American Civil War Fortifications (1)

Fort Macon

As part of the campaign fought for control of the coastal waters of North Carolina during early 1862, a Union force laid siege to Fort Macon. The fort was built to protect Beaufort, North Carolina’s only significant deep-water port. Designed by Simon Bernard, construction began in 1826 and continued until late 1834. Totten also incorporated improvements to its design in the early 1840s. Garrisoned by an ordnance sergeant caretaker since 1849, it was seized by the North Carolina militia when the state seceded.By 1862 the small fort was garrisoned by 500 men under the command of Colonel Moses White (although only 300 were fit for duty).
Designed in the shape of a pentagon the single-tiered casemate fort contained 67 guns mounted en barbette. General Ambrose Burnside decided to capture the position in March 1862, and spent several days cutting the fort off from the rest of the state by establishing outposts in the Carolina hinterland.
While a small blockading squadron sealed it off from relief by sea, a battery of three 30-pounder Parrott rifled guns was sited just out of range of the Fort’s guns, supported by two batteries of heavy siege mortars (8-inch and 10-inch pieces). These were the weapons that had proved so effective at Fort Sumter. The bombardment began early in the morning of March 25, and continued until nightfall. By the end of the long day, hundreds of mortar shells had been dropped inside the fort itself, in its moat or on the pentagonal terreplein. Breaches were blown in the wall by the rifled guns, and 17 of the fort’s guns were disabled by direct fire against the embrasures. It became too dangerous for the Confederate gunners to remain at their posts, and consequently they were unable to respond to the devastating one-sided bombardment. The following morning the garrison surrendered. Despite the intensity of the bombardment, Confederate losses were limited to 9 killed and 25 wounded. A naval officer recorded that:

Our guns were well managed, but being able to do little damage to water batteries and siege guns, firing through very narrow embrasures. The damage was clearly done by the mortars and rifled guns. Colonel White reported; The enemy kept up a very vigorous and accurate fire from both rifles and mortar, dismounting guns, disabling men and tearing the parade, parapet and walls of the fort.
Once again, rifled guns had proved their worth. When their employment was combined with a bombardment by mortars, the defenses literally crumbled.