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The
above photos were taken from the top of Sheppards Battery on the
night of January 16,2010 in honour of the 145th Anniversary Battle at
Fort Fisher,Wilmington, North Carolina: December 1864 to January
1865 Photos by Jason Ward C.O. Bug Hill Sutlery |
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The
Columbiad was a large caliber, smoothbore, muzzle loading cannon able
to fire heavy projectiles at both high and low trajectories This feature
enabled the columbiad to fire solid shot or shell to long ranges, making
it an excellent seacoast defense weapon for its day. Invented by Colonel
George Bomford, United States Army, in 1811, columbiads were used by
the United States coastal artillery from the War of 1812 until the early
years of the 20th Century. |
Fort
Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected
the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina,
from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located
on one of Cape Fear River's two outlets to the Atlantic Ocean on what
was then known as Federal Point and today is known as Pleasure Island.
Because of the roughness of the seas there, it was known as the Southern
Gibraltar. |
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