Beyond
By Roger Durham

08/27/2026

1864
Entrenched around Atlanta.
After departing Fort McAllister on May 26, 1864, William Daniel Dixon and the Republican Blues were assigned to duty in the defenses of Atlanta.

“August 24th- It has been very quiet all-day on the line. I came in with the picket at 8 o'clock a.m. I lost three men(**) from Company D and two from Company E to desertion. I received a note from Mrs. Eliza Pierpont (***)."

August 26th- The enemy has left their works on our right, and Cheatham's troops occupied their works. They are still in our front. We go on picket tonight.

August 27th- It was quiet in our front all day. The Yanks were making a great fuss all night, moving about. They are still in our front, though they have left the front of the brigade on our right.

August 28th - All the troops on our right flank have moved to the left. The Yanks are still in our front.

August 29th- The enemy left our front last night. Our skirmish line occupied their works this morning. No one seems to know what is going on now. At 4 o'clock, the Brigade moved out of the trenches and marched four miles to the left on the West Point Road and were placed in the trenches. My company, with five others, were sent on picket under a junior officer. I will, as usual, spend tomorrow at the cook train."

**Authors' note: The men listed were:
John W. Counts, age 25, was formerly employed as a blacksmith. He enlisted on August 6, 1861, and was captured on August 23rd, 1864.
John Curran, age 32, enlisted on August 6th, 1861, and transferred to the Confederate Navy in 1862, eventually returning to the First Regiment Georgia Infantry, and was captured on August 23rd, 1864.

Richard Hunt, age 21, enlisted on December 20th, 1861, and deserted on the night of August 23rd, 1864.
Patrick Furlong enlisted September 20th, 1861, and deserted on the night of August 23rd, 1864.

Patrick Hickey enlisted on September 20th, 1861, and was captured on August 23rd, 1864.

All men took the Oath of Allegiance at Louisville, Kentucky, on September 26th, 1864, and were released with orders to remain north of the Ohio River.

***Eliza Pierpont was the wife of James Pierpont of Savannah, who wrote the Christmas carol “Jingle Bells.” Pierpont had been a member of the Republican Blues before the war; however, Pierpont served with the 5th Regiment, Georgia Cavalry during the war. Several of Eliza's brothers served with the Republican Blues.
William Daniel Dixon

Source:
The Blues in Gray
The Civil War Journal of William Daniel Dixon and the Republican Blues Daybook
edited by Roger Durham

08/26/2026

A LOOK BACK
Fort McAllister State Historic Park

August 26, 1862

“Our sick list is increasing. It is feared that change down here will make us all sick. 17 sick today…We have no doctor yet at this post. Four miles from the post at a cavalry camp, a doctor was later located who promised to make daily visits to administer to the sick.”

Sickness continued to hit the garrison very hard, and the daybook clearly documented the alarming decline in unit deficiency and the impact the illness had on the garrison.
19 Sept.- 57 men for duty. 20 men sick
20 Sept. -54 men for duty, 26 sick. The camp has become a hospital.

2 Oct.- 30 men for duty. 42 sick
4 Oct.- 29 men for duty. 45 sick"
William Daniel Dixon

Sources:
Guardian of Savannah
Fort McAllister, Georgia, in the Civil War and Beyond
and
The Blues in Gray-The Civil War Journal of William Daniel Dixon and the Republican Blues Daybook
by Roger Durham

08/24/2026

A LOOK BACK
Fort McAllister State Historic Park
August 24, 1862

“I have not got over my 10-mile march yet. My feet are blistered and cannot wear my boots. The Captain of the CSS Nashville was here yesterday and told us that he would not stay here much longer, as he was getting tired of it. He would either get out or lose the vessel, but not by Yankees, as he would never let them take it. He is going down in a small boat tonight to see how things look. He thinks he will try and go out if there are only two gunboats off the bar.

Captain McAllister of a mounted corps station near here, while visiting his pickets yesterday, came across a negro that was on board one of the gunboats that was engaged in shelling the battery a few weeks since. He states that he was on his way up here to get some medicine for one of the other Negroes that was left on the place of McDonald's, as they were so old it was thought they would not be troubled, so they were left to mind the place. On his way, the gunboats came across him and took him on board and took him along with them.

While there, he says he heard the officer say that they only came up this time to try the battery and the depth of the water to see if they could bring their iron boat up. The next time they came, they would take this battery, and they would burn the bridge and destroy all the crops. I slept down here(Fort McAllister) last night for the first time. My cot and things came up yesterday.”
William Daniel Dixon

Source:
The Blues in Gray-The Civil War Journal of William Daniel Dixon and the Republican Blues Daybook
by Roger Durham

08/23/2026

A Look Back
Fort McAllister State Historic Park
1862-
Genesis Point, Bryan County, Georgia.

“Saturday, August 23rd- This is the first chance I have had to write since we left Fort Jackson. We left the fort at 10 o'clock on Wednesday morning with about half of our men and things, and there was no company there to relieve. We marched to the railroad and left the city at 2 o'clock. At 3 and ½ o'clock, we arrived at the station. The Captain sent down to the post to try and get a boat to take the things down. The ride being 10 miles from the station, we did not hear from it until 6 o'clock. We found that it was 25 miles by water, so we concluded to take up the line of march, leaving a guard to take charge of the things. We started on the march with great glee.

Not a six men in two companies ever marched such a distance before. We had not marched two miles before they began to give out on account of having such loads in their knapsacks. The most of them have been in forts ever since they have been in service and did not know what weight they were able to carry on their back, so the most of them filled their knapsacks up, and when they began to march, they broke down under the weight. It had rained most all day, and the road was in very bad condition, and the night was very dark. I cannot begin to describe the scene on the road that night, but I kept up with the head of the column, and about 11 and 1/2 o'clock we arrived with twenty men near the battery at the place of Mr. Joseph McAllister. He very kindly furnished quarters for all of us.

After all the men were quartered, we were invited to his house, where he had a very fine supper, which we done justice to. He also furnished us with beds. I was very badly used up, so I took a bath and went to bed.

Next morning, we were so stiff and sore that we were not fit for anything. We came down to the battery, and it was turned over to us by Captain Robert Martin, who was stationed here with his light battery. He left here that day, but up to today, all our men is not in the battery as there is only quarters for one company, so our men are quartered in one of Mr. McAllister's houses. Some of our men did not arrive here until the next day.”

The battery was very nicely situated. It mounts seven guns—five 32-pound cannon, one 42-pound cannon, and one 8-inch gun. We have no wagons, so we had have had to throw ourselves on Captain Martin and Captain McAllister for getting up our things, each sending a wagon down for us to bring our things up with, but they cannot make but one trip a day, so that it takes some time to get our things up. Captain McAllister has kindly thrown open his house to us ever since we have been here.

The Captain went up to the city on Thursday for wagons and tents. We expect him today. I am laid up with my feet, having blistered them on our march. The steamer Nashville is still well above the battery. She run in here some time ago and has not been able to get out since. There is three US Navy gunboats lying in sight. The Captain arrived back today with two wagons and a horse. We will now get our things and get fixed up.”
William D. Dixon

source:
The Blues in Gray
The Civil War Journal of William Daniel Dixon and the Republican Blues Daybook
edited by Roger Durham

08/21/2026