The Cannons of Fort Macon

Nov 28

A 10-Inch Confederate Columbiad manufactured in 1863 is mounted at Fort Macon in North Carolina. In the background reproduction cannons including an 8-Inch Columbiad, 32-Pounders, and 24-Pounders can be seen. Post on this specific cannon.

How do you “rearm” a Nineteenth Century fort? By the middle of the 20th century, most American seacoast fortifications had been stripped of nearly all of their Civil War era cannons as the obsolete old guns had been removed for scrap. However the ancient cannons which had nothing left to offer for defense against modern ships when the sites were still active military posts became sorely missed artifacts after the US Army withdrew and the forts reopened as historic sites and museums. The entire system of the fort - its walls, support troops, accommodations, magazines, storerooms - all exist to enable the cannons and their crews to defend the strategic harbor or waterway. The custodians of most forts open to the public have sought to acquire a few heavy cannons to help tell the story of their site and the people who lived and sometimes fought there.

Fort Macon on Bogue Banks in North Carolina is a beautifully preserved and restored Third System fort which has been operated as a state park since 1924. The fort had been begun in the 1820s, and it was seized by Confederate forces early in 1861. In April of 1862 the fort was successfully captured following a joint US Army and US Navy effort.

At the time of the 1862 Siege of Fort Macon, the fort’s total battery was two 10-Inch Columbiads, five 8-Inch Columbiads, one 5.82-Inch Rifled Columbiad, four rifled (but not banded) Navy 32-Pounders, eighteen Navy 32-Pounders, eighteen 24-Pounders, and six 32-Pounder carronades. However, by the late 19th Century, almost all of these cannons had been removed from the fort (Paul Branch, Fort Macon: A History, pg. 244-245).

Over the last decades the Friends of Fort Macon have raised money to rearm the fort and in so doing has made a very significant contribution to the historical interpretation of the fort. For those who are interested in American Seacoast Artillery, Fort Macon is a fascinating site to visit.

The cannons currently displayed at Fort Macon show five ways in which a Nineteenth Century fort can be “rearmed.”

Some cannons never left the site often because they were overlooked. The two 10-Inch Mortars have been at Fort Macon since 1862. At some sites, like Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter, many of the cannons were buried because they were too much trouble to remove.
Request cannons from the US Navy: 19th Century cannons are occasionally found at or recovered from US Navy yards. The 32-Pounder carronade at Fort Macon came from Norfolk Navy Yard. Some forts, such as Fort McClary and Old Fort Jackson, are presently armed with naval cannons which had previously been bollards. During the Civil War, Naval cannons would have been uncommon at Northern forts, but many Southern forts were armed with the more than one thousand cannons seized by Virginia secessionists when they captured the Gosport Navy Yard. Fort Macon’s 1862 battery included several of these naval guns.
Purchase cannons from private owners: I suspect that the Model 1841 6-Pounder displayed in the visitors center was purchased from or donated by a private owner.
Order reproduction cannons: The majority of cannons displayed at Fort Macon were relatively recently manufactured. The 8-Inch Columbiad mounted at the fort circa 2016 was at the time the largest muzzle-loading cannon made in the United States since the 19th century. Other reproduction cannons include all of the 32-Pounders, the 24-Pounders, and the 30-Pounder Parrott. Reproduction cannons often have a modern steel sleeve in their barrel enabling the guns to be safely fired for demonstration purposes. Display-only replicas may also be created.
Recover cannons from shipwrecks: The 10-Inch Confederate Columbiad was part of a shipment of old cannons sold for scrap when the ship carrying it sank off Georgetown, South Carolina in 1877. In the early 2010s Long Bay Salvage recovered at least six heavy cannon from the wreck. An article in the Spring/Summer 2017 newsletter “Fort Macon Ramparts” describes the story of how they acquired their Columbiad. Link to the article.

In addition to the cannons, Fort Macon has restored barracks and quarters, a rebuilt hot-shot furnace and a rebuilt bread oven, and exhibits on artillery, the history of the fort, and the soldiers who served there. It is an excellent and informative site and well worth a visit!