|
Battle of Washington, aka Siege of Washington, North Carolina
Civil War History
Confederates failed to recapture town, March-April, 1863, but held it April-Nov., 1864.
| Battle of Washington |
|
| Civil War North Carolina Battles and Battlefields Map |
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 (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) |
|
| (Click to enlarge) |
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 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.
References: 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.
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.
|
)