The Prison Tour

I stayed up later than usual last night, so this morning I walked the dog at 8 a.m. and then went back to bed, finally getting up at 10:00! The guided tour of the Fort prison was given at 12:30 and I was there for it - the wind blows through the Fort something fierce and it's not warm to begin with. The winter of the terrible cruelty to 600 imprisoned officers was the coldest on record, so you can get some idea of what those poor men suffered with 7" of snow on the ground. They had no shoes, coats, blankets, wore ragged clothes, and were slowly starved. Their firewood was taken away from them so they had to dismantle the wooden bunks to burn. When General Sherman, who I have never particularly admired, heard of this treatment, to his credit he relieved the commanding officer of his duties at the Fort, and ordered medicine, food, and clothing for the remaining prisoners, although it was too late for most. Oh, and the 600 officers were hand picked for transfer to Fort Pulaski prison - almost all were amputees, and all were suffering from severe illnesses to begin with. I won't even try to write the information learned from the tour guide, but it is a total mystery to me how humans can behave this way to their fellows.

I stopped in the Sutler store to warm up since Thomas had a wood fire burning in the fireplace. The store was started by a man named Sutler, who had stores at many forts in the 1800's. They carried items that the soldiers weren't supplied by the military - sort of like our modern day PX.

I am typing this from the parking lot of the Tybee Island public library - I couldn't get a decent wifi signal but ended up with an excellent air card signal. I hope I can eventually get online back at home and actually post this entry together with some pictures I have taken.

The Sutler Store


Next to the Sally Port


The Sally Port and Drawbridge, looking in from outside the Fort


The Prison


The Moat - one view


The Stars and Bars


And a clearer view of the Stars and Bars