Don't miss the next in the State Archives Civil War Sesquicentennial lecture series Monday May 14 at 10:30. Bill Brown, Debbi Blake, Chris Meekins will present “Sacred Bodies: Caring for the Dead During and After the War.” The lecture is free and will be held in the auditorium of the Library and Archives Building in downtown Raleigh. Visit the Archives hours and parking page for parking and bus information.
Experience the Siege of Fort Macon
Submitted by tleonard on 04/26/2012 - 10:24This past weekend was the sesquicentennial of the siege of Fort Macon. The N.C. Division of Parks & Recreation provides this description of the events:
Early in 1862, Union forces commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside swept through eastern North Carolina, and part of Burnside's command under Brig. Gen. John G. Parke was sent to capture Fort Macon. Parke's men captured Morehead City and Beaufort without resistance, then landed on Bogue Banks during March and April to fight to gain Fort Macon. Col. Moses J. White and 402 North Carolina Confederates in the fort refused to surrender even though the fort was hopelessly surrounded. On April 25, 1862, Parke's Union forces bombarded the fort with heavy siege guns for 11 hours, aided by the fire of four Union gunboats in the ocean offshore and floating batteries in the sound to the east.
While the fort easily repulsed the Union gunboat attack, the Union land batteries, utilizing new rifled cannons, hit the fort 560 times. There was such extensive damage that Col. White was forced to surrender the following morning, April 26, with the fort's Confederate garrison being paroled as prisoners of war. This battle was the second time in history new rifled cannons were used against a fort, demonstrating the obsolescence of such fortifications as a way of defense. The Union held Fort Macon for the remainder of the war, while Beaufort Harbor served as an important coaling and repair station for its navy.
A full two days of events, including a demonstration of night artillery bombardment, commemorated the battle. If you missed the weekend at Fort Macon, you can get a good taste of the events with this video:
Wednesday in The Durham News
Submitted by mschultz on 04/25/2012 - 11:19Here is a look at today's local headlines:
In today's N&O and at www.thedurhamnews.com, Virginia Bridges reports the county denies claims made by former DSS director Gerri Robinson that she was fired becaise of racial discrimination. (See story here) The county's attorneys argue that elected and appointed officials can't be sued because of their governmental immunity. But Bridges also reports that the county is paying for an attorney to represent Commissioner Joe Bowser, whom Robinson has also sued in his capacity as a private individual. No word on what that's going to cost.
In The Durham News:
BENNETT PLACE TURNS 50: Jim Wise, a historian in his own right, previews this weekend's big celebration at Bennett Place, the Durham homestead that was the scene of the largest surrender of Confederate troops to end the Civil War.
FAIRIES, DRAGONS AND KNIGHTS, OH MY! Kestrel Heights English teacher Jeff Kass told me Renaissance fairs weren't fantastical enough for him. So he created his own. See my photos from the Festival Legends here.
DUKE LAB TO MOVE INTO WEST VILLAGE: Correspondent Monica Chen reports on the latest puzzle piece falling into place in West Village. Construction on the Research Lab began in February.
Robert Wallace remembers the dogs in his life, Lamon Lilly praises the Bull City's Phonte Coleman, and Durham police have arrested a suspect in a homicide "cold case" that happened almost 12 years ago. By the way, you can support the police and their work on behalf of the Special Olympics by eating at the Chik-Fil-A restaurants this Friday. See photos from the Olympics on today's front page, too!
Thanks for reading,
Mark
The Last Days of the War
Submitted by tleonard on 04/24/2012 - 11:54
Fifty years after the dedication of Bennett Place State Historical Site, historians and history buffs will gather for a full two days of storytelling and re-enactments, commemorating those last days of the Civil War.
Three years after its dedication, on the 100th anniversary of the historic meeting between two generals, Ernest H. Robl relayed the story.
When thunder rumbles across the darkened sky, it is not difficult to visualize the scene 100 years ago: two men meeting in this simply furnished room; one coming as the victor, the other coming in defeat.
The date was April 26, 1865; General Joseph E. Johnston had come to surrender the last major remnant of the Confederate army to Union General William T. Sherman at the farm home of James Bennett, located outside of what is today Durham.
[...]
