Enslaved Workers Left Their Marks on Fort Pulaski-- Part 3: The Construction

The dried bricks would then harden in a kiln for nearly a week before being shipped to Cockspur Island to be used in building Fort Pulaski.

Over a century later, Fort Pulaski still stands strong with walls that tower 22 feet  inside and are an average of 5 to 11 feet of solid brick.  Officials say the visible slave fingerprints serve as a "tangible reminder" of the enslaved Americans who made the fortress what it is today.

CONSTRUCTION OF FORT PULASKI

After the War of 1812, President Madison ordered a new system of coastal fortifications.  Construction of the fort, named for Casimir Pulaski, a hero of the American Revolution, began in 1829 under the direction of Major General Babcock and later, 2nd Lieutenant Robert E. Lee, a recent graduate of West Point.

Wooden pilings were sunk  up to 70 feet into the mud of Cockspur Island to support the estimated 25 million bricks it would take for construction.

The fort was completed  in 1847 after  18 years of construction and a cost of $1 million.

--Old B-Runner