Frederica - The Fort
" In the morning, Mr. Oglethorpe began
to mark out a fort with four bastions, and
taught the men how to dig the ditch, and
raise and turf the rampart."
Francis Moore
1736
A Voyage to Georgia
General Oglethorpe chose this site for
Frederica's fort. It was high ground on
a river bend where cannon could hold
off Spanish ships upstream or
downstream. Flanking marshes gave
protection against land attack, And
there was plenty of timber for building
fortifications.
The fort at Frederica became the center of military operations along the Southern
frontier of the British colonies. From here
Oglethorpe launched offensives against
the Spanish at St. Augustine. The Spanish
invaded Georgia in 1742, but were turned
back before they reached Frederica.
The fort was eventually leveled-not by the
Spanish, but by time and the elements.
Archeological excavations in the 1950s
confirmed the locations of palisades, walls,
and buildings. Earthworks have been
partially reconstructed.
Marker can be reached from Frederica Drive.
Courtesy hmdb.org
