Defending Savannah: History and Archaeology of the Gibson's Point Battery

The Gibson's Point Battery Database includes the artifacts recovered during the course of two archaeological surveys conducted by the faculty, staff, and students of Morehead State University and Georgia Southern University - Armstrong Campus in 2025 and 2026, and the documents collected as part of the Gibson's Point Battery Public History Project. The following on-line catalogue shares the artifacts and historical documents associated with this battery on Whitemarsh Island, Georgia.

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 was 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 a central redoubt. The battery was armed with two 8-inch siege howitzers and two 32-pounder cannons. The redoubt has been preserved and was the subject of an archaeological survey in 2025 and 2026.

Photographs by Serenity Jo Baughman
Metadata for artifacts and research materials by Emma McClure and Joan Rose

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Richard T. Gibson - Correspondence, August 8, 1863

Richard T. Gibson

A letter written by Richard T. Gibson to Adjutant General Henry S. Wayne dated August 8, 1863.
Richard T. Gibson - History of Weather Observations

Gary K. Grice

A brief biography of Richard T. Gibson of Whitemarsh Island, Georgia by Gary K. Grice in the History of Weather Observations in Savannah, 1734-1950.

Gary K. Grice, History of Weather Observations in Savannah, 1734-1950, Rocket Center, West Virginia: Information Manufacturing Corporation (https://mrcc.purdue.edu/files/FORTS/histories/GA_Savannah_Grice.pdf)
Richard T. Gibson - Register of Applications for Restoration of Property, November 1865 - February 1866

National Archives

Register of Applications for Restoration of Property, November 1865 - February 1866 mentioning Richard T. Gibson's property on Whitemarsh Island, Georgia on November 18, 1865.

Applications for Restoration of Property, November 1865 - February 1866, National Archives, Microfilm Roll 32.
Richard T. Gibson - Restoration of Lands on Whitemarsh Island

Georgia Assistant Commissioner.

Correspondence related to Richard T. Gibson seeking restoration of property taken during the Civil War in 1867.

Georgia Assistant Commissioner, Letters Received, Entered in Register 2, A–G, Aug. 1866–June 1867, Part 4, p. 122 (67 G. 181., O.A.C., Vol 2, 1867)
Richard T. Gibson - Savannah Morning News (2010)

Savannah Morning News (Savannah, GA)

Richard T. Gibson mentioned as a possible name for the high school on Whitemarsh Island, Georgia on April 24, 2010.

Staff writer, "Letters to the editor," Savannah Morning News, April 24, 2010.
Richard T. Gibson - Savannah Morning News (2015)

Savannah Morning News (Savannah, GA)

An article mentioning Richard T. Gibson in the Savannah Morning News on March 29, 2015.

Marianne Heimes, "Whitemarsh Island residents have strong opinons," Savannah Morning News, March 29, 2015.
Savannah, Georgia, During the Civil War

James David Griffin

A chapter from a dissertation on the history of Savanah, Georgia during the Civil War focusing on the fall of Fort Pulaski to Union Forces and the Confederate defenses of the city.

Griffin, James David. "Savannah, Georgia, During the Civil War." PhD diss., University of Georgia, 1963.
Savannah Newspaper Paper Digest: January 1, to December 31, 1862

Works Prograss Administration of Georgia.

Abstracts of articles related to Whitemarsh Island, Georgia in Savanna newspapers from 1862 taken from the Annals of Savannah, volume 13, part 1, pages 131, 322, and 323.

Works Progress Administration of Georgia. Annals of Savannah, 1850–1937, vol. 13, pt. 1, Savannah, GA: Works Progress Administration, 1937–1938.
Series of Correspondence Related to Whitemarsh Island from April to August of 1864

Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

A collection of Confederate correspondence related to district and division troop commands in Savannah from April to August of 1864.

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. 35, pt. 2, pp. 447, 451-452, 457-458, 463-467, 598-599, 600, 605-606, 610-612, 644.
Siege of Savannah in December

Charles C. Jones Jr.

A detailed report of the Confederate defenses around Savannah, Georgia, and the subsequent evacuations of the city, published in 1874.

Jones, Charles C. The Siege of Savannah in December, 1864... Albany, NY: Joel Munsell, 1874.
Skirmish on Whitemarsh Island, Ga.

David Hunter, Henry W. Benham, Quincy A. Gillmore, James H. Wilson, William M. Fenton, and Marcellus Douglas

A series of reports submitted by General David Hunter (USA), General Henry W. Benham (USA), Lieutenant James H. Wilson (USA), Colonel William M. Fenton, and Marcellus Douglas (CSA) related to a skirmish on Whitemarsh Island, Georgia on April 16, 1862. Includes a report on the defences of Savannah, Georgia by Lieutenant A. T. Cunningham (CSA) on October 20, 1862. Gibson Point Battery was not mentioned in the report.

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. 14, p. 4-13 & 335 & 645-
Soldier's Story of His Regiment

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)

A soldier's writing of the actions of the Thirteenth Georgia Regiment, including notable deaths and engagements.

