Fort Pulaski National Monument

Andrew G. Magrath

Casimir Pulaski

Florence Martus

General David Hunter

James H. Wilson

John Wesley

Maj. Joseph K. Mansfield

March Haynes

The National Park Service congratulates the regional recipients of the 2025 Excellence in Volunteerism Awards. These nominees embody the values of service, engagement, and stewardship fundamental to our national parks.

Humor is a form of commentary that often reveals serious truths. Cartoonists combine artistic talents with razor-sharp wits to shine light on political and social issues. In most cases, those artists are external observers. In the National Park Service (NPS), employees in the 1960s to 1980s drew cartoons, published in official newsletters, that provide unique insights into NPS organizational culture, working conditions, and employees' concerns—many of which still exist today.

The National Park Service (NPS) was only 26 years old when the United States entered World War II. The young bureau faced very real threats to its mission, with increasing pressure to contribute its natural and cultural resources to the war effort even as its budget and staff were slashed. Under the leadership of Director Newton B. Drury, the NPS was able to do its part for the war while maintaining its public trust responsibilities to the American people.

During the Civil War soldiers at Fort Pulaski often played baseball to escape the boredom of garrison life.

The Battle for Fort Pulaski demonstrated the power of the newer rifled cannon and exposed the weaknesses of America's coast defense system.

Civil War soldiers faced death on a daily basis. However, they also faced going home with various disabilities. One such disability was partial or complete deafness. Many soldiers were accustomed to temporary deafness from the constant artillery fire in the field. However, illness, the environment, and even the medicine the doctors used on patients could cause a much more permanent hearing loss.

The history of Cockspur Island did not start with the construction of Fort Pulaski.

NRCA Overview: Fort Pulaski National Monument, located between Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia, consists of two coastal islands and contains a 19th century masonry fort. A recent Natural Resource Condition Assessment evaluated four resources at the park—salt marsh, shorebirds, oysters, and butterflies.