Fort Macon is located near Atlantic Beach. My bicycle ride over the next week is to begin and end at nearby Beaufort NC, so this was a logical place to visit with a free afternoon's time. Three forts have protected Beaufort Inlet since 1756. Fort Dobbs and Fort Hampton predated Fort Macon. The land being a barrier island shifted over time and the previous forts are now under water.
This fort was built from 1826-1834 with a refresh in the 1840s. Very little activity took place here until the Civil War. Two days after the war began on April 12, 1861, Union forces arrived and captured the nearby towns. On April 25 Union gunboats bombarded the fort as did rifled cannons from land. The gunboats did little damage but an estimated 560 hits from rifled cannons left the fort in ruins. The Confederates surrendered the next morning. The Union held the fort for the remainder of the war.
The park has one trail which is a 6 mile loop. One side is along the ocean, just behind the dunes. The other is along a wetland area overlooking the sound.
Live Oaks were in attendance here. Quercues Virginiana for the botantists.
Nearby in the shallow waters, a ship wreck has been discovered which is believed to be Blackbeard's Queen Annes Revenge.
Chips on the steps are where a cannon ball rolled down them back on April 25, 1861
Casements here are surrounded by an outer wall. All are made of brick and stone.
No comments:
Post a Comment