Fort Wimberly: A large remnant of battery outside Savannah survives. Its guns were trained on what is now the famous Moon River

1990s survey shows Confederate earthworks (Larry Babits, Armstrong State College)

In war, commanders depend on manpower and materiel. But for Federal forces during the Civil War there also were intangibles, such as the strategy of “always keep them guessing.” The Union’s taking of Fort Pulaski near Savannah in 1862 – for example -- led the Confederacy to pour precious resources into building and manning seaward defenses, just in case of an invasion.

Ultimately, most of those outposts ringing Savannah were never tested.

One such fortification was Fort (Battery) Wimberly on the Isle of Hope. While the taking of Pulaski essentially made the Savannah port useless, there were other reasons for the South to build defenses that would blunt further incursions inland.

“A lot of the pressure for coast defense comes from the slave owners and coastal residents because of concerns about the real and potential loss of African-American slaves,” says Jim Ogden, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park staff historian. “The loss of Port Royal, and then Pulaski, caused a lot of owners to move many of their slaves inland at least for a while, but there were still enough slaves in the region to grow the apparently extensive rice crop Sherman found in December 1864.”

The fort overlooks what is now called Moon River (GBA photo)

Ogden served as guide during the Georgia Battlefields Association’s mid-April tour of Savannah, which included a walk to Fort Wimberly and stops at other Confederate defenses.

The well-preserved earthen fortification is just off the orange trail at Wormsloe State Historic Site, which interprets colonial settlement in the 18^th century. The fort overlooks what is now called Moon River – yes, the one mentioned in the classic Johnny Mercer/Henry Mancini tune. During the Civil War, it was called the Back River.

Wimberly “represents, along with the nearby Rose Dhu earthworks, Fort Screven on Green Island and portions of the Fort Bartow works on Causton’s Bluff, the finest extant remaining examples of Confederate earthen fortifications,” wrote archaeologist Larry Babits in his 1992 survey for Armstrong State College (now part of Georgia Southern University.”

Made up of parapets, traverses and terrepleins, Fort Wimberly basically had two long, parallel lines of earthworks and featured several artillery pieces and perhaps a few dozen troops. It was built to protect an old causeway and internal communications.

A small portion of Fort Wimberly (Georgia Battlefields Assn.)

The first period of construction was in 1861-1862, possibly continuing into 1863. Enslaved persons and soldiers built walls up to 20 feet high. The second phase took part during the second half of 1864. The Confederacy’s upgrades failed to make a real difference – because the site was never attacked.

Rebel troops evacuated the area in December when Federal forces were on the verge of taking Savannah by land. Union troops occupied the works for a time afterward and dismantled a portion of the fort.

Charlie Crawford, president emeritus of the GBA, and Ogden argue the US Navy had little incentive to spend a lot of resources trying to reduce all the batteries in the years following the fall of Fort Pulaski. But, as Crawford points out, the defenses did serve somewhat as a deterrent.

Savannah was ringed by fortifications, click to enlarge (Georgia Battlefields Assn)

The North did expend a lot of effort and resources against Charleston. But pushing into a major concentration of coastal defenses was the exception.

“Even the North, with a lot more shipping capacity than the Confederates, didn't have/chose not to have -- versus expending resources on other efforts -- the shipping capacity to mount extensive over-the-shore (to use a modern term) operations,” Ogden wrote the Picket. 

Today, Fort Wimberly – like many of the other Savannah defenses – remains off the beaten path. It is cloaked by trees in the southwestern edge of Wormsloe, though noise from the nearby Diamond Causeway does intrude upon a visit to the site. Park staff do not conduct programs at the site, instead concentrating on Wormsloe's rich colonial history.

Lewis H. Strickland, writing for the Isle of Hope Historical Association, says: “This unimproved woods road that skirts the marsh in many areas provides several imposing vistas. Scenic fresh water ponds, views of the Intracoastal Waterway, destroyed whiskey stills and atypical coastal woodlands greet the hiker. Access is not presently open to the public but arrangements can be made for groups to visit the fort.”

A marker on the trail provides some information on the obscure fort, but tells visitors to stay well away from the earthworks.

Jim Ogden (far left) led interpretation at Wormsloe, other sites (GBA photo)

Officials in the past have decried the effects of relic hunting and worried about people crawling over the earthworks. The Picket has reached out to park management about public access but has received no reply.

Mary-Elizabeth Ellard, GBA secretary and trustee, said the group had communicated with the park before its Ogden-led tour of the 200 yards of earthworks. There is a small trail around the fortification.

“Multiple people commented that how well it is preserved was the most noteworthy part of that visit,” Ellard to the Picket in an email. “Also, circling the works gives a sense of size and its proximity to the water (hence its value for locating a fort).”

A recent GBA newsletter said Wimberly “illustrated how the many Confederate sand and earth forts were both substantial and -- compared to masonry forts -- quickly reparable.”

