The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1961-05-19


guns moved to oppose a landing
farther south. Two were taken to
Pugh's Landing, near present-day
Wanchese, and a third was set up
near Ashby's Harbor. When Burn
side by-passed Pugh's Landing and
began Smelling Ashby's Harbor, all
three Confederate field pieces
were hurriedly withdrawn and on
the morning of February 8 they
were mounted astride the cause
way, where they had been before
the attack. About 1000 men were
deployed in the rear of the can
non. The Confederates expected
that the deep and heavily wooded
swamps on either side of the cause
way would confine the attack.
In this, they were in error. All
three divisions of the Federals
made their way through the
swamps and attacked the Confed-
crate defenses at about the same
time. 1t was too much for the de-
tenders and they broke and ran.
There was only one brief encount-
er before Col. Shaw saw that he
was hopelessly outnumbered and
surrendered Roanoke Island to the
Federals. When the rebels lined up
to be Invested of their equipment,
it was found that many had only
shotguns, squirrel rifles and carv-
ing knives.
Gen. Wise and some of his troops
managed to escape up the Banks
ahead of the Federals.
Union loss were listed as 40
killed, 225 wounded and 10 missing
Confederates losses We're % killed,
So wounded, 62 missing and 2,675
captured.
Soon after the surrender of Ro-
anoke Island, Elizabeth City, Ed
enton and Winton were taken. In
later months, New Bern and South
Mills in Camden County were also
taken. By that time, most of the
Federal troops had left Roanoke
Island.
The Confederates fiasco on Roam
oke Island had far-reaching con-
sequences. The news of it, with
the news of the capture of Fort
Donelson, helped to cause England
to delay recognition of the Confed-
eracy. People in Richmond were
indignant at the failure Of their
government to make more of an eff
fort to defend a key place. In the
resulting uproar, Judah P. Ben
jamin, Secretary of War, lost his
position, but was moved upward
to become Confederate Secretary
Of State.
Most of the white Bankers seem
to have been Indifferent at first
to both North and South. When it
was necessary to choose sides, how
ever, the majority of them chose
the Union. In the "Chicamacomico
Races, the civilians chose to go
with the Federal troops. In October
1861, in a convention on Hatteras
Island Roanoke Island was still
held by the Confederacy) they pro-
claimed their loyalty to the United
States and their adherence of the
Confederacy. They also started to
form a provisional Union govern
ment of North Carolina. This move
ment failed of widespread support
in other parts of the State, and the
provisional government" was not
recognized in Washington. The
feeling of indifference toward both
sides in the conflict seems also to
have prevailed on Roanoke Island.
Because the capture of Hatteras
Island cut off the market of the is
landers for their fish across the
sound, they were soon in danger
of starvation. News of their con-
dition reached New York, where
several leading citizens called
mass meeting, two preachers who
had been on the Outer Banks tes-
titled as to the condition of the peo-
pie. The New Workers. responded
generously, but by the time the
schooner with food and dry goods
reached Hatteras Inlet, the natives
had jobs working for the soldiers
and did not need charity. A con-
siderable portion of the goods was
sold and the money returned to the
New York committee.
Among the other problems fol-
lowing the capture of Roanoke Is
land, there was a marked influx of
escaped Negro slaves, and Gen.
Burnside appointed a New York
artist, Vincent Colyer, to be "Su-
perintendent of the Poor. Able
bodied Negro men were offered SO
a month and clothes to work on
docks and on a new fort on the
north end of the island. By May,
1868, however, these works were
nearly finished and many Negro
women, children and old men had
been added to the colored popula-
tion