Battery Bienvenue

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 of 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.