Fort Wimberly might not be as well-known or important as the larger Confederate Fort Jackson or Fort McAllister, but “it is part of a system, along with Causten's, Thunderbolt, and the others, that is a window into several other usually overlooked aspects of the Civil War era,” says Ogden.

Seats available for May bus tour of NW Georgia Civil War sites: Former military institute, Resaca and Rocky Face Ridge

Sketch of the Georgia Military Institute made by a Union soldier before it was burned.

The Civil War Round Table of Cobb County in northwest Georgia is inviting members of Civil War or history-related organizations to join them in a May 6 bus tour of three sites.

The 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. program begins in Marietta at the site of the former Georgia Military Institute, which operated 13 years until it was destroyed by the Union army.

Local historian Michael Hitt will lead the walking tour and the bus will pass GMI-related sites on the way to Resaca, which is between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tenn.

GMI graduates joined Confederate units and cadets fought at the front line during the May 1864 Battle of Resaca. Participants in the tour will see the railroad depot where cadets arrived in Resaca and where they skirmished on May 9, 1864.

Among the tour guides is David Wynn Vaughan, a noted collector of Civil War portraits, including those of GMI cadets.

Lunch will be at Resaca Battlefield Historic Site, just off Interstate 75 in Gordon County,

Reproduction 3-inch ordnance rifle at Rocky Face Ridge Park (Picket photo)

The third stop is Rocky Face Ridge Park in Whitfield County near Dalton, about 20 miles north of Resaca. The May 7-8, 1864, battle was the first in what became known as the Atlanta Campaign. About 1,400 men from both sides became casualties in the fighting over several days. The park opened last summer.

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park staff historian Jim Ogden will provide an overview and lead a walking tour at Rocky Face Ridge Park.

The cost for the trip is $99, which includes the charter bus, box lunch, tour guides, talks and handouts.

Contact Terry H. Kingery, 770-906-5635, tkingery2@bellsouth.net for more information and to make a reservation. Only a few seats remain.

Chickamauga, Shiloh, Vicksburg: Seminar to look at park histories and their roles today

Missouri monument at Vicksburg (NPS photo)

Ever-evolving views on monuments, battlefield preservation and Civil War memory will be covered in this year’s seminar held in conjunction with the Chickamauga Civil War Show.

"Written in Blood and Carved in Stone: Remembering the Civil War at Chickamauga, Shiloh and Vicksburg" is the title of the Feb. 4 Western Theater colloquium put on by the Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia. It’s set for 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Dalton Convention Center, 2211 Dug Gap Battle Road.

There’s a lot to tackle at the program, with three scholars looking at “how the nation's earliest military parks came into existence, how each contributed to the memory of the war, and how their commemoration of the historic landscape changed over time.”

First up (9:15 a.m.) will be Jim Ogden, chief historian at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. He will speak about that site in northwest Georgia and Chattanooga, Tenn.

Smith

Author Timothy B. Smith, who teaches history at the University of Tennessee at Martin, will focus on Shiloh (10 a.m.). Part of his talk will be about 150 years of battlefield preservation since the Civil War, he told the Picket.

His upcoming book, “Altogether Fitting and Proper: Civil War Battlefield Preservation in History, Memory, and Policy, 1861–2015” (University of Tennessee Press), according to one review, “combines a detailed accounting of federal, state, and private activity with an instructive critique of the role post-Civil War racism played in affecting and influencing various preservation efforts. Tim Smith reminds us, in very concrete ways, of the malleable nature of Civil War memory.”

Smith also writes about the conflict between preservationists and commercial developers, the evolution of public policy on the management of parks and the ways the conflict has been remembered over the years.

At 11 a.m., historian and curator Michael Panhorst will speak on '"Vicksburg National Military Park: The Art Park of the South."

“I plan to address how and why Vicksburg National Military Park was created, what it contributes to the memory of the war and how the park and its meaning have changed over time,” Panhorst said.

Panhorst

The author has written about the evolution of battlefield monuments. In an article for Essential Civil War Curriculum, Panhorst showed their emphasis went from remembering the fallen and survivors to, in many cases, reconciliation. He discusses how Southern states eventually began funding monuments. He notes the first battlefield monument to African-Americans was erected at Vicksburg in 2004.

Panhorst also has interest in the design, architecture and artistry of Civil War monuments. His 2015 work, “The Memorial Art and Architecture of Vicksburg National Military Park” (Kent State University Press) says most dedicated at the park by 1920 were built in the classical revival Beaux-Arts style.

The lectures will be followed by a discussion panel from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The talks in the lecture hall on the upper level of the trade center are free. To learn more about the colloquium or other Bandy Heritage Center programs, contact project director Brian Hilliard at bhilliar@daltonstate.edu or at (706) 272-4452.

Ranger-led walks: Tramping down trails, seeking insight and avoiding poison ivy

NPS photo

Jim Ogden (above) and other staffers at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park last month led 16 “real-time” walks during the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga in North Georgia. He estimates at least 1,000 people participated in the walks across the battlefield, timed to the hour and dates events occurred. The park historian, 54, spoke recently with the Civil War Picket about the tours.