Nichols, G. W. (George W.), A Soldier's Story of his Regiment (61st Georgia) and Incidentally of the Lawton-Gordon-Evans Brigade, Army Northern Virginia, (Jesup, Ga.: G. W. Nichols)
Such Hard and Severe Service

Dan Clendaniel

An excerpt from Dan Clendaniel's Such Hard and Severe Service: The 85th Pennsylvania in the Civil War, Volume II ~ 1864-1865 detailing the regiments expedition to Whitemarsh Island in Georgia.

Clendaniel, Dan. Such Hard and Severe Service: The 85th Pennsylvania in the Civil War, Volume II ~ 1864-1865. Vol. 2. Monongahela Books, 2021.
Sumter is Avenged

Herbert M. Schiller

A document detailing military operations, strategic reconnaissance missions, and logistical preparations leading up to the siege and reduction of Fort Pulaski during the Civil War, published by the White Mane Publishing Company in 1995.

Schiller, Herbert M. "Sumter Is Avenged": The Siege and Reduction of Fort Pulaski. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Publishing Company, Inc., 1995.
The life of Isaac Ingalls Stevens

Hazard Stevens

A document detailing the life and experiences of General Isaac Steven while stationed in Beaufort, South Carolina, written by his son Hazard Stevens and published by the Houghton Mifflin Company in 1900.

Stevens, Hazard. The Life of Isaac Ingalls Stevens. Vol. 2. New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1900.
The Rebel Defences of Savannah, Georgia, 1864

Library of Congress. Map Division.

A map showing the Rebel defences of Savannah, Georgia, following the capture of the city by General William Tecumseh Sherman and his army on December 21, 1864.
The Siege and Evacuation of Savannah, Georgia, in December, 1864

Charles C. Jones Jr.

An article published in the Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 17 (1890), pages 60-84, on the siege and evacuation of Savannah, Georgia in December of 1864. The article documents an address delivered before the Confederate Survivors' Association in Augusta, Georgia on the occasion of its Twelth Annual Reunion, on Memorial Day, April 26, 1890. The article mentions that there were two 8-inch howitzers and two 32-pounders at Gibson's Point before the exacuation.
Three Month War

William S. Hendon

A historical narrative that follows members of the 13th Georgia Infantry Regiment and their families during the America Civil War, written by William S. Hendon in May of 2012.

Hendon, William S. Three Month War. Unpublished manuscript, May 21, 2012.
Treatise on Field Fortification

D. H. Mahan

A 19th-century military manual that provides detailed instructions on engineering, design and strategic tactics for building and defending fortifications, published by John Wiley And Sons in 1856.

Mahan, D. H. A Treatise on Field Fortification. 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1856.
Troops in the District of Georgia, Brig. Gen. H. W. Mercer, C. S. Army, commanding, July 2, 1863

H. W. Mercer and J. F. Gilmer

Reports issued from July to December of 1863 of Confederate military units serving in or near Savannah, Georgia.

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. 28, pt. 2, 176, 215-216, 245-247, 468-469, 577-578, 601-604.
Two Years at Fort Bartow. 1862-1864

Rogers W, Young

An article detailing the history and role of Fort Bartow near Savanah, GA, from its establishment in 1862 to its evacuation in 1864, published by The Georgia Historical Quarterly in September 1939.

Young, Rogers W. "Two Years at Fort Bartow, 1862-1864." The Georgia Historical Quarterly 23, no. 3 (September 1939): 253–64.
Under the Stars and Bars

Walter A. Clark

A chapter from Under the Stars and Bars detailing the transfer of Confederate Oglethorpes infantry unit to the 2nd South Carolina Artillery in Savannah, published by the Chronicle Printing Company in 1900.

Clark, Walter A. Under the Stars and Bars; Or, Memories of Four Years Service with the Oglethorpes, of Augusta, Georgia. Augusta, GA: Chronicle Printing Company, 1900, 79–84.
Union and Confederate Navy Reports on Whitemarsh Island

South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. United States Navy. and William W. Hunter

Union and Confederate reports from naval forces in the vacinity of Whitemarsh Island, Georgia from February to September of 1864.

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, 30 vols. (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1894–1922), Series I, Vol. 15, pp. 346, 713-714, 771-772.
U. S. Naval Activity near Whitemarsh Island

Samuel Francis Du Pont

Correspondence and reports from the Commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Flag Officer S. F. Du Pont, from January to October of 1862 related to U. S. Navy activities near Whitemarsh Island, Georgia.

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, 30 vols. (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1894–1922), Series I, Vol. 12, pp. 526-528, 664-665, 700-701, 704, 713-714, 718, 754-755, 773, 812, 814-815.
Whitemarsh Island

Allen D. Candler and Clement A. Evans

An entry found in Volume 3 of Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, titled "Whitmarsh Island."

Candler, Allen D., and Clement A. Evans, eds. Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. Vol. 3, 573-574. Atlanta: State Historical Association, 1906.