Fort Macon (Carteret County, near Atlantic Beach, North Carolina)
Carteret County, near Atlantic Beach · North Carolina · Civil War
History & Significance
Fort Macon arose from the post-War of 1812 Third System coastal defense program, with construction beginning in 1826 and the first garrison arriving in 1834. The fort honored U.S. Senator Nathaniel Macon, a leading Republican statesman of North Carolina.
Before the Civil War, active garrisons occupied it only intermittently (1834–36, 1842–44, 1848–49), with structural improvements made between 1841–46. On April 14, 1861, local militia from Morehead City and Beaufort, under Captain Josiah Pender, seized the fort for North Carolina without bloodshed.
The Siege of Fort Macon from March 23 to April 26, 1862, was part of General Ambrose E. Burnside's North Carolina Expedition; Burnside's forces advanced on the fort in late March. Union batteries opened accurate fire on April 25, soon breaching the masonry walls; as the fort's scarp collapsed, Confederate Commander Colonel Moses J. White hoisted the white flag, and Union troops took possession the next morning.
Union forces repaired the damage and used the fort through the war, then occupied it continuously during Reconstruction until 1877, using it as a prison. The fort was regarrisoned for the Spanish-American War in 1898, then abandoned in 1903 and sold as surplus property in 1923. Through congressional action in 1924, the reservation was deeded to North Carolina for a public park, and a Civilian Conservation Corps camp restored the fort during the Great Depression.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Restored five-sided brick and stone fortification from the 1830s Third System of coastal defense
- Civil War combat site where Union rifled cannons demonstrated the obsolescence of traditional fort design
- Fully restored interior with period details and historical exhibits
- Beach access and state park recreational facilities adjacent to the fort
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Macon
- https://www.ncpedia.org/fort-macon
- https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/fort-macon-state-park
- https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/fort-macon-state-park
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Macon_State_Park
- https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battles-detail.htm?battleCode=NC004
- https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/03/23/siege-fort-macon-1862
Other Forts in North Carolina
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