Re-Enactment at North Carolina's Fort Branch

From the November 5. 2021, Greenville (NC) Daily Reflector  "Fort Branch holds its annual re-enactment  this weekend."

The 35th Annual Fort Branch  Reenactment will be held this weekend at the fort's site on the Roanoke River near Hamilton in Martin County.

It starts at 9 am each day and has a battle at 1:30 pm.  The site features cannons that were actually mounted at the fort during the Civil War which were recovered from the river.

It was built by the Confederate Army as a defensive position overlooking a bend in the river to guard against Union warships coming up the river to attack a vital railroad bridge upriver at Weldon.

Each year, except, of course, for last year, hundreds of re-enactors come from across the eastern United States to give spectators an idea about what life was like back during the war.

There is a charge for parking and concessions to raise funds for upkeep and restoration efforts.

--Old B-Runner

Is This a Cannon?-- Part 2: It Might be a Pipe?

"There has been a lot of chatter the last couple days about what this may be.  Someone posted about finding a cannon on our beach.  And many believe it does look like a cannon, which alerted the Underwater Archaeology Branch," the program said.

"Archaeologists and other history experts have been to the site and/or seen photographs, trying to determine  exactly what it is, cannon or pipe."

The cylinder is iron and measures ten inches around and  six feet long.  The gap inside is 8 inches in diameter.

Many think its a cannon, but others say it is a pipe.  It looks like a cannon to me.  What do you think it is?

--Old B-R'er

Is This a Cannon? This Was Found Washed Up by North Carolina's Fort Caswell

From the Jan.14, 2021, Raleigh (NC) News & Observer "Is this a cannon?  Object found at historic fort in North Carolina being investigated" by Mark Price.

Something resembling a cannon was found in the sand on the beach in front of historic Fort Caswell on the North Carolina coast.

The Fort Caswell  Environmental  Stewardship Program posted a photo on their FaceBook page but did not divulge its exact location of Oak Island.

The N.C. Underwater Archaeology Branch got involved and what did they find out?

A picture of it is to the right of this.

Take a Guess.  --OldWhatIsIt?

That Darn Cat-- Part 4: A Great Story Regardless

Continued from March 10 post.  To see the first three posts, click on the cats label below.

The Daily Press reports that David Albert, superintendent of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, hopes the cannons will be ready for display within two or three years; 13 News Now, however, cites an estimate suggesting closer to ten years.

The Monitor's turret sank upside down, filling the cannons with coal from the engine.  So when  conservators began boring into the cannon barrels last week, the majority of the materials recovered were black water and chunks of coal-colored marine concretions.

A preliminary search of the cannon barrels in 2005 showed no sign of cat  remains, and last week's borings yielded a similar  result.  The only artifact found of interest so far is a single metal bolt.

Laurie King, an assistant conservator at the museum says she loves the cat story, regardless of its veracity.

"Even if it turns out to be not true, I really like Butts and the fact that he had such an imagination, and felt like, 'No one's going to know the difference," says King.  "I don't think he ever would have imagined that we could bring it up a hundred and fifty years later.  It's wonderful to be able to do this archaeology to confirm or deny  stories and oral histories that have been passed down for generations."

--Old B-Runner

Raleigh Cannons Now at Fort Fisher

 From the June 29, 2020, Wilmington (NC) Star-News  "Confederate cannons removed from Raleigh now at Fort Fisher" by Hunter Ingram.

These were removed from the North Carolina State Capitol grounds by orders of Governor Roy Cooper after they were vandalized (hate crime), earlier in June.  The 1895 monument to Confederate military was built in 1895.

The two cannons are now at Fort Fisher and are on display by the fort's mounds where they will remain.  (See picture)

Fort Fisher is ramping up for a new $23 million visitors center and grounds which will greatly provide opportunity to display these cannons.

We can always use more cannons.  Definitely could have used more cannons on January 15, 1865.

Raleigh's Loss Is Fort Fisher's Gain.  --Old B-Runner

Mackinaw's Dahlgren Cannons-- Part 1: The Guns That Won the Civil War

 From HMDB  On the Mackinaw City Historical Parkway.

Inscription:  During the Civil War and after the Battle of Mobile Bay, naval historians called this gun, the 9-inch Dahlgren, the gun "that won the Civil War."  We are very lucky to have three relics  from the Civil War here in Mackinaw City, Michigan.  Three guns on our Marina Lawn came from the most famous ship in the Union Navy, the USS Hartford.

