During the Civil War, Major General David Hunter heavily recruited African Americans from the coastal area. His efforts coupled with the will of those who endured slavery resulted in the formation of the First South Carolina Volunteer Regiment in 1862. The completed two tier structure is a truncated hexagon that faces east. Included is a demilune, moat, two powder magazines, and a parade ground about the size of a football field. The rose red brick is from Baltimore, Maryland, and Alexandria, Virginia.
Visitors often mistake the red brick for modern brick.
In 1848, a year after fort construction, the 13,463 persons living in Savannah felt safe from foreign invasion. Fort Pulaski is one in a series of forts that protected the nation's shores and kept military powers such as England and Spain at bay. Ironically, it would not be until the American Civil War that the fort would see action.