The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Edenton, North Carolina's Bell Battery

The artillery battery was organized in March 1862 and consisted of local men. Various Edenton institutions donated bells ro be melted down at Tredegar Foundry in Richmond, Virginia.

The four cannons were named "Edenton," "Colimbia," "Fannie Roulbar" and "Saint Paul."

The battery served in the Army of Northern Virginia and were at the battles of Winchester, the Seven Days and Fredericksburg before being transferred back to North Carolina to oppose Foster's Raid against the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad and fought at Whitehall Bridge, Goldsboro and Kinston (all places close to my home when I lived there).

Later, they were garrisoned by the Cape Fear River and were at Fort Anderson, the Wilmington Campaign and Bentonville.

The 12-pounder "Saint James" 1533 foundry number, was captured at the battle of Town Creek near Wilmington and is back at Edenton on loan from Fort Niagara, New York. It was mostly made from the bell of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

The 6-piunder "Edenton, foundry number 1531, was surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina on March 26, 1865, and is on loan from the Shiloh National Military Park. It was made primarily from the bell of the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse.

Both of these cannons are back in Edenton. The location or final disposition of the other two cannons is not known. According to Wikipedia, they are rumored to have been dumped in the Eno River.

Wonder Where Those Two Guns Are? --Old B-Runner

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