In April 1862 Union forces captured Tybee Island 1-1/2 miles to the southeast of Fort Pulaski. From there the Union artillery launched a 30 hour barrage against the fort using recently developed rifled cannon. The range and accuracy of the new weapons soon breached the southeast angle of the fort and resulted in its surrender. Once compared to the Rocky Mountains for its construction, the era of brick fortifications ended with the development of rifled cannon.
