The Confederate Battery built on Gibson's Point was named after the landowner, Richard T. Gibson, who acquired the property from his father Robert S. Gibson in 1834. Constructed in early 1864 to protect the Confederate held city of Savannah, Georgia, the Battery was built by enslaved labor to protect Whitemarsh Island, which had become a battleground between Union and Rebel forces over the last two years of the war.
Gibson's Point Battery consisted of two gun implacements closer to Richardson Creek and the central redoubt which was armed with two 8-inch siege howitzers and two 32-pounder cannons. The redoubt is all that currently remains and was the area that an archaeological survey was conducted in 2025 and 2026. The artifacts and research conducted on the Battery are represented in this database.
-
1864-03-09 Washington Reporter Tribune
Washington Reporter Tribune (Washington, D.C.)
An article on the actions on Whitemarsh Island and Gibson Point Battery, published by the Washington Reporter Tribune in 1864.
From the 85th Regiment. (1864, March 9). Washington Reporter Tribune.
-
Affairs on Wilmington and Whitemarsh Islands, Ga.
Quincy A. Gillmore, Rudolph Rosa, and Alexander R. Lawton
Reports submitted from General Quincy A. Gillmore (USA), Colonel Rudolph Rosa (USA), and General Alexander R. Lawson (CSA), related to military actions on Wilmington and Whitemarsh Islands, Georgia from March 30-31, 1862.
U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 128 vols. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1880–1901), Series I, Vol. 6, p. 120-123.
-
Affairs on Wilmington and Whitemarsh Islands, Ga.
Rudolph Rosa
A report submitted by Colonel Rudolph Rosa, of the 46th New York Volunteer Infantry, from Tybee Island, Georgia on April 3, 1862 describing military actions on Wilmington and Whitemarsh Islands on March 30-31, 1862.
U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 128 vols. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1880–1901), Series I, Vol. 53, p. 2-3.
-
An Address Delivered Before The Confederate Survivors Association
Charles C. Jones Jr.
A historical address by Colonel Charles C. Jones jr. discussing the military actions around Fort McAllister and Fort Pulaski.
Jones, Charles C., Jr. Military Lessons Inculcated on the Coast of Georgia During the Confederate War: An Address Delivered Before the Confederate Survivors' Association, Augusta, Georgia, at its Fifth Annual Meeting, on Memorial Day, April 26, 1883. Augusta, GA: Chronicle Printing Establishment, 1883.
-
Archaeological Investigations at Causton's Bluff
Lawrence E. Babits
A report on Causton's Bluff in Chatham County, Georgia, published by Lawrence E. Babits in collaboration with Armstrong State College in April of 1987.
Babits, Lawrence E. 1987. Archaeological Investigations at Causton’s Bluff, Chatham County, Georgia. Report prepared for the Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Savannah, GA.
-
A Regimental History of The 13th Georgia Infantry Regiment
Kenneth C. Collier
A regimental history of The 13th Georgia regiment with a focus on the Early Guards, Company G, written and published by Kenneth C. Collier in June 1997.
Kenneth C. Collier, The 13th Georgia: A Regimental History of the 13th Georgia Infantry Regiment, a Part of the Lawton-Gordon-Evans Georgia Brigade (Self-published, 1997),
-
Battery Halleck Report
David G. Anderson
A report on the test excavation at Battery Helleck in Chatham County, Georgia, published by Interagency Archeological Services Division in 1995.
Anderson, David G. Test Excavations at Civil War Period Battery Halleck, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Chatham County, Georgia. Technical Reports No. 2. Atlanta, GA: Interagency Archeological Services Division, National Park Service, 1995.
-
Battery Wimberly Report
Lawrence E. Babits
A preliminary topographical and documentary survey of Battery Wimberly at Wormsloe State Historic Site, published by Armstrong State College in 1992.
Babits, L. E. Battery Wimberly: A Preliminary Topographical and Documentary Survey, Wormsloe State Historic Site, Savannah, Georgia. Savannah, GA: Armstrong State College, 1992.
-
Confederate Military History, Georgia: Chapter Related to Whitemarsh Island
Joseph T. Derry
A chapter found in Volume 6 from the series Confederate Militart History describing the skirmish on Whitemarsh Island in April of 1862. Includes a brief history of the 13th Georgia Infantry. Derry, Joseph T. Georgia. Vol. 6 of Confederate Military History: A Library of Confederate States History, edited by Clement Anselm Evans. Atlanta: Confederate Publishing Company, 1899. Pages 35 and 82-93.
-
Confederate Soldier in the Civil War
Ben LaBree
Confederate military rosters for the department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida under Lieutenant-General William J. Hardee, published by the Courier-Journal Job Printing Company in 1895.
LaBree, Ben, ed. The Confederate Soldier in the Civil War, 1861–1865. Louisville, KY: Courier-Journal Job Printing Company, 1895, 270.