Q. What were the walks like, given you led 14 groups and were hoarse by the last one?

A. I did roughly 22 hours of interpretation over two and a half days. We did not really do anything strenuous and did not cover that many miles. The poison ivy is an issue because it is the predominant force on the forest floor. The other issue in the woods and trails is that people get strung out, and you wait for people -- not unlike what a military commander had to do.

NPS photo

Q. Tell me about the people who took part.

A. I think the groups that we had were a cross of the entire spectrum. Some people were very knowledgeable about the Civil War in general, and this battle and campaign more specifically. They know the battle story pretty well and are probably capable of giving a tour of some depth in and of themselves. There were people this was their first introduction to the Battle of Chickamauga. You have to be constantly watching your group and seeing how you are engaging them. Seeing the looks on people’s faces and sense whether you are offering a little to everybody in the group.

Q. How do you handle comments from participants with more than a casual knowledge?

A. I don’t mind interjection. Usually, some folks can offer something from a different perspective or put it in a different way where someone can better connect. I really encourage it with military groups (staff rides), whether there is a more extended multi-person conversation. The primary thing is to have an enhanced awareness that something utterly important happened on this ground. That this is hallowed ground -- an event that helped shape our country in utterly significant ways happened here.

Civil War Picket photo

Q. Tell me about your approach on some walks?

A. On Snodgrass hill, (Union Col. Charles) Harker used it essentially as a parapet behind which to position and protect his troops. He advanced them to top, fired, withdrew, advanced. I illustrated that by moving back and forth over the crest of the spur. I don’t care if someone remembers all of Harker’s tactics. I want them to understand a really complex fight went on in. I hope they (tour participants) would think about how individual choice made an impact on the battlefield. I present a lot of what they (commanders) knows right now and the condition right now -- who knows what will happen in the future? When Longstreet orders four divisions forward at 11 a.m., by pure dumb luck three of those divisions strike the Union line exactly where a Union division is in the process of being replaced by another and thereby find the weak spot in the line. There are innumerable places that decisions made at higher and lower levels changed the course of the action.

Ranger Lee White leads tour at Snodgrass Hill (Picket photo)

Q. What about soldiers’ descendants who take part?

A.  On a daily basis we have a couple people who asked about the walks. I try to tell them which program would be the best relative to their particular interest. We had one family that were descendants of 17^th Indiana mounted infantry with Wilder’s Brigade. I brought that role in a little more specifically than I might have otherwise.

Q. Are there times you don’t have a ready answer to a question?

A. I do get stumped sometimes. I hope this happens on a daily basis. This is a multimillion piece jigsaw puzzle. We no longer have the box or all the pieces. We only generally know that it is a nationally significantly battle. We don’t know what that picture looks like. Some pieces we may not be able to put into the picture because we don’t know how they fit into the section.

NPS photo

Q. What about the appearance of the battlefield, compared to 1863?

A. It is important to preserve, restore and maintain the scenes of some of this action. The pattern of fields and forests here is close, about 80% of the way that it was. Some fields are too large, others are no too small. Some are entirely grown up. When you zoom in, a lot of work stills to be done. The difference now is the nature of the forest, which in 1863 was a lot more open than it is today. Reasons include agriculture practices at the time where unfenced livestock ate vegetation. Second is the absence of fire. Today, fire is suppressed. The final part is the plants. Chinese privet was not here in 1863. It has increased dramatically since my first summer here in 1982. It is an utterly detrimental plant in the forest understory.

Q. Tell me about source material at the park?

A. I worked at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania. I did some archives research at Gettysburg. This park does not have as much as Gettysburg or Fredericksburg. They have larger staffs and acquired more material. But it is not just staffing. It is the interest of the staff member. They may look at a descendant’s letter. They should ask for a copy.

Q. Studies indicate the age of national park visitors is increasing. There also is a question of diversity at Civil War parks. Is that a concern?

A. The hump in the bell curve has been moving up further up the age spectrum. There are fewer younger people involved in history activities. The average age of re-enactor is getting older. My observation, having been raised by educators, is that about 40 or 50 years ago there was a change in the way that history was taught in the United States. Many are not given that background -- that spark of interest. The National Park Service is addressing this problem of reaching out. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for example, has an urban wildlife refuge initiative in which they are reaching out to urban populations.

Picket photo

Q. How does technology affect what you and the park do?

A. The NPS has a cell phone tour here. The Civil War Trust rolled out their Battle of Chickamauga animated map. What I am doing is old school. I am not opposed to putting in new technologies. The question is practicality. We have the ability to present maps and graphics by a smartphone or tablet. But that is hard to show to a large crowd. 

Q. In March, you will be part of a Georgia Battlefields Association tour in North Georgia. What do you aim for?

A. My goal is for folks to have a great appreciation of that site and this history when they finish. I am trying to improve that experience.

• Plan now: Special programs in November to mark 150th anniversary of Chattanooga battles