Fort Huger (3)

Fort Huger (3) (1861-1865) - A Confederate U.S. Civil War Fort established in 1861 on Roanoke Island, Dare County, North Carolina. Named Fort Huger after Confederate General Benjamin Huger, (Cullum 399), who commanded the Roanoke Island defenses. The fort surrendered to Union Forces on 8 Feb 1862. Renamed Fort Reno (5) after Union General Jesse L. Reno, (Cullum 1279), who was killed at South Mountain in September 1862 during the Antietam campaign. Abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war. Fort Huger Site from the Bridge. History Fort Huger Site Interior View Established in 1861 by Confederate forces as one of three earthworks forts for the defense of Roanoke Island and the adjacent mainland. Fort Huger was the largest of the three, located on Weir Point, with twelve guns pointed to the Croatan Sound. On the opposite side of the sound was a single fort, Fort Forrest, with a seven-gun battery, located on Redstone Point. Battle of Roanoke Island A combined Union Army-Navy expedition assembled at Hatteras Inlet in February 1862 to take Roanoke Island and seize control of the sounds around it. This force was under the joint command of Union General Ambrose E. Burnside, (Cullum 1348), and Navy Rear Admiral Louis Goldsborough. The Union force consisted of sixty ships and 13,000 men while the Confederate garrison numbered only about 3,000. On 7 Feb 1862, Union gunboats attacked all three of the Confederate forts on the sound side of Roanoke Island after being fired upon by Fort Bartow. Union troops were landed south of Fort Bartow. The Union gunboats were able to stay out of range of the fort guns and gunfire from the forts was ineffective. A naval battle ensued which lasted until darkness obscured the targets. The Confederate Navy was then forced to withdraw for lack of ammunition. Union forces were able to disembark on the undefended south side of the island and encamped there overnight. Charge of Hawkins’s Zouaves Upon the Rebel Three-Gun Battey on Roanoke Island. On the morning of 8 Feb 1862, the Union bombardment of the Island resumed and three brigades of Union troops assaulted the single three gun battery (Fort Russell) at the center of the island, quickly overrunning it and thereby gaining access to the rear of the three shoreline forts. By 5:25 pm on the afternoon of the 8th, the island defenses were surrendered to General Burnside, including all four forts and two field batteries. Union forces captured 42 guns and 1500 prisoners. Union losses included 200 killed, wounded, or missing while the Confederate losses amounted to 150. Union forces occupied the island for the duration of the war and renamed all of the forts. Current Status Fort Huger Marker at the Bridge. Marker at the US 64/264 boat access ramp at Croatan Sound bridge. Remains of the earthworks located on the shore south of the marker on private property with no public access. The site can be observed and photographed from the bridge. The bridge is a narrow two lane bridge with NO walkways or sidewalks. Reportedly, some remains of the rear walls on the fort site. Location: Roanoke Island, Dare County, North Carolina. Maps & Images Lat: 35.92584 Long: -75.72303 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 0' See Also: Fort Bartow Fort Blanchard Fort Forrest Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 623. Merrill, James M., The Rebel Shore, Little Brown & Company, Boston-Toronto, 1957, Public Domain (On Bill Thayer's Website), Chapter 5, page 82-99. Links: North American Forts - Fort Huger North Carolina Markers - Fort Huger NPS - Battle of Roanoke Island Visited: 5 Apr 2018