The nine-inch refers to the diameter o the muzzle and the size of the  ammunition the Dahlgren could fire.  Shooting this gun took an officer, loaders, spongers, rammers, tackle men, 16 in all, plus one powder monkey, usually a young boy, or each broadside gun.

Aiming such a large gun from the deck of an unstable ship took practice;  guns were often fired at the instant the roll of the ship brought the target into line.  The large metal loops on the cannon were for the strong ropes used for running the guns out and checking the length of recoil when the gun was fired.

--Old B-Runner

Big Civil War Naval Cannon Destroyed in Michigan-- Part 1

From the  July 22, 2020,  K102.5 FM, Kalamazoo, Michigan  "Civil War treasure  destroyed at Battle Creek....100 years ago" by Tim Collins.

And this was not destroyed by BLM rioters running amok.

It was a reminder of the past, revered each Decoration Day that it was around.  And it was destroyed by the city of Battle Creek, Michigan, and the federal government.  It was not a monument, but a huge cannon that was at the city's Oak Hill Cemetery from 1896 until the next big war when it became part of a scrap drive.

Frank J. Kellogg (no relation to  the Kellogg's of cereal fame), was a patent medicine inventor and salesman in Battle Creek and a Civil War veteran.  He was known as a rich man as well as a bit of a scalawag.  It was through his efforts that the cannon came to Battle Creek in 1896.

According to the Daily Journal of the city, on July 22, 1896, he received a letter from  the Inspector of Ordnance at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, saying the cannon had been shipped to Battle Creek's GAR Post.

And, it wasn't just ANY surplus cannon.  It had a a history including participation in the first-ever battle of ironclads and the largest bombardment ever up until the end of the Civil War.

It had been on the USS Minnesota.

--Old B-Runner

Two Confederate Cannons Now At Fort Fisher-- Part 2

The Confederate monument on the North Carolina State Capitol grounds in Raleigh had been there since since May 20, 1895.  That day, it was unveiled by Julia Jackson Christian, the daughter of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson.

The cannons will now remain at Fort Fisher (hopefully emplaced on the fort's parapet).  Fort Fisher is currently undergoing a $23 million renovation to its visitors center and grounds as it is one of the state's most-visited historic places.

Michele Walker of the N.C.  Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources says the cannons will remain there since they are of the same era as a cannon and artifacts at the site.

The removal of the Confederate monument in Raleigh is just one of many similar  actions being taken across the state and country as the nation grapples with its  history of honoring the Confederacy with monuments in public places.  There have been riots and much damage done to these monuments.

The arrival of the cannons at Fort Fisher is one of the first, if not the first, instances of recently removed Confederate monuments being relocated.

Here's hoping that sites like Fort Fisher will be recipients of many or most of the removed monuments.  I just hope some way can be found to keep certain groups from further damaging the artifacts.

--Old B-Runner

Two Confederate Cannons That Once Were At Raleigh Now At Fort Fisher-- Part 1

From June 30, 2020, WUNC 91.5 NPR  "Confederate cannons removed from Raleigh now at Fort Fisher"  by Mitch Northam and AP.

Two Civil War cannons that were at a Confederate monument in Raleigh are now at Fort Fisher.  They arrived Friday after being removed from the state Capitol grounds by the N.C. governor  The two 32-pounder naval cannons were stationed at the base of the monument had been "vandalized" along with the rest of the 75-foot tall monument accompanied by two statues of a Confederate infantryman and cavalryman.

These two statues were pulled down June 19 (and one was even LYNCHED).  The next day, the governor ordered all three monuments removed.

According to  the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, a plaque on the cannons says  they were captured by Confederates when they took the U.S. Navy Yard at Norfolk, Virginia and were then used at Fort Caswell at the mouth of the Cape Fear River's Old Inlet.

They were dismounted when Confederates evacuated the fort and blew it up in 1865 after the fall of Fort Fisher.

Raleigh's Loss Is Fort Fisher's Gain.  At Least One Good Thing Happening in All This Sad Mess.   --Old B-Runner

Mariner's Museum in Virginia Boring the USS Monitor's Guns

From the February 26, 2020, Daily  Press (Va,)  "Mariner's Museum bores gun of USS Monitor, takes major step  toward displaying ironclad's weapons" by Josh Reyes.

Eric Farrell didn't mind the  black water pouring on him as he peered down the bore of an eight-ton Dahlgren cannon as he kept the drill steady that was eating into the cannon.

