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The Civil War Batters the Outer BanksThe Outer Banks of North Carolina were the setting for important conflicts during the
Civil War. Union victories at Hatteras Inlet* and Roanoke Island early in the war placed the area under Federal control and extended
their blockade of the southern coast.
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The federal campaign began on August 27, 1861, with an amphibious assault
by Commodore Silas Stringham and General Benjamin Butler on two small and lightly defended forts at Cape Hatteras. The Confederate
government had placed a higher priority on the conflicts in Virginia, and thus had made little effort to outfit and maintain
these forts. The poorly-trained and poorly-equipped Confederate militia and recruits manning them were also plagued by thirst
and mosquitoes. The Federals took both forts in less than 48 hours, and not one Union soldier was killed. The entire Pamlico Sound north to Roanoke Island was now open to Union activity, and for the Confederates the great highway linking coastal
shipping to the rivers of interior North Carolina was beginning to close.
A few months later, the Union assembled another fleet, this time for an attack
on Roanoke Island. Since the fall of the Hatteras forts, the Richmond government had done little to strengthen the defense
of Roanoke Island. There were three small earthen forts on the island, with a fourth position west of the island across Croatan
Sound (north of the current Manns Harbor Bridge). Because the Confederate general staff was expecting a Union attack from
the north, most of their artillery pieces were pointed in that direction and could not be turned to face an attack from the
south- Pamlico Sound. Due to the Confederate government's commitment to the defense of Richmond, only 1400 soldiers were made
available to hold the strategically important island.
After struggling south from Annapolis, Maryland, through a series of winter
storms, Union General Ambrose Burnside led a fleet of 67 ships and 13,000 men through Hatteras Inlet and dropped anchor off
the western shore of Roanoke Island on February 5, 1862. He landed 4000 soldiers at Ashby Harbor and after slogging through
the swamps assaulted the Confederates' makeshift position near today's intersection of U.S. 64 and N.C. 345. On Croatan Sound,
the South's five-vessel "Mosquito Fleet" harried the Union ships as best it could, but it was badly battered and quickly driven
north out of range.
The island's inexperienced defenders fought tenaciously behind their earthen
fortifications but were eventually outflanked and overwhelmed by Burnside's veterans. Few on either side were killed, and
the Union forces eventually captured the entire Southern defense contingent.
The "Mosquito Fleet" temporarily escaped to the north, but was destroyed a
few days later in a battle near Elizabeth City. The Union now controlled North Carolina's sounds and access to the state's interior shipping routes. It was a devastating
loss. The Federal campaigns on the Outer Banks helped accomplish President Lincoln's goal of a blockade of the Confederacy's
coastline, and helped foster cooperation and coordination between the Union's Army and Navy. Today, only one of the Confederate
defensive sites is accessible to visitors. Remnants of the ramparts near the U.S. 64-N.C. 345 intersection can be seen and
parking is available about 100 yards south of the intersection.
The three island forts, either worn down over the years or washed away into
Croatan Sound, are commemorated by historic plaques and street names throughout Roanoke Island.
*Cape Hatteras: During World War II, because of the numerous allied ships
sunk by German U-boats, the waters off Cape Hatteras were known as "Torpedo Alley."
Sources: National Park Service; Fort Raleigh National Historic Site; Official
Records of the Union and Confederate Armies; New Bern Historical Society; North Carolina Civil War Tourism Council, Inc;
North Carolina Museum of History.
Recommended
Reading: The
Civil War on the Outer Banks: A History of the Late Rebellion Along the Coast of North Carolina from Carteret to Currituck
With Comments on Prewar Conditions and an Account of (Hardcover: 243 pages). Description: The ports at Beaufort, Wilmington, New Bern and Ocracoke, part of the Outer Banks (a chain of barrier islands that
sweeps down the North Carolina coast from the Virginia Capes to Oregon Inlet), were strategically vital for the import
of war materiel and the export of cash producing crops. From official records, contemporary newspaper accounts, personal journals
of the soldiers, and many unpublished manuscripts and memoirs, this is a full
accounting of the Civil War along the North Carolina coast.
Advance to:
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: 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. 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: 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: American Civil
War Fortifications (1): Coastal brick and stone forts (Fortress). Description: The 50 years before the American Civil War saw a boom in the construction of coastal forts
in the United States of America. These
stone and brick forts stretched from New England to the Florida Keys, and as far as the Mississippi River.
At the start of the war some were located in the secessionist states, and many fell into Confederate hands. Although a handful
of key sites remained in Union hands throughout the war, the remainder had to be won back through bombardment or assault.
This book examines the design, construction and operational history of those fortifications, such as Fort
Sumter, Fort Morgan
and Fort Pulaski,
which played a crucial part in the course of the Civil War.
North Carolina Coast Civil War History, Map of North Carolina Coast during the Civil War, Outer Banks
Civil War History, Confederate Navy North Carolina Coast, North Carolina Naval Battle and Battles
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