Most of the fort is still intact \u2013 all though it doesn\u2019t look like what you imagine a fort to be. Because of the technological advances in warfare an open fort above ground just didn\u2019t work any more. So what you see here is a row of grassy mounds. The soldiers built rooms and tunnels out of wood, and then covered them with sand\/soil to protect them from the incoming fire. It worked \u2013 up to a point.<\/p>\n

It withstood a first battle with the Union Army. But the second time around, the Union troops came with lots of back-up. There were over 50 ships that were stationed immediately off the coast, plus a few more ships north of the fort with the infantry. It seems it was quite the spectacle.<\/p>\n

Nazeriah made quite a good point while looking at one of the dioramas \u2013 \u201cBut I can\u2019t tell which side is which.\u201d Hmmm \u2026<\/p>\n

While I was interested in the history side of things \u2026 the kids were more interested in playing. We brought our kickball along with us and soon set off outside for a little hike and exploration around the fort trail, with the possibility of a game of kickball. The latter didn\u2019t really happen \u2013 it was too windy for our ball, and well, Chayton was a little possessive of it. He would stand and hold it, not moving, until the girls went away from him, then he would run with the ball.<\/p>\n