Edenton Bell Battery
Encyclopedia
Edenton Bell Battery refers to an artillery
unit from North Carolina
that served for the Confederate States of America
in the American Civil War
, the four named guns the unit served throughout the war, and to an American Civil War reenactment
group based in Edenton, North Carolina
inspired by the original unit.
Albemarle Sound
area. Drilled as artillery at Richmond, Virginia
in April and May, 1862, the unit found themselves in danger of being designated an infantry company, because of the scarcity of cannon available to outfit battery companies. A captain was dispatched back to Edenton for help.
Early in the war, Confederate leader P.G.T. Beauregard, recognizing the immediate need for large metal sources for artillery pieces, suggested one expedient would be for local communities to donate bells from churches, courthouses, and other institutions. A song, "Melt the Bells," widely reprinted in southern presses, inspired many in Chowan
and surrounding counties to donate bells for recasting. After four bells from the Edenton, North Carolina
area were offered, the Albemarle Artillery was renamed the Edenton Bell Battery.
The Tredegar Iron Works
in Richmond, Virginia
melted down the bells and recast them into four bronze cannon. The company voted to name the resulting cannon to honor each bell's donation. The Edenton, cast from the bell of the 1731 Edenton courthouse, fired six pound shot, as did the Columbia, named for the capitol of nearby Tyrrell County
, Columbia
. The twelve-pounder St. Paul was named for the St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Edenton which donated its bell for the purpose. Fannie Roulac was another twelve-pound weapon, created from the bell once atop the Edenton United Methodist Church
, where Miss Roulac was highly regarded and a church leader.
The battery served in Virginia
with the Army of Northern Virginia
at the Seven Days Battle and Battle of Fredericksburg
. In 1863 the battery was sent to North Carolina and fought in the Battle of Kinston
. On January 15, 1865 after the fall of Fort Fisher the battery engaged in a fighting retreat towards Wilmington, North Carolina. While retreating, the St. Paul and Edenton and their gun crews were captured in the Battle of Town Creek after inflicting heavy casualties on Union forces. The remaining battery fought in the Battle of Bentonville
. The Edenton was surrendered with the surviving men of the battery and Army of Tennessee
under General Johnston
on April 26, 1865. The Fannie Roulac and Columbia were rumored to have been dumped into the Eno River
during the unit's retreat with Confederate forces west of Raleigh after the Battle of Bentonville.
The location of the cannons remained a mystery until 1990, when an Edenton Civil War re-enactor discovered the Edenton at Shiloh National Military Park
in Shiloh, Tennessee. In 1999, the St. Paul was discovered at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, New York
. The Edenton Historical Commission was able to get both back; in 2001 the Old Fort Niagara Association loaned St. Paul, and in 2006, the Shiloh National Military Park transferred the Edenton. Both are now in Edenton’s waterfront park.
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
unit from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
that served for the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the four named guns the unit served throughout the war, and to an American Civil War reenactment
American Civil War reenactment
American Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreate the appearance of a particular battle or other event associated with the American Civil War by hobbyists known as Civil War reenactors or Civil War recreationists...
group based in Edenton, North Carolina
Edenton, North Carolina
Edenton is a town in Chowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,966 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Chowan County. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has become a popular retirement location and a destination for...
inspired by the original unit.
Military formation
The Edenton Bell Battery, 3rd Battalion North Carolina Light Artillery Company B, were originally recruited in March 1862 as the Albemarle Artillery by Edenton lawyer William Badham, Jr., as most of the men were from North Carolina'sNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
Albemarle Sound
Albemarle Sound
Albemarle Sound is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan and Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks, a long barrier peninsula upon which the town of Kitty Hawk is located,...
area. Drilled as artillery at Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
in April and May, 1862, the unit found themselves in danger of being designated an infantry company, because of the scarcity of cannon available to outfit battery companies. A captain was dispatched back to Edenton for help.
Early in the war, Confederate leader P.G.T. Beauregard, recognizing the immediate need for large metal sources for artillery pieces, suggested one expedient would be for local communities to donate bells from churches, courthouses, and other institutions. A song, "Melt the Bells," widely reprinted in southern presses, inspired many in Chowan
Chowan County, North Carolina
- Law and government :Chowan County is a member of the Albemarle Commission regional council of government-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 14,793 people, 5,580 households, and 4,006 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There...
and surrounding counties to donate bells for recasting. After four bells from the Edenton, North Carolina
Edenton, North Carolina
Edenton is a town in Chowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,966 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Chowan County. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has become a popular retirement location and a destination for...
area were offered, the Albemarle Artillery was renamed the Edenton Bell Battery.
