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Battle of Washington
The Siege of Washington
The Civil War Battle of Washington
The Siege of Washington, North Carolina History
Confederates failed to recapture town, March-April, 1863, but held it April-Nov., 1864.
| Battle of Washington |
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| Civil War North Carolina Battles and Battlefields Map |
| Battle of Washington |
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| Battle of Washington |
(Right) Civil War Battle of Washington and Oakdale Cemetery Historical Marker.
In 1862 a Boston Journal correspondent describe
the Washington as an agreeable town of about 2,500 residents “some two thirds of whom have seen fit to leave for the
interior.” When forces under Brigadier General Ambrose Burnside, arrived on March 21, the remaining citizens “met
the troops with every expression of welcome.” So prevalent were the Union sentiments that Burnside stationed troops
from the 24th Massachusetts Regiment and several gunboats at the town, effectively occupying Washington.
In March 1863, Confederate General Daniel Harvey Hill launched an attack on the
federal garrison at Washington in an attempt to reclaim the city in the Battle of Washington. Confederates seized one battery and fortified others with the intention
of launching an artillery bombardment. In the Pamlico River, piles that were cut off below the water line and other
sunken impediments made for perilous river travel. Union General J. G. Foster and his men had made it into Washington just
prior to Hill’s placement of troops along roads to prevent federal reinforcements from reaching the garrison. The armies
engaged in artillery attacks off and on for until mid-April when the Escort, a Union steamer, ran past the Confederate batteries
twice. The arrival of supplies and reinforcements having bolstered the federal garrison, Hill withdrew his troops from Washington.
| Siege of Washington, NC, Interpretive Marker |
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| Battle of Washington is also known as Siege and Burning of Washington |
Washington remained under federal control until April 26, 1864 (the present marker
states incorrectly that the Confederates held Washington from March until November), when, as a result of the Confederate
victory at Plymouth, Brigadier General Edward Harland was ordered to withdraw from the town. For four days the evacuating
troops pillaged Washington, destroying what they could not carry. As the final detachments were preparing to leave Washington
on April 30, a fire started in the riverfront warehouse district, spreading quickly, until about one half of the city was
in ashes.
| General Robert F. Hoke |
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| Battle of Washington or Burning of Washington? |
General Robert F. Hoke entered Washington finding “a ruined city…a
sad scene—mostly…chimneys and Heaps of ashes to mark the place where Fine Houses once stood, and the Beautiful
trees, which shaded the side walks, Burnt, some all most to a coal.” Hoke left
the 6th North Carolina to defend Washington and to assist its citizens. A reversal of fortune would come in November 1864.
Following the Union’s recapture of Plymouth, Washington and the whole sound region, again, fell under federal control.
(Sources listed at bottom of page.)
Recommended Reading: The Civil War in North Carolina. Description: Numerous
battles and skirmishes were fought in North Carolina during
the Civil War, and the campaigns and battles themselves were crucial in the grand strategy of the conflict and involved some
of the most famous generals of the war. John Barrett presents the complete story of military engagements across the state,
including the classical pitched battle of Bentonville--involving Generals Joe Johnston and William Sherman--the siege of Fort Fisher, the amphibious
campaigns on the coast, and cavalry sweeps such as General George Stoneman's Raid.
Related Studies:
Recommended Reading: Ironclads and Columbiads: The Coast
(The Civil War in North Carolina) (456 pages). Description: Ironclads and Columbiads covers some of the most
important battles and campaigns in the state. In January 1862, Union forces began in earnest to occupy crucial points on the
North Carolina coast. Within six months, Union army and
naval forces effectively controlled coastal North Carolina from the Virginia
line south to present-day Morehead City.
Continued below...
Union setbacks in Virginia, however, led to the withdrawal of many federal soldiers from North Carolina,
leaving only enough Union troops to hold a few coastal strongholds—the vital ports and railroad junctions. The South
during the Civil War, moreover, hotly contested the North’s ability to maintain its grip on these key coastal strongholds.
Recommended Reading: The
Civil War in Coastal North Carolina (175 pages) (North Carolina Division of Archives and History). Description: From the drama of blockade-running to graphic descriptions of battles
on the state's islands and sounds, this book portrays the explosive events that took place in North Carolina's
coastal region during the Civil War. Topics discussed include the strategic importance of coastal North Carolina, Federal occupation of coastal areas, blockade-running, and the impact of
war on civilians along the Tar Heel coast.
Recommended Reading: Storm
over Carolina: The Confederate Navy's Struggle for Eastern North Carolina. Description: The struggle for control of the eastern
waters of North Carolina during the War Between the States
was a bitter, painful, and sometimes humiliating one for the Confederate navy. No better example exists of the classic adage,
"Too little, too late." Burdened by the lack of adequate warships, construction facilities, and even ammunition, the
South's naval arm fought bravely and even recklessly to stem the tide of the Federal invasion of North
Carolina from the raging Atlantic. Storm
Over Carolina is the account of the Southern navy's struggle in North
Carolina waters and it is a saga of crushing defeats interspersed with moments of brilliant and even
spectacular victories. It is also the story of dogged Southern determination and incredible perseverance in the face
of overwhelming odds. Continued below...
For most of
the Civil War, the navigable portions of the Roanoke, Tar, Neuse, Chowan, and Pasquotank rivers were
occupied by Federal forces. The Albemarle and Pamlico sounds, as well as most of the coastal towns and counties, were also
under Union control. With the building of the river ironclads, the Confederate navy at last could strike a telling blow against
the invaders, but they were slowly overtaken by events elsewhere. With the war grinding to a close, the last Confederate vessel
in North Carolina waters was destroyed. William T. Sherman
was approaching from the south, Wilmington was lost, and the
Confederacy reeled as if from a mortal blow. For the Confederate navy, and even more so for the besieged citizens of eastern
North Carolina, these were stormy days indeed. Storm Over Carolina describes their story, their struggle, their history.
Recommended
Reading: Lifeline of the Confederacy: Blockade Running During the Civil War (Studies in Maritime History Series). From Library Journal: From the profusion of books
about Confederate blockade running, this one will stand out for a long time as the most complete and exhaustively researched.
Though not unaware of the romantic aspects of his subject, Wise sets out to provide a detailed study, giving particular attention
to the blockade runners' effects on the Confederate war effort. Continued below...
It was, he finds, tapping hitherto unused sources, absolutely essential, affording the South a virtual lifeline
of military necessities until the war's last days. This book covers it all: from cargoes to ship outfitting, from individuals
and companies to financing at both ends. An indispensable addition to Civil War literature.
Sources: John G. Barrett, The Civil War in North Carolina (1963); William R. Trotter, Ironclads and Columbiads,
The Civil War in North Carolina: The Coast (1989); Richard A. Sauers, The Burnside Expedition in North Carolina (1996); North
Carolina Office of Archives and History.
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