Chowan River
| Chowan River | ||
 Chowan River with river basins |
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| Data | ||
| location | US-VA, US-NC | |
| River system | Chowan River | |
| source | Confluence of the Blackwater and Nottoway Rivers | |
| muzzle | Albemarle Sound Coordinates: 36 ° 1 ′ 0 ″ N , 76 ° 39 ′ 43 ″ W 36 ° 1 ′ 0 ″ N , 76 ° 39 ′ 43 ″ W.
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| length | 80 km | |
| Catchment area | 12.432 km² | |
| Medium-sized cities | Edenton | |
The Chowan River is a blackwater river of from the confluence of the State of Virginia springing Blackwater , the Nottoway and Meherrin River near the border of the states of Virginia and North Carolina created in the United States. The river is about 80 kilometers long to its confluence with Albemarle Sound on the Atlantic coast in eastern North Carolina, and its catchment area covers around 12,432 square kilometers in North Carolina and Virginia.
The Chowan River mainly flows through swampy terrain and reaches a width of over 3.2 kilometers until it drains into Albemarle Sound. Although the river is subject to tidal currents , the fluctuations in water height are typically less than 30 centimeters between ebb and flow. The boundary between the river and the sound is marked by the Edentonhouse Bridge, where US Route 17 crosses the river. Major tributaries include Bonds Creek, Meherrin River, Wiccacon River, and Bennett's Creek, which connects the Chowan River with Merchant's Millpond State Park . The river offers excellent fishing grounds for catfish and perch .
history
Prior to settlement by European immigrants, Native Americans from the North Carolina Algonquin people lived on the Chowan River. The Weapameoc tribe settled the area east of the river, the Chowanoke were on the west side. They lived from fishing and farming.
The river was vital during the Civil War . When parts of the Union Army decided to destroy the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad , a crucial Confederate railroad and supply line , Union ships bombed the small Confederate positions outside Harrellsville and Cofield . When the Union ships reached Winton , the Confederates on site had already been warned. The Confederate battalion ambushed near the dock and sent a slave to the incoming ships. She reported that the Confederates had fled in a panic from the expected attack by the Union. The ambush was discovered nonetheless when one of the Union soldiers saw the sun reflect off one of the hidden Confederate muskets . The Union ships cast off, regrouped, and returned minutes later to completely destroy Winton. Union forces then landed across the Meherrin River in Murfreesboro and marched west to destroy the railroad at Weldon .