Unlike many other historic sites which have been absorbed into metropolitan areas, the Bennett Place site has remained isolated out in the country, though only a mile outside the Durham city limits.
Except for a nearby telephone line and a paved road, providing easy access, not much has changed around the site. There are no other buildings in sight, and great pains have been taken to retain the authenticity of the surroundings, imparting a particularly strong sense of history.
Sherman had moved into North Carolina early in the March of 1865 with 60,000 men; Johnston, with less than 30,000 men, tried unsuccessfully to prevent Sherman from moving north to join Grant in Virginia, resulting in an encounter at Bentonville 18 miles southwest of Goldsboro, on March 19 through 21.
During this time Sherman exchanged messages with Grant and President Lincoln concerning terms for the surrender of the Confederacy.
On April 14, 1865, General Sherman received a message from General Johnston , asking for a personal conference , and at noon on the 17th the two opposing generals met at the Bennett Place, a point located midway between the army lines. The two adversaries approached the farm home simultaneously from different directions on the Hillsboro road; while still mounted, they greeted each other courteously and shook hands.
Upon entering the house, Sherman showed Johnston a telegram he had received that morning, informing him of the assassination of President Lincoln. This message came directly from Edwin M. Stanton, secretary of war.
Unable to agree on terms, the two generals attempted to work out a compromise. Sherman offered Johnston terms similar to those Grant had give Lee at Appomattox -- simple military terms -- but Johnston wanted political as well as military terms. These terms were to include guarantees to restore the rights and privileges of the people of the South.
After a period of discussion both generals withdrew to confer with their aides -- Sherman to Raleigh and Johnston to Hillsboro.
The two generals met again the next morning with Johnston asking that Confederate Secretary of War Breckenridge be allowed to participate in the negotiations. After a brief conversation, Johnston presented a plan which he had prepared; Sherman then wrote out a list of terms which both men agreed upon.
[...]
Though a promise of general amnesty was included, Sherman hinted to Breckenridge that Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet should escape before the terms could be challenged in Washington.
Even though approved by Jefferson Davis, the terms agreed upon at the Bennett Place on April 18, 1865, were immediately rejected when they reached Washington. Resumption of hostilities was ordered by the cabinet.
General Grant arrived unexpectedly in Raleigh on April 24, but merely instructed Sherman to continue negotiating. Disobeying orders from Jefferson Davis, Johnston arranged for a final meeting at the Bennett house on April 26.
At that time General Johnston agreed to a simple military surrender: side arms, baggage and horses were to be retained by officers; other arms and public property were to be turned over to the United States. In addition to the official terms, individual men were required to promise in writing not to resume hostilities.
Johnston's surrender at the Bennett Place also brought about the later surrender of two smaller Confederate armies, completely ending the war.
[...]
After passing from owner to owner, the Bennett Place fell into neglect, and was almost destroyed by fire in 1921. The land and the remains of the buildings -- the main house in which the surrender and negotiations had taken place, and a cookhouse -- were donated to the State of North Carolina in 1923. -- The N&O 4/25/1965
Duke hosts Civil War symposium
Submitted by tleonard on 03/15/2012 - 13:14
A free event at Duke University tomorrow will feature experts from Duke, UNC, NC State, and Ohio State University talking about the social, cultural, medical and military aspects of the American Civil War. Along with this symposium, Perkins Library is hosting two Civil War exhibits:
One of the exhibits, "I Recall the Experience Sweet and Sad: Memories of the Civil War," has an extensive online component, including digitized photos and documents relating to Walt Whitman, African American Soldiers, music, battlefield medicine and more. The other exhibit showcases Duke's rich Civil War medicine collection
The program starts at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and a chance to browse through the exhibits and wraps up with a wine and cheese reception starting at 6 p.m. See the full program and information about the speakers here.
Location: Perkins Library Gothic Room, Duke University
To be followed by a reception in the Rare Book Room, Perkins Library
Date: March 16, 2012
Time: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm
This event is free and open to the public.
Learn more about the Civil War
Submitted by tleonard on 02/09/2012 - 15:39
The NC State Archives Civil War Sesquicentennial Lecture Series has announced its lineup for 2012's "Second Mondays" lectures.
These programs are free to the public and are held in the auditorium of the State Archives and Library building from 10:30-11:30 a.m.
