Fort McAllister State Park
Beth Ann and I had been very busy lately and we needed to get away for a weekend. We tried to make a reservation at Skidaway Island State Park, but because of the St. Patrick's holiday celebration in Savannah, there were no vacancies. We searched online and found 1 remaining campsite available at Fort McAllister. We reserved a site for the weekend of March 18-20, 2005.
We left work Friday and arrived at Fort McAllister around 5:15pm. Since we arrived after 5pm, we had to register with the camp host. After we registered, we searched for a desirable campsite and finally set up our camper on Site #49. It was easy to park our camper since all RV sites at this park are spacious "pull-thrus." The campground also had a tent section with hookups, an area for primitive camping, 3 nice rental cottages, a playground and a boat ramp for the boys with the big toys. There is a second boat ramp outside the campground that is easy public access.
After supper Friday evening, we wanted to explore the campground further, but the gnats were terrible. We stayed inside the camper Friday evening.
The gnats were also bad Saturday morning. We ate some grapes for a late breakfast and then ventured outside. There were a few bugs, but it was finally tolerable to be outside. We drove a short distance to the Fort McAllister Museum and viewed the movie and indoor displays before walking outside to tour the fort.
As Beth Ann and I approached the fort, we noticed that it was constructed differently from other forts that we have toured. It was a massive "earthen fort." Our information pamphlet stated that the fort was erected by the Confederate Army at the outbreak of the Civil War to protect Savannah, the Ogeechee River, a vital railroad trestle upstream, and rice and cotton plantations bordering the river. Named for the family of Col. Joseph L. McAllister, the fort withstood seven major naval attacks by Federal forces, including the largest guns used by the Union Navy.
Fort McAllister continued to guard the Ogeechee until late 1864 when General Sherman's 60,000-man army began to close on Savannah. Needing control of the Ogeechee River to open supply lines, Sherman dispatched a union division to cross Bryan's Neck and attack Ft. McAllister overland from the rear. Never constructed to withstand a land attack, the fort fell after fifteen minutes of intense combat. Sherman's March to the Sea ended as the Ogeechee now lay open. Within a week, the city of Savannah was the Union's prize.
After a lesson in history, we returned to our campsite and had a late lunch...big juicy delicious hamburgers. We had a chance to walk around the campground before the gnats began their feeding frenzy again. We ate supper and stayed in the camper until we went to sleep sometime after 11pm.
We awoke the next morning and the gnats were swarming outside. There were quite a few gnats flying around in the camper as well. We decided to pack it in and leave. The bugs were too much for us. We ate some chips and boiled peanuts to quell our hunger.
We made it home around 12:15pm, and backed the camper into the driveway. We then went to the Crab Shack at Tybee and had a very good lunch...hot crab shack stew and boiled shrimp...Mmmmm good!!!! Finally...there were no gnats bothering us!!!!
In retrospect, Fort McAllister State Park has a nice campground. The fort is scenic and educational. The staff is helpful and friendly. If you need camping supplies, pick them up before you arrive at the campground. They have a very small selection of camping related items in stock in their museum gift shop area. When we registered with the camp host, we noticed that there was a stack of firewood for sale on the host's site...8 pieces of firewood for $3. This campground is a decent place to stay as long as the bugs aren't around to make your life miserable.
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