The assault on and capture of Fort Pulaski is the story of the elimination of Savannah, Georgia as a Confederate seaport. Of equal importance was the North's successful use of rifled artillery against that masonry fort, a technological turning point equal in significance to the much better known development of ironclad ships. The rifled cannon were developed in the mid-1800s and were first used in siege warfare during the attack against Fort Pulaski.

In April 1862, three of those formidable new weapons breached Fort Pulaski's walls within thirty-six hours, forcing the garrison to surrender and closing Savannah's port. This is the first modern account of great Federal labors, under terrible conditions in difficult terrain, to erect the batteries which sealed the Savannah River, isolated Fort Pulaski, and finally forced its surrender amidst the Union army's infighting over who should receive credit for the operation.