Thanks for the pictures, Brian. It is unfortunate that there is no uniform, sensitive standard for preservation being applied to these structures. The portland work is bad, everyone knows it's bad, yet it continues. This site does not look as messed up as some others, where you could make a good case for arresting the responsible preservation officer for vandalism.

As for the different types of brick being used in different locations, I wonder if this does not have more to do with the multiple-decade nature of the original construction. This is evident in other forts, too, where I understand brick sourcing was affected at different times by contractual/purchasing/availability issues.  Yes, it's a shitty load of brick, but the budget is there and the crew is there, so...  Aesthetics were not even on the list of considerations - these were functional structures designed by engineers.

As for mortars, there is just too much history supporting the determination to use cement to argue otherwise. The choices of materials and designs were the result of a painstaking process involving multiple cycles of building full-scale test walls, letting them cure for a year, and then blowing them up.

Mike E

... 
>   
> Lots of portland cement repointing at the fort causing a ton of damage.

> Since different types of bricks were used in specific locations it only goes to figure that mortar was probably treated in the same manner. Soft  Savannah grey brick were used in large vertical pillars where they were only bearing direct weight. Soft brick were also used on the outer wall of the fort. Maybe because they were softer they were better suited to take the impact from a round cannon ball? The interior super structure and gauged  brick work is made from hard red brick from Baltimore. The patch the yankees put over the hole they made with their "new fangled technology"  is also from the harder brick. You can see all this easily in the photos.          
>  

 

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