Battery Bienvenue
Encyclopedia
Battery Bienvenue is a ruined coastal gun battery located in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
. It was built as part of the harbor defense of New Orleans, Louisiana
and located at a strategic fork where Bayou Bienvenue
and Bayou Villere join. The Bayou Bienvenue approach to New Orleans from Lake Borgne
was the route used by the British in the War of 1812
to approach the city.
The battery was first constructed in 1815 and improved over the years. The initial armament was planned for one 24 pounder and two 18 pounder cannons. In 1826, the plan expanded to twenty four 24/32 pounders and two 13 inch mortars with a garrison on one artillery company. Eventually four buildings occupied the parade, a barracks, officer quarters, a guardhouse and a magazine. The battery was about 600 feet wide with the guns pointed toward the mouth of Bayou Bienvenue (toward Lake Borgne) and was surrounded by a moat that connected to the bayou. The battery was abandoned after the American Civil War
in 1872.
St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
St. Bernard Parish is a parish located southeast of New Orleans in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Chalmette, the largest city in the parish. As of 2000, its population was 67,229. It has been ranked the fastest-growing county in the United States from 2007 to 2008 by the U.S....
. It was built as part of the harbor defense of New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and located at a strategic fork where Bayou Bienvenue
Bayou Bienvenue
Bayou Bienvenue is a bayou in southeastern Louisiana. It runs along the political border between Orleans Parish and St. Bernard Parish to the east of New Orleans....
and Bayou Villere join. The Bayou Bienvenue approach to New Orleans from Lake Borgne
Lake Borgne
Lake Borgne is a lagoon in eastern Louisiana of the Gulf of Mexico. Due to coastal erosion, it is no longer actually a lake but rather an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. Its name comes from the French word borgne, which means "one-eyed".-Geography:...
was the route used by the British in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
to approach the city.
The battery was first constructed in 1815 and improved over the years. The initial armament was planned for one 24 pounder and two 18 pounder cannons. In 1826, the plan expanded to twenty four 24/32 pounders and two 13 inch mortars with a garrison on one artillery company. Eventually four buildings occupied the parade, a barracks, officer quarters, a guardhouse and a magazine. The battery was about 600 feet wide with the guns pointed toward the mouth of Bayou Bienvenue (toward Lake Borgne) and was surrounded by a moat that connected to the bayou. The battery was abandoned after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in 1872.
Sources
- Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 330-331
- Weaver, John R. II, A Legacy in Brick and Stone: America Coastal Defense Forts of the Third System, Redoubt Press, McLean, 2001, First Printing, ISBN 1-57510-069-X, page 193-194
External Links
- http://www.northamericanforts.com/East/ladelta.html#bien Military sites in Mississippi River delta