Abstract
The results of Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis of Civil War earthworks in Beaufort and Jasper counties, South Carolina, are presented. Most earthworks were part of a defensive system built by Confederate forces over the course of the war to protect the Charleston to Savannah railroad, which itself was part of a vital supply line allowing rapid transport of men and materiel throughout the Confederacy. For most of the war, Union forces were deployed at Port Royal Sound less than 40 km from the railroad. The Confederates met this threat through fixed defenses at strategic locations combined with rapid movement of troops by rail. This strategy and these tactics are understandable within the geographic context provided by GPS/GIS technology and a military context provided by a detailed campaign history.
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Smith, S.D., Clement, C.O. & Wise, S.R. GPS, GIS and the Civil War Battlefield Landscape: A South Carolina Low Country Example. Hist Arch 37, 14–30 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03376608
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03376608