Phase I Test Excavations Mortar Battery, Fort McAllister

In the woods to the south of Fort McAllister lies a mound identical to those within the fort walls. (Plate 1). It is connected to the fort by a long, sand wall which currently provides access to the mound. During 1863 and 1864, this mound and an inclosed area next to it were the site of the mortar battery used in the defense of the fort (Figure 1). As such, the mortar battery, played an integral, if somewhat displaced, role in the history of Fort McAllister during the war years of 1861-1865. This paper reports on archaeological testing of the mortar battery at the fort conducted on weekends during May and June 1982 by students from Armstrong State College and members of the Coastal Georgia Archaeological Society. Work was voluntary in nature and concentrated on the attempt to retrieve structural information relating to the construction, destruction, reconstruction and restoration of the mortar battery and its bombproof. Basically, the work consisted of removing a large amount of sterile sand overburden which composed the body, or protective mantle, of the bombproof. This was done in an effort to reach the original ground surface dating to the mid-nineteenth century. Due to the danger involved in excavating in sand, no test pits were carried below a depth of five feet. Results were marginal with regard to providing interpretive data about the original work but a considerable amount of information was obtained relating to the restoration activities of the last half century. All field notes, drawings, photographs and artifacts are currently on file at the Laboratory for Archaeology, Armstrong State College, Savannah, Georgia, where they may be inspected or utilized for research by interested parties.