The gun had set in a chemical bath at the museum for several years and for 140 years before that, it sat on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.  And, before that, it was in the rotating turret of the USS Monitor in its epic fight with the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia.

Tuesday was the first time he and the others in his group were able to use that one-of--kind drill to clear out silt, coal and other debris that had accumulated over the years.  Next week they plan to start on the second cannon.

Once the two cannons are bored out scientists will see how much salt still remains in each barrel and then chemically extract it.

Boring into these mammoth guns is no easy job.  Each weighs nearly eight tons and are 11 feet long with an opening 11 inches across.

At one point in the boring, something hard was encountered and there was a momentary thought it might be the ship's cat which according to one story was placed in the gun as the ship sank.  It turned out to be apiece of a crab.

Oh, Well, No Cat But Crab.  --Old B-Runner

155th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Anderson This Weekend

From the February 13, 2020, Burlington (NC) Times News  ""Cape Fear Unearthed:  The Bombardment of Fort Anderson" by Hunter Ingram.

There will be a two-day living history event from 10 am to 3 pm, Saturday and Sunday, February 15-16.  It will be held at the site along the Cape Fear River on the west bank.

It will feature artillery firings,  and infantry demonstrations.  Lectures will be given by historians as well as  medical and embalming  interpretations as well as an expanded torpedo demonstration.

The fort's recently installed 32-pounder cannon will also be fired for the first time.

It is free for both daytime events.

On Saturday, the site will reopen for a nighttime  bombardment event called "Plunging Shot and Screaming Shells."   This will reenact the final hours of Fort Anderson with a heavy artillery duel, the first in North Carolina since 1865.

Tickets to the nighttime event are $10 or $15 at the door.

--Old B-R'er

It's a Christmas Open House at the Fort: Fort Fisher

From the Friends of Fort Fisher.

This Saturday, December 7 (don't forget Pearl Harbor day.) at the fort.


10 a.m. to 3p.m.

9 a.m.--  Visitors Center opens.
10 a.m.--  Make and take an ornament--  kids craft

10 a.m.--  Music and story telling with John Golden.
11:30 a.m.--  Cannon firing

12 noon--  Music by Masonboro Quintet
1 p.m.--  Cannon firing

1:30 p.m.--  Fort Fisher Assistant Site Manager John Mosely will present the history of Santa Claus.
2:30--  Cannon firing

All Day--  Discounts and specials in the gift shop.  EVERYTHING'S on SALE!!!

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.--  Refreshments courtesy of the Fort Fisher United Daughters of the Confederacy.

As usual, too far away for me to attend.

--Old B-Runner

CSS Alabama vs. USS Kearsarge, June 19, 1864-- Part 2

Continued from June 19.

The Alabama mounted 8 guns to the Kearsarge's 7.  Yet, Captain Winslow of the Kearsarge enjoyed a superiority in broadside including two heavy XI-inch guns while Semmes had but one heavy gun, an VIII-inch.  Perhaps his greatest advantage was superior ammunition, since the Alabama's had deteriorated during her long cruise.

Furthermore, Winslow had protected the sides of his ship and the vulnerable machinery by hanging heavy chains over  the sides from topside to below the waterline.  Kearsarge's complement was 163.  Alabama's was 149.

From Wikipedia:

CSS Alabama:

220 feet long, 31.8 foot beam
Complement 145 officers and men

Armament:

six 32-pdr cannons
one 110-pdr. cannon
one 68-pdr. cannon

USS Kearsarge

201.3 feet, 33.8 foot beam

Armament:

two 11-inch Dahlgren smoothbore
four 32-pdr. guns
one 30-pdr. Parrott rifle

--Old B-Runner

History Comes Alive This Weekend at the Fort: Fort Fisher

From WECT, Wilmington, N.C..

The Fort Fisher State Historic Site will host "Confederate Navy and Marine Corps" living history program this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, June 15 and 16.

Saturday it will be from 10 a.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m..

Uniformed interpreters will be on site and will answer questions, demonstrate small arms and conduct special tours.  Periodically, the site's 12-pdr. Napoleon cannon will be fired.

Saturday there will be a toy soldier workshop for the kids.

The Friends of Fort Fisher, town of Carolina Beach and town of Kure Beach are sponsoring it.

Sure wish I could be there.

