The America's National Parks Podcast is sponsored by L. L. L. Bine has partnered with the National Park Foundation

to help you find your happy place. And with more than 400 National Parks, there's a good chance you'll find

one close to home. Discover your perfect day in a park at find your park.com. dot com.

The Savannah River twists and turns for 301 miles in the southeastern United States,

forming most of the border between Georgia and South Carolina,

before it's divided into channels by several islands near Savannah, Georgia,

and then spills into the Atlantic.

The last of those islands holds a storied past, having played a role in both the

revolutionary and civil wars, as well as World War II.

I'm Jason Epperson, and today on America's National Parks, Coxper Island, and Fort Pulaski National Monument. Before the rapid population growth and development of the Savannah area,

spring tides covered the entirety of Coxper Island. Behind it was a series of Marsh Islands

which have now been joined to Coxper by the dredging of the Savannah River

to accommodate modern shipping. Its strategic coastal location meant the island was ideal for military

fortification. In 1761, an Earth and Hune Log fort was built, along with a quarantine station and a customs checkpoint.

It was called Fort George, and it protected the entrances to the city from foes,

but was more focused on shipping regulation.

During the Revolutionary War, American Patriots dismantled Fort George.

It was too exposed for its size against the big British ships. The crown then established the island as a safe

haven for loyalists who fled there with royal governor Sir James Wright. Coxper became, for a short time, capital of the colony of Georgia.

Once the Revolutionary War ended, the new United States would build a new fort on the site. It was constructed very much like Fort George with Earth and

log and would be named for the Revolutionary War Hero General Nathaniel Green. The life of Fort Green was short and tragic. In September of 1804, a hurricane swept

across the island, washing it away. In the early years of the 19th century, the United States would embark on a massive coastal fortification project

...