LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Fort Branch - Confederate Earthen Fort

Recognized by the state of North Carolina as a regional historic site, Fort Branch at Rainbow Banks was the cornerstone of the entire Roanoke Valley's defense during the Civil War.

http://www.fortbranchcivilwarsite.com/

Learn more

  • A House Divided: America in the Age of Lincoln Explores America before the Civil War, slavery, the slavery debate, the events leading to the war, the war itself, and how it affected politics and society. Learn also about the state of the country once the war ended and what obstacles lay ahead for the country at this tenuous time. Includes historical images and primary source documents.
  • America's Story from America's Library An interactive website that incorporates games and multiple media formats with primary sources and information to encourage kids to learn about American history
  • First-Person Narratives of the American South, 1860-1920 Includes hundreds of diaries, autobiographies, travel accounts, and memoirs dealing with life in the southern states before, during, and after the Civil War.
  • Lesson plan: Learn about your county This activity will allow fourth grade students in North Carolina to learn more about the counties that surround their home county. Using online images, students will create a multimedia presentation to share with others.
  • Lesson plan: Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier Students read the account of a private from Charlotte who served in the Civil War and grew tired of only hearing about the war from the perspectives of officers. After reading his experiences as a “man behind the gun” students will write their own point-of-view piece. They also have the opportunity to read other diary accounts from the war available through Documenting the American South.
  • Lesson plan: Civil War Journals Integrates creative writing with social studies and enhances knowledge of the effects of the Civil War on people.

Related pages

  • Fort Fisher: Photos of artifacts and the Fort Fisher oceanfront as well as several Civil War battle maps. Also contains information about the river defenses, running the blockade, the attacks on Fort Fisher, and the aftermath. Additionally, there is a section that explains the role of Fort Fisher during WWII.
  • Fort Dobbs: The website provides a brief history of this North Carolina landmark. When visiting the fort, students will see archaeological sites, and displays of artifacts, and will enjoy the nature trails, and recreation facilities.
  • Fort Macon State Park: This area of undisturbed natural beauty is the perfect place to explore salt marches and estuaries vital to the coastal ecosystem. Students can also visit the fort to learn about its historical significance to North Carolina.

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At the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, the Confederate Army chose Rainbow Banks in Martin County as a site for fortifications. These fortifications provided the upper Roanoke Valley with badly needed protection against the Union gunboats that were beginning to enter eastern North Carolina’s rivers and sounds.

On display at Fort Branch are eight of twelve original cannons, as well as many other artifacts. Local Indian pottery and a collection of artifacts from Hoggtown, an Eighteenth Century river community, can also be seen. The winter headquarters of the First North Carolina Volunteers is built outside the Fort proper and is also available to the public.

Fort Branch is located 3 miles southeast of Hamilton, N.C., just off NC Hwy 125/903 at 2883 Fort Branch Road The site is open Saturdays and Sundays and by appointment. Send email to adjutant@fortbranchcivilwarsite.com or call Martin County Travel & Tourism at (800)776-8566 or (252)792-6605 and arrange a visit.

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