-
Diary of Captain Ralph Ely
George M. Blackburn
The personal wartime diary of Captain Ralph Ely of the Eighth Michigan Infantry during the American Civil War, published by the Central Michigan University Press in 1965.
Ely, Ralph. With the Wandering Regiment: The Diary of Captain Ralph Ely of the Eighth Michigan Infantry. Edited by George M. Blackburn. Mount Pleasant, MI: Central Michigan University Press, 1965.
-
Excavation of a Confederate Bombproof at Fort Bartow
Rick Leech
An archaeological report documenting the 1985-1986 excavation of a Confederate Bombproof at Fort Bartow, located on Causton's Bluff, published by Armstrong State College in 1986. Leech, Rick. Excavation of a Confederate Bombproof at Fort Bartow, Causton's Bluff near Savannah, Georgia 1985-1986. Savannah, GA: Armstrong State College, 1986.
-
Expedition to Within Five Miles of Savannah: Capture of Twenty Rebels
Luther S. Dickey
An article found in the History of the Eighty-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865, comprising an authentic narrative of Casey's division at the Battle of Seven Pines by Luther S. Dickey describing an expidition to Whitmarsh Island by the 85th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in February of 1864.
Dickey, Luther S. History of the Eighty-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865, Comprising an Authentic Narrative of Casey's Division at the Battle of Seven Pines. New York: J.C. & W.E. Powers, 1915. Pages 299-302.
-
Footprints of a Regiment
Richard M. McMurry
A historical publication detailing the actions of Sgt. Maj. John T. Cheshire and his accidental encounter with Union Forces on July 5, 1864, annotated by Richard M. McMurry and published by the Longstreet Press in 1992.
Andrews, W. H. Footprints of a Regiment: A Recollection of the 1st Georgia Regulars 1861-1865. Annotated and with an introduction by Richard M. McMurry. Atlanta: Longstreet Press, 1992
-
Fortification Survey
Claudia B. Lamas
A survey documenting Civil War-era forts and batteries along the Savannah River and surrounding waterways from 1861-1865.
Lamas, Claudia B. Fortification Survey of Savannah River and Area Waterways, Savannah, Georgia, 1861–1865. Historical Archaeology 422, Armstrong State College, n.d.
-
Gibbon Artillery Manual
John Gibbon
A comprehensive guide to the organization, equipment, tactics, and technical operation of artillery in the United States military, published by John Gibbon in 1863.
Gibbon, John. The Artillerists’ Manual: Compiled from Various Sources, and Adapted to the Service of the United States. 2nd ed., rev. and enl. West Point, NY, 1863.
-
Gibson Point Aerial
Chatham County Geographic Survey Department (Savannah, GA)
An aerial photo of Gibson Point Battery with 1 foot contour lines, published by the Chatham County Geographic Information Systems Department in 2026.
Chatham County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department. 2026. Topographic Contour Map Overlay of Whitemarsh Island Battery Site (Battery Circle/Battery Way). Savannah, GA: Chatham County GIS
-
Historical sketch of the Chatham Artillery
Charles C. Jones Jr.
A document detailing the defensive lines, outer batteries, and troop movements established to defend Savannah and the surrounding area during the Civil War, published by Joel Munsell in 1867.
-
History of the Fourth Regiment
John G. Hutchinson
A civil war era letter written by Brias Lias about his decision not to reenlist and the reason why, specifically mentioning time spent on White Marsh Island, published by the Clarke Company in March of 1913.
John G. Hutchinson, History of the Fourth Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers: What It Was, Where It Went, What It Accomplished (Manchester, NH: John B. Clarke Company, 1913), 309–310.
-
Jenkins Diary
Cyrus F. Jenkins
A firsthand diary written by a confederate soldier during the early stages in the war, around 1861-1862.
Cyrus F. Jenkins, Civil War Diary, 1861–1862, Troup County Archives, LaGrange, GA
-
John Porter Fort
John Porter Fort
An autobiographical account of John Porter Fort detailing his service as an officer in the Confederate Army in Georgia during the American Civil War, published by the Knickerbocker Press in 1913. Fort, John Porter. John Porter Fort: A Memorial, and Personal Reminiscences. Edited by Martha Fannin Fort. New York: Knickerbocker Press, 1918.
-
Map Illustrating the Defence of Savannah Ga.
Orlando Metcalfe Poe
A map illustrating the defence of Savannah Georgia and the operations resulting in it's capture by the army commanded by Major General William Tecumseh Sherman on December 21, 1864. Compiled by Brigadier General Orlando Metcalfe Poe of the Corps of Engineers in 1880-1881.
-
Map of Savannah 1861
Library of the Department of War (Washington, D.C.)
A map of Chatham County, Georgia and Beaufort county, South Carolina, published by the Library of the Department of War in 1925.
“Map of Savannah, Georgia 1861.” 1925. Map. Library of the Department of War.