The Tredegar Iron Works
Tredegar Iron Works
The Tredegar Iron Works was a historic iron foundry in Richmond, Virginia, United States of America, opened in 1837. During the American Civil War, the works served as the primary iron and artillery production facility of the Confederate States of America...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
melted down the bells and recast them into four bronze cannon. The company voted to name the resulting cannon to honor each bell's donation. The Edenton, cast from the bell of the 1731 Edenton courthouse, fired six pound shot, as did the Columbia, named for the capitol of nearby Tyrrell County
Tyrrell County, North Carolina
-Demographics:Tyrrell County was as of 2000 the least populous county in North Carolina.As of the census of 2000, there were 4,149 people, 1,537 households, and 1,055 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 2,032 housing units at an...
, Columbia
Columbia, North Carolina
Columbia is a town in Tyrrell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 819 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Tyrrell County.-Geography:...
. The twelve-pounder St. Paul was named for the St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Edenton which donated its bell for the purpose. Fannie Roulac was another twelve-pound weapon, created from the bell once atop the Edenton United Methodist Church
Edenton United Methodist Church
Edenton United Methodist Church is located in Edenton, North Carolina. It is an active, progressive church with several worship opportunities and activities. Sunday worship consists of a contemporary worship service at 9:00 am and a traditional worship service at 11:00am...
, where Miss Roulac was highly regarded and a church leader.
The battery served in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
with the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
at the Seven Days Battle and Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
. In 1863 the battery was sent to North Carolina and fought in the Battle of Kinston
Battle of Kinston
The Battle of Kinston was fought on December 14, 1862, in Lenoir County, North Carolina, near the town of Kinston, as part of the Goldsboro Expedition of the American Civil War....
. On January 15, 1865 after the fall of Fort Fisher the battery engaged in a fighting retreat towards Wilmington, North Carolina. While retreating, the St. Paul and Edenton and their gun crews were captured in the Battle of Town Creek after inflicting heavy casualties on Union forces. The remaining battery fought in the Battle of Bentonville
Battle of Bentonville
At 3 p.m., Confederate infantry from the Army of Tennessee launched an attack and drove the Union left flank back in confusion, nearly capturing Carlin in the process and overrunning the XIV Corps field hospital. Confederates under Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill filled the vacuum left by the retreating...
. The Edenton was surrendered with the surviving men of the battery and Army of Tennessee
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...
under General Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
on April 26, 1865. The Fannie Roulac and Columbia were rumored to have been dumped into the Eno River
Eno River
The Eno River, named for the Eno Indians who once lived along its banks, is the initial tributary of the Neuse River in North Carolina, USA.The Eno rises in Orange County. The river's watershed occupies most of Orange and Durham counties...
during the unit's retreat with Confederate forces west of Raleigh after the Battle of Bentonville.
The location of the cannons remained a mystery until 1990, when an Edenton Civil War re-enactor discovered the Edenton at Shiloh National Military Park
Shiloh National Military Park
Shiloh National Military Park preserves the American Civil War Shiloh and Corinth battlefields. The main section of the park is in the unincorporated town of Shiloh, about nine miles south of Savannah, Tennessee, with an additional area located in the city of Corinth, Mississippi, 23 miles ...
in Shiloh, Tennessee. In 1999, the St. Paul was discovered at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, New York
Youngstown, New York
Youngstown is a village in Niagara County, New York, USA. The population was 1,957 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. The Edenton Historical Commission was able to get both back; in 2001 the Old Fort Niagara Association loaned St. Paul, and in 2006, the Shiloh National Military Park transferred the Edenton. Both are now in Edenton’s waterfront park.
External links
- Edenton Bell battery American Civil War reenactmentAmerican Civil War reenactmentAmerican Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreate the appearance of a particular battle or other event associated with the American Civil War by hobbyists known as Civil War reenactors or Civil War recreationists...
group based in Edenton, North CarolinaEdenton, North CarolinaEdenton is a town in Chowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,966 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Chowan County. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has become a popular retirement location and a destination for... - Edenton Bell Battery in The Battle of Town Creek