Wilmington NC during the Civil War?
anybody no a site with a lotta info. on Wilmington NC during the civil war?
The 1860′s saw the political strife of more than 40 years turn violent as the Northern states refused to allow the Southern states to split apart the nation. The struggle elevated Wilmington to national, even international, prominence.
Almost immediately at the start of hostilities, the North had declared a blockade of Southern ports. This was a serious threat to Southern hopes of independence. The agricultural economy of the South would not be able to support a war effort without imports. A way had to be found to keep a stream of supplies coming in. Wilmington came to play a crucial role in that effort.
The Cape Fear at the time had two channels to the ocean, separated by Frying Pan Shoals. That meant blockaders had to cover two widely separated points to close the river. To enhance their advantage, Confederates built Fort Fisher and a system of other forts to protect ships entering and leaving the harbor. Fort Fisher was an immense earth work, 20-30 feet high and 1900 yards long along the ocean. It’s huge guns kept the Northern fleet far enough from the shore to allow blockade runners to slip past the enemy ships. Once the cargoes were discharged in Wilmington, the city’s rail links could move the supplies to other parts of the Confederacy; most particularly the much fought over Northern Virginia theater.
Many of the ships that ran the blockade were designed especially for the task. Long, low and fast, painted gray or black, they burned anthracite (smokeless) coal to reduce their visibility. Every inch of deck and hold space was crammed with cotton and naval stores on the outbound trip, war supplies and luxury items coming back. They were usually headed for Nassau or Bermuda where their cargoes would be moved to another ship for transport to Europe. Profits were so great that a couple of runs would often pay for the ship.
The blockade runners gave Wilmington an international flavor. Their foreign crews, often English, plied the town in fancy clothes, drinking expensive imported liquor, and amusing themselves with pranks and cockfights.
The excitement came to a temporary halt in the late summer and fall of 1862. One of the blockade runners brought in Yellow Fever. Almost all activity in the town came to a halt. By the time the epidemic had run its course, over 300 people had died and three times that many had been infected.
Wilmington remained open until the last months of the war. Finally, in January of 1865, the Union navy staged a massive bombardment of Fort Fisher, followed by an assault. After some intense fighting, the fort fell, followed by Wilmington a few weeks later.
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Rare CONFEDERATE Civil War Start Abe Lincoln WILMINGTON NC Civil War Newspaper $255.00 |
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1865 Civil War Newspaper TEXAS & More Southwest MAP – Wilmington & Smithville NC $45.00 |
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Troops Land at FORT FISHER Wilmington NC 1898 Antique CIVIL WAR PRINT $7.46 |
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MAP of FORT FISHER Wilmington NC SUPERB!! 1898 Antique CIVIL WAR PRINT $14.21 |
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DUG CONFEDERATE CLAY INKWELL -WILMINGTON, NC.-CIVIL WAR- $20.52 |
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Wilmington North Carolina Civil War Map Fort Fisher $10.50 |
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1863 Civil War newspaper Map NORTH CAROLINA coast Beaufort WILMINGTON Cape Fear $40.00 |
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CAPE FEAR WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA CIVIL WAR COLOR MAP 1895 VINTAGE $85.00 |
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1865 Civil War Newspaper WILMINGTON NC North Carolina Fort Fisher Arming Slaves $22.00 |
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CIVIL WAR MAP OF WILMINGTON AND IT’S DEFENSES, CAPE FEAR, FORT FISHER, TROOPS $45.00 |
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1865 Civil War Newspaper LAST FEW MONTHS William T. Sherman March Wilmington NC $26.00 |
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CIVIL WAR THE CAPTURE OF FORT FISHER WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA 13X19 PRINT $8.29 |
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1865 Civil War Newspaper BLAIR MISSION Fort Fisher Wilmington NC – Pocotaligo SC $19.00 |
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FORT FISHER WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA CIVIL WAR 2ND NC VOLUNTEERS $125.00 |
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WILMINGTON NC Fort Anderson in 1865 Civil War Newspaper $28.00 |
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1865 Baltimore MD Civil War newspaper WILMINGTON North Carolina CAPTURED byUNION $30.00 |
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1896 CIVIL WAR Print ASSAULT on FORT FISHER Wilmington $11.21 |
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1865 Civil War Newspaper ROBERT E. LEE’S REBEL ARMY – Wilmington NC Fort Fisher $29.00 |
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Rare CONFEDERATE Fort Sumter Civil War STARTS 1861 Wilmington NC Old Newspaper $268.00 |
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Rare 1861 CONFEDERATE Civil War Newspaper WILMINGTON NC Andrew Johnson TRAITOR * $158.00 |
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Rare 1861 CONFEDERATE Wilmington NC North Carolina Civil War Coastal Newspaper * $154.00 |
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1865 Civil War Newspaper CHARLOTTESVILLE Wilmington NC North Carolina WT SHERMAN $21.00 |
