Fort James Jackson
Fort James Jackson Named for Revolutionary War patriot James Jackson, this fort was constructed in 1808 as part of President Thomas Jefferson's Second System Coastal Defense initiative. Located on the Savannah River, it's three miles east of the city. This brick fort was constructed over an old earthen battery from the Revolutionary War which had been called "Mud Fort." Soldiers were stationed at Fort James Jackson to guard Savannah during the War of 1812. At the start of the Civil War, Confederate units occupied the fort which was the headquarters for the defense of the river following the fall of Fort Pulaski. General William Sherman took control of the fort after his March to the Sea. The last American soldiers to be stationed at Fort Jackson were members of the 55th Massachusetts, an African- American unit of the Federal Army. The fort was abandoned in 19