February's lecture has been rescheduled for February 20.
February 20: Changing Tides: The Burnside Expedition, Chris Meekins, N.C. State Archives
May 14: Sacred Bodies: Caring for the Dead During and After the War, Bill Brown, Debbi Blake, Chris Meekins, N.C. State Archives
August 13: Bringing in the Dead: The North Carolina Civil War Atlas and Death Study, Josh Howard, O ce of Archives and History, Research Branch
November 19: Confederate Conscription Laws: A Primer, Bill Brown, N.C. State Archives
The fall of Fort Fisher
Submitted by tleonard on 01/17/2012 - 14:06
Next weekend, the Fort Fisher State Historic Site will present "The Lights of the Great Armada: the 147th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Fisher," featuring artillery and small arms demonstrations, and special presentations including lectures by Dr. Robert Browning Jr., chief historian for the U.S. Coast Guard, and representatives of the U.S. Marine Corps Historical Company.
The battle was significant because Fort Fisher protected the port of Wilmington and allowed blockade running on the Cape Fear River. Its fall in 1865 cut the "Lifeline of the Confederacy" and led to the occupation of Wilmington by Union troops.
As the 100th anniversary of the battle neared, a project began to restore the fort. "The big sand installation, the largest earthen defense works in the South, was the key to the port of Wilmington and with it went the last hope of supplying the dying Confederacy." A.L. Honeycutt, historic site specialist for the Department of Archives and History, relayed some of its history.
The movement to make the fort a State Park or National Park originated with the local citizens of New Hanover County in the early thirties. The movement after little success died completely with World War II, as the fort once again became an active military post. Many of the old earthen batteries served as machine gun nests, and today some of the remains of the nests can be seen with fragments of their protective sandbags. It was during this period that a section of the land defense had to be leveled by bulldozers in order to construct a landing strip for airplanes.
After the war the sit was deserted by the United States Army. Soon a jungle of live oaks and yaupons grew to cover the area, thus completely hiding the outline of the remaining mounds of the old fort. The visitor was left with little to stimulate the imagination in re-enacting the massive earthen works and the heroic battles which occurred at Fort Fisher.
Construction of earthen works on Confederate Point began in April of 1861. During the first year a series of batteries was built and 17 guns were mounted. The place was named Fort Fisher in honor of Colonel Charles F. Fisher of Salisbury, who was killed at the battle of First Manassas while commanding North Carolina's Sixth Regiment.
[...]
Two largest land-sea battles in history until that time took place at Fort Fisher on December 24-25 1864, and January 13-15, 1865. During the first battle fifty Federal warships and three monitors mounting 500 guns were engaged against it. The Federals sent a land force to assault the fort, but the Union commander decided the works were too strong to carry. The Federals withdrew to Beaufort.
On January 13, 1865, the federals returned with a fleet of 58 warships and an array of 10,000 men. After continuous bombardment day and night from the 13th to the 15th the Federals assaulted the fort and a fierce hand-to-hand battle ensued. The Confederates surrendered the for at 10:00 p.m. Sunday, January 15, 1865.
With the fall of Fort Fisher the Confederates abandoned the Lower Cape Fear River fortifications ... and a month later Wilmington, the last southern port open to blockade running, fell. General Lee had sent ... word that he could not subsist the Army of Northern Virginia unless Fisher and the port of Wilmington were held. Three months later Lee abandoned Richmond and the end came for the Confederacy.
[...]
Fort Fisher is well documented with maps, detailed scale drawings, and photographs made by the federal forces a few days after the fort was captured in 1865. These make vivid exhibit items as well as being the best possible guides for restoration. -- The News & Observer 1/14/1961
The restoration of Fort Fisher included a $100,000 visitor center-museum, which was dedicated by Governor Dan K. Moore in August 1965.
Col. Fisher's sword was presented at [the] dedication program by Mrs. R. R. Stone and Cornelius M. Dickinson-Thomas.
Also presented were the gun of Confederate Sgt. John W. West, who used it in the second fight at the fort, and a small table, used as a desk by Maj. Gen. W. H. C. Whiting during the two battles. -- The News & Observer 8/12/1965.
