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History of 3rd Battalion NC Light Artillery Co. B
The members of "The Albemarle Artillery" enlisted in the eastern North Carolina counties of Chowan, Tyrrell, Bertie, Hertford, Perquimans, and others during the months of January and February of 1862. Edenton lawyer and NC militiaman William Badham Jr. enlisted on February 24, 1862 and was commissioned a Captain. Badham's brother-in-law John Meredith Jones who enlisted in January was commissioned a Lieutenant on the same day as William. Other officers commissioned in Co. B included Lieutenant Nelson McClees of Tyrrell County, Lieutenant David J Gaskins Jr. of Bertie County and Augustus M. Moore of Edenton who was later transferred to Battalion Field Staff as a 2nd Lieutenant. There were 138 recruits but 11 were lost before muster making 127 soliders. The Albemarle Artillery was mustered into service of the State of North Carolina on March 27, 1862 and became Company B of 1st North Carolina Light Artillery which later became the 3rd Battalion North Carolina Light Artillery commanded by Hertford County Native Major John W. Moore. At the time of muster, Moore's Battalion consisted of four companies; Company A (Northhampton Artillery), Company B (Albemarle Artillery), Company C (North Carolina Artillery), and Company D (nickname not known.) After muster Moore's battalion
was ordered to Camp Lee in Virginia for training and equiping. Problems
arose for Company B now had cannon but due to lack of other supplies the battalion was deemed "not fit for service". This, however, was not a reflection of the battalion's integrity. The threat of disbanding still loomed for the Bell Battery, so to save his unit Captain Badham penned a letter to President Jefferson Davis pleading to keep his unit in the field. The Letter reads; Sir, The guns of my battery were made from the bells of my town and have tolled to the resting place a great many of parents and relatives of my command. And sooner than part with these guns they had rather be taken out and shot. But if allowed to keep these guns they will stand by them until they die. Your obedient servent,
William Badham Jr. Badham's wishes were granted. The 3rd Battalion remained intact and Company B got to keep their guns. Company B was ordered to the defenses of Richmond and remained their until September. In September, the Battery was sent west to the Shenandoah Valley as artillery reserve in Martinsburg. The Battery was then ordered back to Richmond on November 22, 1862 where it was sent to defend the Potomac railroad bridge. This bridge was a vital communication line over the North Anna River between Richmond and Lee's army who were in Fredericksburg. On the evening of November 28th, the battery was ordered to the south bank of the river where it remained throughout the Battle of Fredericksburg. The battery would soon return to it's home state in November.
The battery was ordered south to support Wilmington. The Battery arrived in Goldsborough, present day Goldsboro, and went to Kinston to retrieve its horses. The battery was assigned to General Samuel French to support the Confederate retreat out of New Bern. While assigned to French, Lt. Nelson McLee's section was reported to the town of Whitehall to support the infantry on the Neuse River. The section was put into position on December 16th. The section fought hard until relieved by Lt. Julian G. Moore's section at the same position. The section suffered five casualties and a disabled gun (the axle was shattered by a union shell). Lt. John M. Jones section was deployed at the Battle of Goldsboro Bridge when General Foster (USA) destroyed the bridge before returning to Union occupied New Bern. Company B finally reported to Wilmington for general service and there it remained until November 1863 when it was ordered to Fort Holmes on Smiths Island. The company remained at Fort Holmes until the fall of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865. The day after, January 16th, Fort Holmes was evacuated and those inside were taken by steam engine to Smithville where they marched to Fort Anderson. At Fort Anderson the battery was placed under the command of Colonel John J Hedrick. After being engaged, Fort Anderson was evacuated on February 19th. During the retreat, the army was halted in Town Creek to engage the federal army. John Meredith Jone's section engaged at Town Creek and suffered the loss of one cannon and it's crew commanded by Sgt. Benjamin F Hunter. Sgt. Hunter and the gun crew were captured and imprisoned at Point Lookout, Maryland. They were all released in June of 1865 after taking the Oath of to the Union. Following the Battle of Town Creek, the battery joined the command of General Braxton Bragg on his retreat from Wilmington after the fall of Fort Fisher. Bragg's command united with General Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee and what remained of General William Hardee's command at Bentonville, near Smithfield. The battery was engaged in The Battle of Bentonville on March 19th and retreated with Johnston's forces to Greensborough (Greensboro) where it remained until Johnston's surrender to General William T Sherman at Bennett Place in Durham, NC. Only one original gun remained of Company B at the surrender, two others rumored to have been dumped into the Eno River on the retreat to Goldsboro. What remained of Captain Badham's command was paroled in Greensboro on May 1st, 1865. The men of the battery returned to their respective counties to rebuild and continue with their lives. The legacy of The Edenton Bell Battery has been immortalized in books, and told in stories through generations around the town of Edenton. Some 140 years after the war, through the combined efforts of the Edenton Histocial Commission and local historians, two of the surviving cannon have been returned to the town of Edenton. The "St. Paul" and the "Edenton", part of Jone's section, were discovered at Fort Niagara in New York and Shiloh National Battlefield respectively. The two guns are now on display in Edenton, NC outside of the Barker House over looking the waters.
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formation, origin of the name and Camp Lee
Company B for they had no cannon, and they were threatened with
being disbanded and reduced in ranks to infantry units. To prevent
this Captain Badham dispatched his brother-in-law John Meredith
Jones to return home to North Carolina in an effort to ask that
metal be donated to the cause. Jones asked several establishments
in Edenton for the bronze bells that hung from their buildings.
Two weeks later Lt. Jones had achieved his goal and four bronze
bells were donated; three from the town of Edenton and one from
Tyrrell County. The four bells were transported by wagon to Suffolk
Virginia and then by rail to Tredeger Foundry in Virginia. It was
here that the bells were melted down into two 6 pounders and two
12 pound field howitzers. By May 23, 1862 the cannon were delivered
to Badham and his men. The four guns were named and The Albemarle
Artillery became known as "The Edenton Bell Battery" because
of the origin of the four cannon and the men who worked them.
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