Tag Archives: Roanoke Island

21 April 1862: “…whatever of blame and responsibility is justly attributable to any one for the defeat of our troops at Roanoke Island, on the 8th of February, 1862, should attach to Major General B. Huger and the late Secretary of War, J. P. Benjamin.”

Item description: This report, which was created at the behest of the Confederate Congress, examines “The Roanoke Island Defeat.” It attributes responsibility for the defeat to Major General Benjamin Huger and Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin. North Carolina’s Confederate … Continue reading

Posted in North Carolina Collection | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on 21 April 1862: “…whatever of blame and responsibility is justly attributable to any one for the defeat of our troops at Roanoke Island, on the 8th of February, 1862, should attach to Major General B. Huger and the late Secretary of War, J. P. Benjamin.”

1 April 1862: “The President does things pretty much in his own way, without consulting anyone and takes the responsibility upon himself and has give us a cabinet which is not satisfactory to the country.”

Item description: Letter, Burgess S. Gaither to Thomas Ruffin, 1 April 1862. Gaither, a Burke County, N.C., politician and member of the Confederate Congress wrote of the military disaster in which Roanoke Island was lost and the resulting investigation. He … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 1 April 1862: “The President does things pretty much in his own way, without consulting anyone and takes the responsibility upon himself and has give us a cabinet which is not satisfactory to the country.”

28 March 1862: “To day is a gloomy one in the calendar. Jackson’s reverse has cast down the whole community.”

Item Description: Letter to James Johnston Pettigrew, from sister M. B Pettigrew, Hillsborough, N.C., March 28, [1862?].  In her letter, she describes the mood and reactions of people after the “reverses” of Stonewall Jackson, reports on the aftereffects on several … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on 28 March 1862: “To day is a gloomy one in the calendar. Jackson’s reverse has cast down the whole community.”

3 March 1862: “…in hopes soon to hear that this trouble will be settled so we can go home.”

Item description: William B. Alexander was born in Plymouth, Mass., around 1832. He worked as a carpenter in Boston before enlisting with the Union Army as a second lieutenant in Company B of the 3rd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, April 1861. … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 3 March 1862: “…in hopes soon to hear that this trouble will be settled so we can go home.”

22 February 1862: Illustration, “The ‘Picket’ leading the ships of the Burnside expedition over Hatteras Bar.”

Item description: Page 187 from The Illustrated London News, February 22, 1862, “The Civil War in America: The ‘Picket’ leading the ships of the Burnside expedition over Hatteras Bar.” Throughout January and February 1862, Burnside’s Expedition experienced storms and other … Continue reading

Posted in North Carolina Collection | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on 22 February 1862: Illustration, “The ‘Picket’ leading the ships of the Burnside expedition over Hatteras Bar.”

8 February 1862: Map of the Battlefield of Roanoke Island

Item description: Detailed map of Roanoke Island battlefield in North Carolina, showing the placement of Confederate and Union troops, with a map of Roanoke Island and vicinity showing the location of forts, gun boats, and transport ships. Item citation: “Map … Continue reading

Posted in North Carolina Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 8 February 1862: Map of the Battlefield of Roanoke Island

18 January 1862: “thare is some boys knows how to handle a gun yet on that soil…”

Item description: Letter, 18 January 1862, from Malachi J. White to William S. Pettigrew. Throughout 1861 and 1862, William S. Pettigrew was in Raleigh, serving as Washington County’s representative to the North Carolina Secession Convention. During his absence from his … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 18 January 1862: “thare is some boys knows how to handle a gun yet on that soil…”

16 January 1862: “All is quiet.—We feel anxious about Roanoke Island.”

Item Description: editorial from The Daily Journal (Wilmington, N. C.), 16 January 1862, page 2 column 1.  “The ships that left Norfolk” are those of the Burnside Expedition. Transcription: THE DAILY JOURNAL. CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA. WILMINGTON, N. C., THURSDAY, … Continue reading

Posted in North Carolina Collection | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

9 January 1862: “…should your defences at Roanoke Island prove as ineffectual as ours at Port Royal, it will be dreadful indeed…”

 Image description: Letter,  9 January 1862., from Jane Gilbert North to William Pettigrew, her cousin. [Transcription available below images]            Item citation: From folder 250 of the Pettigrew Family Papers, #592, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on 9 January 1862: “…should your defences at Roanoke Island prove as ineffectual as ours at Port Royal, it will be dreadful indeed…”

1 January 1862: “we may expect an attack soon on Roanoke Island and other points near us…already several negroes have left here or near here…”

Image description: Letter to William S. Pettigrew from S. H. McRae, 1 January 1862, about the potential for attacks on Roanoke Island by Union forces, and seeking Pettigrew’s influence to secure more Confederate troops as a precaution in case of … Continue reading

Posted in Southern Historical Collection | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on 1 January 1862: “we may expect an attack soon on Roanoke Island and other points near us…already several negroes have left here or near here…”