Roanoke Island

Roanoke Island is an island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. About twelve miles long and three miles wide, the island lies between the mainland and the barrier islands, with Albemarle Sound on its north, Roanoke Sound on its east, Pamlico Sound on its south, and Croatan Sound on its west. The island contains the towns of Manteo at the northern end and Wanchese at the southern end. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is on the island.

Battle of Roanoke Island, February 7 and 8, 1862

During the American Civil War, the island was first fortified by the Confederacy. The Battle of Roanoke Island was an incident in the North Carolina Expedition of January to July 1862, when Brig. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside landed an amphibious force and took Confederate forts on the island. Afterwards, the three Confederate forts on the island were renamed for the Union generals who had commanded the winning forces: Fort Huger became Fort Reno; Fort Blanchard became Fort Parke; and Fort Bartow became Fort Foster. Roanoke Island remained under Union occupation for the duration of the war. Slaves from the island and the mainland of North Carolina fled to the occupied area with hopes of gaining freedom. By 1863, a substantial number of these former slaves, known as "contrabands", were living on the fringe of the Union camp. They had built churches and opened what was most likely the first free school for blacks in North Carolina. Fearing that this freedmen's camp might lead to problems related to sanitation and soldiers' discipline, the Union Army established an official freedmen's colony on the island. In addition to its original residents, it was to serve as a refuge for the families of black soldiers who enlisted in the Union Army. The superintendent of the colony, Horace James, had great hopes for the colony, viewing it as a grand social experiment. Northern missionary teachers, mostly women, journeyed to the island to help with the experiment. By the end of the war the population in the colony was approaching 3,500.

Related Topics:
American Civil War - Confederacy - North Carolina Expedition - 1862 - Ambrose E. Burnside - Amphibious - Union - Fort Huger - Fort Reno - Fort Blanchard - Fort Parke - Fort Bartow - Fort Foster - 1863 - Freedmen's - Union Army - Horace James

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