--Old B-Runner

Bill Seeks $7.5 Million for Fort Fisher-- Part 2: Reconstructing Mounds

The new visitors center will have more space for exhibits, a larger auditorium and space for classrooms and storage facilities.

Fort Fisher's new visitors center already has received $5 million in the 2017-1018 budget to begin with and this $7.5 million will be placed in the project reserve account.  The total could reach $20 million if this bill is approved.

(Not sure of the math here.  I'm also not sure of the 900,000 visitors as I believe they are counting ones from the very popular Fort Fisher Recreation area.)

The design work has already been funded for $400,000.

The Friends of Fort Fisher, a very active group, is on the hook for an additional $2 million for increased and improved exhibits.

HB 44 also provides for the reconstruction of two or three mounds that were leveled for the construction of the World War II air field.  (It was used for planes pulling anti-aircraft targets for training.)  The Friends of Fort Fisher is also expected to fund cannons for these.

The bill has passed the first reading in the House and referred to committee.

--Old B-Runner

USS Nipsic-- Part 1: Launching and Duty Station

From Wikipedia.

Was a ship in the Union Navy, laid down at Portsmouth Navy Yard on 24 December 1862 and launched  15 June 1863, commissioned  2 September 1863 with Lt. Cmdr. George Bacon in command.  179 feet long,  30-foot beam.

Armament:

one 150-pdr. rifle
one 30-pdr. rifle
two 9-inch Dahlgren smoothbores
two 24-pdr. howizers
two 12-pdr. guns

Arrived off Morris Island, Charleston, S.C., on 5 November 1863 and served Charleston blockade for the rest of the war.

--Old B-R'er

154th Anniversary 2nd Battle of Fort Fisher This Saturday-- Part 1

From the December  23, 2018, Wilmington (N.C.) Star-News  "Fort Fisher program includes speakers, cannon fire."

January 13-15 marks the 154th anniversary of the Second Battle of Fort Fisher which took place in 1865.  A commemoration will be held from 10 a.m.  to 4 p.m. January 12.  It is called  "...And How We Suffered:  the 154th Commemoration of the Second Battle of Fort Fisher."

Outside, re-enactors will show infantry tactics and demonstrations firing the 32-pounder cannon, 12-pounder Napoleon and 10 pounder Parrot rifle.

Beginning at 10 a.m., there will also be two Junior Reserve activities for children.  The N.C. Junior Reserves helped defend the fort with boys under the age of 18.

The OLD Fort!!  --Old B-Runner

Always Something Going On at Fort Fisher

From the June 17, 2018, WECT NBC  Wilmington, N.C.  "Fort Fisher offers 'Living History' program.

Sunday kids and their parents can learn about the Confederate Navy and Confederate Marine Corps at the Fort Fisher Historic Site at Kure Beach.

There will be uniformed interpreters, tours, firings of the 12-pounder Napoleon cannon.

Kids will be able to paint toy soldiers and learn about military uniforms and equipment.

Okay, we missed that, but remember, Saturday Fort Fisher offers its weekly summer "Beat the Heat" lecture series inside.  This Saturday's presentation "The Silent Sentinels" by John Winecoff.   It is about military memorials in N.C..

--Old B-Runner

Fort Anderson, New Bern, N.C.-- Part 3: Mounted 6 Cannons

One source said Lt. Col. Hiram Anderson was later killed at the Battle of Cold Harbor in 1864.  I  couldn't find anything else on his death, but one source did say that the 92nd New York, his regiment suffered heavy losses there.

From N.C. Military Installations Civil War

One of a series of Union forts built 1862-1863 to protect New Bern, N.C.  Mounted four 32-pounders carronades, 24-pdr. howitzer, a 12-pdr. howitzer.  Named for Hiram Anderson.  The 92nd New York garrisoned it.

--Old B-Runner

Fort Fisher Target Practice On the Wreck of the Blockade Runner Condor in 1864

Last night I was reading in the book "Hurricane of Fire" that in early December 1864 (the Condor ran aground October 1, 1864) that Fort Fisher's commander, Col. William Lamb,  had target practice on the wreck.  He fired his Big Gun, the 150-pounder Armstrong gun.

The first shot hit the Condor's forward funnel, second one its aft funnel and the third hit the hull.

Of course, the gun was fired in combat later that month during the 1st Battle of Fort Fisher.

Perhaps the Armstrong shells are still somewhere in the wreck?

Using the "Big Gun."  --Old B-R'er