Bonaventure Don

Here’s something we don’t see everyday, it’s a horse drawn caisson leading a funeral procession into the cemetery.

It’s that time of year again, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The Spanish Moss is in bloom!

As football teams battle for playoff glory this weekend, imagine soldiers in 1863 chasing bragging rights on a very different field—the baseball diamond inside Fort Pulaski!

After the United States Army captured Fort Pulaski in April 1862, life for soldiers stationed there settled into a quiet routine. To pass the time, they turned to America’s favorite pastime—baseball.

Fort Pulaski even made baseball history with one of the earliest known photographs of the game taken here in 1862, featuring members of the 48th New York Infantry. One soldier of the 48th NY bragged about his regiment's team:

"Our baseball nine was a fine success. In games with picked nines from other regiments it generally won the laurels. In a game with the nine of the Forty-seventh New York...January 3, 1863, it won by a score of twenty to seven."

So while you’re cheering for touchdowns this weekend, picture the cheers echoing across Fort Pulaski’s parade ground as soldiers played ball more than 160 years ago!

Image Description: A black and white image of more than a dozen soldiers playing baseball on the flat surface of the fort's parade ground, with tall brick walls mounted by large black cannons surrounding them. NPS Photo