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North Carolina in the American Civil War | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Reluctant Secession And Division —
North Carolina in the American Civil War.
~5 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
North Carolina joined the Confederacy with some reluctance, mainly due to the presence of Southern Unionist sentiment within the state. A popular vote in February 1861 on the issue of secession was won by the unionists but not by a wide margin. This slight lean in favor of staying in the Union would shift towards the Confederacy in response to Abraham Lincoln's April 15 proclamation that requested 75,000 troops from all Union states, leading to North Carolina's secession. Similar to Arkansas, Tennessee, and Virginia, North Carolina wished to remain uninvolved in the likely war but felt forced to pick a side by the proclamation. Throughout the war, North Carolina widely remained a divided state. The population within the Appalachian Mountains in the western part of the state contained large pockets of Unionism. Even so, North Carolina would help contribute a significant amount of troops to the Confederacy, and channeled many vital supplies through the major port of Wilmington, in defiance of the Union blockade.
Coastal Campaigns And Blockade
Fighting occurred sporadically in the state from September 1861, when Union Major General Ambrose Burnside set about capturing key ports and cities, notably Roanoke Island and New Bern. In 1864, the Confederates assumed the offensive, temporarily reconquering Plymouth, while the Union Army launched several attempts to seize Fort Fisher. The last remaining major Confederate army, under Joseph E. Johnston, surrendered at Bennett Place, near Durham, to William Tecumseh Sherman in April 1865. Troops from North Carolina played major roles in dozens of battles in other states, including Gettysburg, where Tar Heels were prominent in Pickett's Charge. North Carolina would also raise troops to fight in Union regiments. The 3rd North Carolina Cavalry helped take part in the Battle of Bull's Gap, Battle of Red Banks, and Stoneman's 1864 and 1865 raids in western North Carolina, southwest Virginia, and eastern Tennessee. The Department of North Carolina, established in 1862, seized Wilmington in 1865, then the state's largest city. The North Carolina, based XVIII Corps was also among the largest in the Union Army.
Western Insurgency And Desertion
Some white North Carolinians, especially yeoman farmers who owned few or no slaves, felt ambivalently about the Confederacy; draft-dodging, desertion, and tax evasion were common during the Civil War years, especially in the Union-friendly western part of the state. These North Carolinians, often in disagreement with the aristocracy of eastern planters, along with African Americans across the state, helped in numbering around 15,000 troops who served in the Union Army. Historians John C. Inscoe and Gordon B. McKinney argue that in the western mountains differing ideologies turned into opposing loyalties, and those divisions eventually proved as disruptive as anything imposed by outside armies. As the mountains came to serve as refuges and hiding places for deserters, draft dodgers, escaped slaves, and escaped prisoners of war, the conflict became even more localized and internalized, and at the same time became far messier, less rational, and more mean-spirited, vindictive, and personal.
The Carolinas Campaign Finale
From September 1861 until July 1862, Union Major General Ambrose Burnside, commander of the Department of North Carolina, formed the North Carolina Expeditionary Corps and set about capturing key ports and cities. His successes at the Battle of Roanoke Island and the Battle of New Bern helped cement Federal control of a part of coastal Carolina. Fighting continued in North Carolina sporadically throughout the war. In 1864, the Confederates assumed the offensive in North Carolina, trying to recover some of the territory lost to Burnside's expedition. They failed to retake New Bern, but reconquered Plymouth and held it for six months. Moreover, the Union Army launched several attempts to seize Fort Fisher and finally did in 1865. In the war's closing days, a large Federal force under General William Tecumseh Sherman marched into North Carolina, and in a series of movements that became known as the Carolinas campaign, occupied much of the state and defeated the Confederates in several key battles, including Averasborough and Bentonville. The surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate army at Bennett Place in April 1865 essentially ended the war in the Eastern Theater.
Confederate Home Front Struggles
Initially, the policy of the Confederate populace was to embargo cotton shipments to Europe in hope of forcing them to recognize the Confederacy's independence, thereby allowing trade to resume. The plan failed, and furthermore the Union's naval blockade of Southern ports drastically shrunk North Carolina's international commerce via shipping. Internally, the Confederacy had far fewer railroads than the Union. The breakdown of the Confederate transportation system took a heavy toll on North Carolina residents, as did the runaway inflation of the war years and food shortages in the cities. In the spring of 1863, there were food riots in Salisbury. Henry Toole Clark served as the state's governor from July 1861 to September 1862. Clark founded a Confederate prison in North Carolina, set up European purchasing connections, and built a successful gunpowder mill. His successor Zebulon Vance further increased state assistance for the soldiers in the field.
Dual Military Service And Politics
As the war went on, William Woods Holden became a quiet critic of the Confederate government, and a leader of the North Carolina peace movement. In 1864, he was the unsuccessful peace candidate against incumbent Governor Vance. Unionists in North Carolina formed a group called the Heroes of America that was allied with the United States. Numbering nearly 10,000 men, a few of them possibly black, they helped Southern Unionists escape to U.S. lines. The North Carolina General Assembly of 1868, 1869 ratified the Fourteenth Amendment on the 4th of July 1868, which readmitted North Carolina to the Union. Following the end of the Civil War, North Carolina was part of the Second Military District. Major General John M. Schofield was the military leader in charge of North Carolina for roughly a month, in which he implemented a temporary recovery to provide aid to the people of North Carolina. On the 29th of May 1865, President Andrew Johnson proclaimed the appointment of William W. Holden, as the provisional governor of North Carolina.
When did North Carolina officially secede from the Union?
North Carolina seceded in response to Abraham Lincoln's April 15 proclamation that requested 75,000 troops from all Union states. A popular vote in February 1861 on the issue of secession was won by unionists but not by a wide margin before this shift occurred.
Who surrendered at Bennett Place during the American Civil War?
General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered his Confederate army at Bennett Place near Durham to William Tecumseh Sherman in April 1865. This surrender essentially ended the war in the Eastern Theater and involved the last remaining major Confederate army.
How many North Carolinians served in the Union Army?
African Americans across the state and white North Carolinians who disagreed with eastern planters helped number around 15,000 troops who served in the Union Army. These forces included groups like the Heroes of America which numbered nearly 10,000 men.
Which city became the largest port for Confederate supplies during the war?
The major port of Wilmington channeled many vital supplies through defiance of the Union blockade throughout the war. The Department of North Carolina seized Wilmington in 1865 when it was still the state's largest city.
When did North Carolina ratify the Fourteenth Amendment?
North Carolina ratified the Fourteenth Amendment on the 4th of July 1868. The North Carolina General Assembly of 1868 and 1869 readmitted North Carolina to the Union following this ratification.