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 The following on-line catalogue shares the artifacts and historical documents associated with this battery on Whitemarsh Island, Georgia.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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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.
Evacuation of Whitemarsh Island

P. P. Brown Jr. and T. B. Roy

Report of the evacuation of Whitemarsh Island, Georgia on December 11, 1864 by Colonel P. P. Brown, U. S. Forces Headquarters, Fort Pulaski, Georgia and Confederate orders issued to the troops on Whitemarsh Island to evacuate on December 19, 1864 by Assistant Adjutant General T. B. Roy.

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. 44, p. 691, 967.
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.
February 22, 1864 - Skirmish on Whitemarsh Island, Ga.

R. E. Colston, Thomas Jordan, and H. W. Mercer

Report of skirmish on Whitemarsh Island, Georgia on February 22, 1864 between Union troops of the 85th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and the 57th Georgia Infantry by Confederate General Raleigh E. Colston. Included is a message from General Thomas Jordan to General Hugh W. Mercer to assign a permanent garrison on Whitmarsh Island.

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. 1, pp. 361-364, 642, 644-645.
Field Notes on Gibson's Point Battery - March 17-18, 2025

Morehead State University. History Department.

The field notes taken by members of the archaeological investigative crew at Gibson's Point Battery from March 17-18, 2025.
F. M. Wilkinson Letter - April 4, 1864

F. M. Wilkinson and C. R. Wilkinson

A letter from F. M. Wilkinson to his father C. R. Wilkinson from a Confederate camp on Whitemarsh Island, Georgia dated April 4, 1864.

Digital Library of Georgia. https://dlg.usg.edu/record/geusc_139x0k6f6s-cor_880ht76jh2-cor.
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 Battery, Whitemarsh Island, Georgia - Survey Proposal

Kurt Knoerl and Adrian Mandzy

2024 archaeological survey proposal submitted in September of 2024 to take a public history class from Morehead State University to Savannah, Georgia from March 16 to March 21, 2025.

Knoerl, Kurt, and Mandzy, Adrian. Gibson Battery, Whitemarsh Island, Georgia. (Morehead, Ky.: Morehead State University, 2024).
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
Gibson's Point Battery Graphs

Morehead State University. History Department.

Graphs of soil layers taken during the archaeological survey of Gibson's Point Battery in the spring of 2025.
Hell's Broke Loose in Georgia

Scott Walker

A chapter from Hell's Broke Loose in Georgia by Scott Walker on 57th Georgia Infantry on Whitemarsh Island from January to February of 1864. The unit was involved in the skirmish of February 22, 1864.

Scott Walker, Hell's Broke Loose in Georgia: Survival in a Civil War Regiment (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2005), 103-108.
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 Eighty-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 1861–1865

Luther S. Dickey

Excerpts from the History of the Eighty-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 1861–1865 describing the skirmish at Whitemarsh Island on February 22, 1863.

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.
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.
History of Tybee Islands, Ga., and a Sketch of the Savannah & Tybee R. R.

Beale H. Richardson

An excerpt from A History of Tybee Islands, Ga. describing the skirmish before Causton's Bluff in April of 1862.

Beale H. Richardson, A History of Tybee Islands, Ga., and a Sketch of the Savannah & Tybee R. R. (Savannah, Ga: B. H. Richardson, 1888), 22-24.
Island Area Community Plan: Oatland, Talahi, Whiatemarsh, and Wilmington Islands

Chatham County Board of Commissioners.

Island Area Community Plan for Oatland, Talahi, Whiatemarsh, and Wilmington Islands published by the Chatham County - Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission on June 8, 2001.

Chatham County Board of Commissioners. Island Area Community Plan: Oatland, Talahi, Whiatemarsh, and Wilmington Islands. (Savannah, Ga.: Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission, 2001.)
Itinerary of Military Operations, January 1-November 13 - Department of the South

Joshua B. Howell and Pierre T. Beauregard

A report submitted by Colonel Joshua B. Howell, of the 85th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, on February 21, 1864 related to an expedition to Whitemarsh Island. Includes a note sent by Confederate General Pierre T. Beauregard of a Union demonstration on Whitemarsh Island from February 22, 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. 1, pp. 30-32, 112-113.
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 McCrady Service Record

National Archives

The Confederate military service records of John McCrady from March 1862 to April 1865 held at the National Archives.
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.