The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1889-07-20
ROANOKE ISLAND.
KAmous Place Of Refuge Converted I
. Pleasure Resort,

Esmous race OF Refuge Converted Into
Pleasure Resort
Roanoke Island. on which the first
white colonists made their home, is
now. by a strange turn of fortunes
wheel, to be made a pleasure resort.
1t is to be improved" in the modern
meaning of the word. A great many
people will visit the island and will
find net only the ruins of the fort which
Sir Walter Raleigh's Inflated colonists
bnilt there, but the ruins of the fortif-
cations built nearly three centuries
later by the Confederate and Federal
forces in succession. The island has
always been an object of special in
terest Your correspondent has gath.
cred from Captain Walter Dough, the,
oldest resident of the island, some facts
in its history which have not been made
public The population of the island
was in 1861 about three hundred. Many
enlisted in the Confederate army and
remained in service during the war.
Even after the island was captured by
the Federal troops the natives who
were there were faithful to the Con-
federacy. A marked exception was
found in three natives who piloted tho
Federal gunboats, but hunger and gen.
eral restitution were the causes. The
battle of Roanoke Island was short but
sharp. The present Governor OF North
Carolina, Daniel G. Fowle, was capt
ured there with almost the entire regi-
meut of which he was then Major.
The United States officers and troops
were very kind to the natives. and their
kindness was appreciated and recip-
rocated. Yet notwithstanding the
friendly feeling existent, not one joined
the Federal troops.
The island was assigned as place of
refuge for negroes, and in the spring of
1864 there were 1000 of these who had
sought protection from slavery. The
scenes on the island during all those
months were terrible, and will never
be forgotten. There were all sorts of
petty jealousies among them, and
deaths from poisoning were of daily
occurrence. This taking of life was
allowed the widest range. Counted
with this was an absolute disregard for
all sanitary laws. The mortality be-
came SO great that In a few weeks
1000 we're buried in one great pit,
while thousands of others were buried
at other points on the island. They
were placed in trenches and lime was
thrown upon them
Near the residence of Captain Dough
were buried over $500 of the unfor-
tunate colored people. Strange sights
were to be seen in that vicinity all
through the summer Of 1864. What
appeared to be balls of flame arose
from the earth by hundreds, and NOV
ing upward, often with great rapidity.
Exploded above the tops Of the tallest
trees. The scene was frightful yet
beautiful, and for months was wit
messed. There are yet visible in the
island hundreds of graves, many COW
cred with pines and vines. All the
headboards which marked the graves
are mingled with the earth. There
were not few white refugees on the
island and some of these are buried
there.
The island is about twelve miles in
length, and upon it is the county seat
of Dare County, Manteo. This was
the name of an Indian chief who was a
warm friend of the white people. The
Legislature created the county of Dare
quite recently and named it in honor
of Virginia Dare, the first white child
born on American soil.-Raleigh On.
CD Letter.