Fort Branch was a fort built by the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighti ...

especially to defend against attacks from the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

along the

Roanoke River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the App ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

. The fort was originally built in 1862 along Rainbow Banks in Martin County, southeast of Hamilton, as a suitable location for defense of the Roanoke Valley. Twelve pieces of artillery were stationed at the fort to prevent Union access to the Wilmington-Weldon Railroad Bridge. On December 12, 1864, members of the 2nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Heavy Artillery, 27th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 9th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, 16th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, 176th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Battery A of the 3rd New York Heavy Artillery Regiment, and the 12th Regiment New York Volunteer Cavalry under the command of Colonel Jones Frankle advanced towards Fort Branch. The night was bitterly cold and quite dark, which enabled the Union contingent to move easily. Colonel John Hinton, commanding officer of the fort, was caught unawares and was captured easily by Captain Samuel P. Russell of Battery A of the 3rd New York. Despite this initial success, the decision to chase down Confederate soldiers of the Weldon Junior Reserves gave Hinton's men time to regroup, and the fort was abandoned as Frankle and his men retreated back to

Williamston, North Carolina Williamston is a town in Martin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,511 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Martin County and is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. The closest major city is Greenvill ...

References

External links

Fort Branch Civil War Site
- Fort Branch Battlefield Commission
Photos of Fort Branch Confederate Earthen Fort

American Civil War forts Wilmington campaigns Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War Union victories of the American Civil War Museums in Martin County, North Carolina American Civil War museums in North Carolina Battles of the American Civil War in North Carolina 1862 establishments in North Carolina December 1864 events {{NorthCarolina-museum-stub