The Siege of Fort Macon by Paul Branch, Jr.

Comments:

NEW 9/11/2006

The Siege of Fort Macon by Paul Branch, Jr. Herald Printing Company: Morehead City, NC. Third Edition, 1988. 106 pp., 3 maps, several illustrations

Note: I am reviewing the Third Edition of this book. I have a signed copy of that edition, but according to Drew Wagenhoffer the author has gone back and increased the content of this book from just over 100 to just over 150 pages in a revised and expanded 10th Printing from 2002.

Paul Branch, Jr. gives us a detailed account of a small, obscure battle during Ambrose Burnside's obscure North Carolina Expedition of 1862. Branch begins with a background of Fort Macon from its beginnings up to April 1862. At that point, a force under Gen. John Parke from Ambrose Burnside's Coastal Division moved to besiege the fort. The main focus of the book is one the Union attempts to first isolate the fort and set up a well-protected supply line to New Bern, North Carolina, which had fallen to Burnside earlier in the expedition. Once this was done, Federal forces moved onto Bogue Banks, an island upon which Fort Macon was located. Here they slowly moved forward and built three batteries (Morris, Flagler, and Prouty) which they intended to use to bombard Fort Macon. On April 25, 1862, they did just that, and after a few hours' time, it became clear that the Confederates could not hope to hold out. Federal fire was already dangerously close to penetrating their magazines. Confederate Colonel Moses James White, commander of the Fort Macon garrison, decided to surrender the fort, and he did so the next day. The fort's capture closed Beaufort, North Carolina as a port for Confederate blockade runners, and allowed the Union fleet to use the port as a large recoaling and supply base for the rest of the war. This meant Union ships would be able to maintain an unbroken blockade for longer periods of time.

This book/pamphlet seems to be very well done given it comes from a rather small publisher. I did not notice any large number of typos/spelling errors. Branch covers this almost unknown event in great detail, making it a must-own for anyone interested in Burnside's North Carolina expedition. The Siege of Fort Macon complements Richard A. Sauers' The Burnside Expedition in North Carolina: A Succession of Honorable Victories quite well. If you can get your hands on that scarce book, I would read it before taking on Branch's more detailed look at this small but important event. The maps are quite adequate as well, showing both the overall picture in this portion of North Carolina while drilling down to a detailed look at Bogue Banks by the time the story of the bombardment and surrender was being told. There are only two pages in the bibliography, but Branch does pull his information from a variety of sources and does not rely too heavily on one or two. Considering the extremely narrow focus, I cannot fault the author for only two pages of sources. Branch also provides a nice glossary of terms related to sieges and bombardments at the back of the book, though an order of battle is missing.

Branch sets out to discuss in great detail the siege and reduction of Fort Macon, opening Beaufort as a Union supply base and denying that port's use by Confederate Blockade runners. He succeeds in a highly readable and well-presented pamphlet. In reading Drew Wagenhoffer's review, I am pleased to discover that later versions of the book go into even greater detail. The author is the Park Ranger at Fort Macon State Park, placing him in the perfect situation to write the history of this small fight. If you are interested in Civil War coastal operations and sieges, accounts of obscure fights, or siege operations during the war, this book would make an excellent addition to your library.

106 pp., 3 maps, several illustrations

Paul Branch, Jr.	The Siege of Fort Macon
Comments: NEW 9/11/2006 The Siege of Fort Macon by Paul Branch, Jr. Herald Printing Company: Morehead City, NC. Third Edition, 1988. 106 pp., 3 maps, several illustrations Note: I am reviewing the Third Edition of this book. I have a signed copy of that edition, but according to Drew Wagenhoffer the author has gone back and increased the content of this book from just over 100 to just over 150 pages in a revised and expanded 10th Printing from 2002. Paul Branch, Jr. gives us a detailed account of a small, obscure battle during Ambrose Burnside's obscure North Carolina Expedition of 1862. Branch begins with a background of Fort Macon from its beginnings up to April 1862. At that point, a force under Gen. John Parke from Ambrose Burnside's Coastal Division moved to besiege the fort. The main focus of the book is one the Union attempts to first isolate the fort and set up a well-protected supply line to New Bern, North Carolina, which had fallen to Burnside earlier in the expedition. Once this was done, Federal forces moved onto Bogue Banks, an island upon which Fort Macon was located. Here they slowly moved forward and built three batteries (Morris, Flagler, and Prouty) which they intended to use to bombard Fort Macon. On April 25, 1862, they did just that, and after a few hours' time, it became clear that the Confederates could not hope to hold out. Federal fire was already dangerously close to penetrating their magazines. Confederate Colonel Moses James White, commander of the Fort Macon garrison, decided to surrender the fort, and he did so the next day. The fort's capture closed Beaufort, North Carolina as a port for Confederate blockade runners, and allowed the Union fleet to use the port as a large recoaling and supply base for the rest of the war. This meant Union ships would be able to maintain an unbroken blockade for longer periods of time. This book/pamphlet seems to be very well done given it comes from a rather small publisher. I did not notice any large number of typos/spelling errors. Branch covers this almost unknown event in great detail, making it a must-own for anyone interested in Burnside's North Carolina expedition. The Siege of Fort Macon complements Richard A. Sauers' The Burnside Expedition in North Carolina: A Succession of Honorable Victories quite well. If you can get your hands on that scarce book, I would read it before taking on Branch's more detailed look at this small but important event. The maps are quite adequate as well, showing both the overall picture in this portion of North Carolina while drilling down to a detailed look at Bogue Banks by the time the story of the bombardment and surrender was being told. There are only two pages in the bibliography, but Branch does pull his information from a variety of sources and does not rely too heavily on one or two. Considering the extremely narrow focus, I cannot fault the author for only two pages of sources. Branch also provides a nice glossary of terms related to sieges and bombardments at the back of the book, though an order of battle is missing. Branch sets out to discuss in great detail the siege and reduction of Fort Macon, opening Beaufort as a Union supply base and denying that port's use by Confederate Blockade runners. He succeeds in a highly readable and well-presented pamphlet. In reading Drew Wagenhoffer's review, I am pleased to discover that later versions of the book go into even greater detail. The author is the Park Ranger at Fort Macon State Park, placing him in the perfect situation to write the history of this small fight. If you are interested in Civil War coastal operations and sieges, accounts of obscure fights, or siege operations during the war, this book would make an excellent addition to your library. 106 pp., 3 maps, several illustrations