The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Wreck of the CSS Appomattox Found-- Part 2

According to Wikipedia, the Appomattox was a small propeller-driven steamer which fought at the Battle of Roanoke Island and was burned on February 10, 1862, near Elizabeth City, NC.

It mounted two guns: a bow 32-pdr and a stern howitzer. It was 120 tons, 86 feet long and had a 20.5 foot beam and was part of the Confederate "Mosquito Fleet" tasked with defending the coast and sounds of North Carolina.

According to the November 10th Virginia-Pilot, on February10, 1862, Union ships commanded by Captain Stephen Rowan sailed to the mouth of the Pasquotank River with plans to attack Elizabeth City. This caused the Confederates to sink the Appomattox.

To date, the propeller and shaft have been found and not many artifacts in the charred wood.

The Army Corps of Engineers might have removed the vessel's bow section while clearing the river in the 1890s.

Great News. --Old B-Runner