Introduction The Battle of Fort Pulaski was not a sweeping military strategic battle like some other battles fought during the Civil War. However, there was one key point that makes this battle noteworthy. Given the preponderance of sea forts made of brick and mortar, it was necessary to introduce a new type of more powerful weapon system to break through fortifications, including to engage at greater distances; out of range of the fort's guns. That weapon system was the rifled artillery system, the Parrott rifle and the James rifle artillery guns. Deemed impregnable by artillery systems of the time, “the completed two-level fort is a truncated east-facing hexagon with walls 7' 6” thick and up to 35' high. Included are a crescent, a moat, two powder magazines and a parade ground the size of a football field. Federal forces, commanded initially by General Thomas W. Sherman (prior to the attack Sherman was reassigned and Major General David Hunter took command) and Captain Quincy A. Gillmore, were to stop the supply of Confederate forces through Savannah, Georgia; which had three rail systems leading out of the city to feed the front lines. Confederate forces, commanded by Colonel Charles H. Olmstead, were tasked with securing supply lines and protecting waterways toward Savannah. History Fort Pulaski was built in the 1830s and 1840s as a Third System fort on Cockspur Island in the Savannah River. This type of defense was adopted by President James Madison to increase coastal defenses after the War of 1812. There were a multitude of...... middle of paper ...... ranged weapons force is the clear preference. Another lesson that can be learned from this battle is not to underestimate the technological advances of the enemy. Although Olmstead knew that the Federals had rifled the cannons, his knowledge of how destructive this new weapon could be was dramatically underestimated. The need to understand and prepare for enemy technology could mean the difference between success and failure. The final lesson that can be learned is safety. Confederate forces did not patrol the waters around Fort Pulaski frequently enough. Federal forces spent many months reconnoitering the rivers and tributaries around Pulaski and building batteries on adjacent islands. If the Confederates had conducted more security patrols, both by land and sea, the presence of Federal forces would have been detected.