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 - 1862-02-21 Southern Recorder
Southern Recorder (Milledgeville, Ga.)
An article mentioning Richard T. Gibson in the Southern Recorder from February 21, 1862.
“Roll of the Milledgeville Greys.” Southern Recorder (Milledgeville, Ga.). February 21, 1862.
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Richard T. Gibson - 1863-07-21 Savannah Morning News
Savannah Morning News (Savannah, GA)
An article mentioning Richard T. Gibson in the Savannah Morning News from July 21, 1863.
“Proclamation.” Savannah Daily News. May 12, 1862.
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Richard T. Gibson - 1872-10-12 Savannah Morning News
Savannah Morning News (Savannah, GA)
The obituary of Richard T. Gibson in the Savannah Morning News from October 12, 1872.
"Death of Hon. Richard T. Gibson." Savannah Morning News (Savannah, Ga.), October 12, 1872.
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Richard T. Gibson - Annals of Savannah, Volume 14
Savannah Public Library and Savannah Writers' Project.
Richard T. Gibson mentioned in the Annals of Savannah, 1850–1937: A Digest and Index of the Newspaper Record of Events and Opinions in Volume 14.
Savannah Public Library and Savannah Writers' Project, eds., Annals of Savannah, 1850–1937: A Digest and Index of the Newspaper Record of Events and Opinions (Savannah, GA: Savannah Public Library, 1942–1943), vol. 14, pp. 61, 63, 83-84.
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Richard T. Gibson - Annals of Savannah, Volume 16
Savannah Public Library and Savannah Writers' Project.
Savannah Public Library and Savannah Writers' Project, eds., Annals of Savannah, 1850–1937: A Digest and Index of the Newspaper Record of Events and Opinions (Savannah, GA: Savannah Public Library, 1942–1943), vol. 16, pp. 84, 229-230, 261-262 .
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Richard T. Gibson - Appointed Savannah City Treasure
State of Georgia, City of Savannah.
Election certification that Richard T. Gibson was elected City Treasurer of Savannah on January 13, 1866.
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Series of Correspondence Related to Whitemarsh Island from April to August of 1864
Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
A collection of Confederate correspondenc and district and division troop commands 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.
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Siege of Savannah in December
Charles C. Jones Jr.
A historic detail 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.
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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-
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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)
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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 onto 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.
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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.
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The life of Isaac Ingalls Stevens
Hazard Stevens
A document detailing the life and experience 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.
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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.
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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 comes fro 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.
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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.
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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.