Confederate cannons removed from Capitol in Raleigh now stand at Fort Fisher
Two Confederate cannons on display in downtown Raleigh for 118 years have reportedly found a new home.
The Wilmington Star-News reported Monday the cannons have been moved to Fort Fisher State Historic Site at Kure Beach. They went on public display there Sunday. On Monday afternoon, Fort Fisher posted on Facebook, “An article about our new additions to Fort Fisher” with a link to the Star-News story.
After sitting on the State Capitol grounds in Raleigh as part of a Confederate memorial since 1902, the cannons were removed from that site last Tuesday. Three days earlier, Gov. Roy Cooper ordered the cannons and the 1895 monument to Confederate war dead removed, saying they were public safety hazards.
Protesters, saying the monuments were symbols of white supremacy, destroyed part of the 1895 monument on June 20. Cooper issued his order to move the Confederate monuments to a secure facility the following day.
Built in 1861, Fort Fisher protected Wilmington’s seaport, a key link in the Confederacy’s supply chain, during the Civil War. It fell into Union hands on Jan. 15, 1865, following what at the time was the largest land-sea battle ever fought.
The Fort Fisher State Historic Site and Recreation Area is managed by the state’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. An email sent to the DNCR by the News & Observer, requesting comment on the cannons being moved and the plans for their display at Fort Fisher, was not returned on Monday afternoon.
This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Confederate cannons removed from Capitol in Raleigh now stand at Fort Fisher."