Revolutionary War Barracks and Fortification

During the American Revolution the Military barracks, which were located a short distance south of Savannah, stood near here. Around this site heavy fighting took place in 1778 and in 1779. When Savannah was attacked by the British on December 29, 1778, a small contingent of Georgia militia was stationed east of the barracks. Col. George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was severely wounded near here while attempting to rally his militia, following a successful flanking movement by Sir Jas. Baird's Light Infantry around the right of the Continental line. During Siege of Savannah in 1779 by French and American forces the brick barracks were dismantled by the British defenders who left standing only the lower portion of the south wall. Under the direction of the famous British military engineer, Capt. James Moncrief, the remains of the barracks were converted into a strong fortification, known as a hornwork, which dominated the center of the Royalist lines around Savannah. In 1834 the federal government built military barracks, known as the Oglethorpe Barracks, on this site. They were razed in 1889 when the DeSoto Hotel was erected.