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Contrary to popular belief that the last battle of the War of 1812 was fought in New Orleans, the last battle was actually fought at St. Marys’ Point Peter. Cited as a “significant event in a significant war,” it was a fateful winter morning in 1815 when 600 British troops overwhelmed 130 American soldiers and felled the fort that defended Coastal Georgia. The date was January 13, five days after General Andrew Jackson defeated the British in the infamous Battle of New Orleans. Yes, the war was already over, but the remote British troops had not gotten word. The history of the “Forgotten Invasion” is poignantly portrayed in a colorful exhibit at the Cumberland Island National Seashore Museum just one block from the waterfront. Relics of the last battle tell the untold story through finds from a 67,000 artifact dig funded by Land Resources Companies, developers of Cumberland Harbour that sits on the site of the last battle. In adjoining rooms of the museum, a depiction of the grandiose life of the Carnegies on Cumberland Island gives visitors an inside peek into that netherworld of the rich. Cumberland Island’s history is illustrated as well as the intriguing ecosystems unique to the island. |