The Campaigns that Changed the Civil War
Submitted by tleonard on 01/13/2012 - 11:12The Raleigh Civil War Roundtable will host Civil War scholar Edwin C. Bearss Saturday January 14 at 11:30 at the North Carolina Museum of History. Bearss served as chief historian of the National Park Service and was featured in Ken Burns' PBS series, "The Civil War," and A&E's "Civil War Journal." His presentation will be Vicksburg & Gettysburg: The Campaigns that Changed the Civil War. Tickets are $10. Contact David June at dmjune@bellsouth.net for more information.
Confederate widows at home
Submitted by tleonard on 01/03/2012 - 17:32
In 1974, the last Civil War veteran had been dead for 15 years, but according to the Veterans Administration, 257 Civil War widows were still living. One was living in Fayetteville's Confederate Women's Home.
She was 94 years old and the only Confederate widow living in the home dedicated to widows and daughters of Confederate soldiers, but she had once been one of the young girls who found themselves marrying "widowers or older bachelors, then referred to as 'Southern gentlemen.'"Little did they realize they would be one of the twentieth century's last remaining links with the U.S. Civil War.
Sarah Ussery Scoggins was but 22 when she married 65-year-old James Scoggins. He was a Confederate veteran of the Civil war, and a widower with 10 children.
[...]
In addition to Mrs. Scoggins, 28 daughters of Confederate soldiers live there[in the home]. Most are in their 90s, never married or have outlived their relatives.
Sarah Scoggins in 1974
[...]
A wealth of war stories, the likes of which couldn't be matched by veterans of any other conflict, are locked within these women.
Sarah Scoggins' usual vim and agility has faded rapidly ... but occasionally, she will recall the tales her husband of 20 years used to recant.
"The outpost had to be guarded," she began, feebly drawing her shawl to her. "Six men had already been killed there. Then they sent Mr. Scoggins. But he came back. He said he heard funny noises sounding like hogs grunting. Those hogs were Yankees making noises. Mr. Scoggins fired on them and his life was spared," she said.
Another time his life was spared when a bullet hit his Bible in his shirt pocket, she said. -- The News & Observer 5/24/1974
The Confederate Women's Home was built in 1915 with a state appropriation of $100,000. It was authorized to operate until 1970, but in 1969, the General Assembly extended its life until 1980. To be eligible for residence in the home, an applicant had to be 65 and "must show herself to be a needy widow, or daughter, of a North Carolina Confederate soldier who saw active service." The widow's pension at that time was $75 per month with $150 for funeral expenses upon her death.
By 1981, the once majestic home was showing its age. The interior remained sound, but the roof leaked, the second story had been boarded off, and one wing and the chapel had been rented to a local church. The remaining nine residents (the youngest aged 85) were moved to other locations, and the home closed. It was demolished in 1982, and the land became part of the campus of Terry Sanford High School. Former residents are buried in a small cemetery on the grounds.
In its final days, the home's residents and staff mourned their loss.
"It's not like a rest home or a nursing home," said Sybil George, an employee of 10 years. "It's just like your home." -- The News & Observer 3/23/1981
Baseball's curve ball born in the Carolinas
Submitted by tleonard on 10/25/2011 - 15:35The historians at the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources have posted a 1933 obituary of baseball pitcher Alphonse Martin, including his connection to North Carolina.
While stationed at Fort Reno on the northern end of Roanoke Island during the occupation of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Union soldiers often had free time. Martin, a native New Yorker, had played on a pre-war team called the Unions, one of 16 teams that competed regularly in the metropolitan New York area. Union soldiers brought baseball down South during the war, as it had originated in Maine as “town ball” and spread through New England.
Martin was known for a slow, curved pitch that was incredibly difficult for batters to hit, and he earned the name “Phoney Ball.” After the war, Martin returned to New York and pitched for the New York Mutuals and the Brooklyn Eckfords. Although Martin pitched the curve during the Civil War, Arthur “Candy” Cummings is credited with inventing the pitch in 1867, playing for the Brooklyn Excelsiors.
A plaque for Cummings at the Baseball Hall of Fame states “Inventor of the Curveball,” but Cummings admitted to baseball historian Alfred H. Spink that he felt Martin had first pitched a curve ball. Cummings reportedly said of other pitchers, “But none of those pitchers knew they had a curve, and I suppose it is fair to say I was the first to find out what a curve was and how it was done.”
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