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The outbreak of the Civil War brought danger to
Wilmington in the form of crime, disease, threat of invasion, and "downright bawdiness." This prompted many slave owners to move inland, resulting in less supervision over those they were enslaving. During a rainy night on September 21, 1862,
146:(which flows into the Atlantic Ocean), was among the Confederacy's more important cities. It ranked 13th in size in the CSA (although only 100th in the pre-war United States) with a population of 9,553 according to the 1860 census, making it nearly the same size as
302:. They embarked on Orange Street, just four blocks from where Gould lived on Chestnut St. Sentries were posted along the river, adding additional danger. The boat had a sail, but they did not raise it until they were out in the Atlantic for fear of being seen.
218:, which was endemic in the Caribbean. An epidemic soon paralyzed the once-thriving waterfront, as well as much of the city. Nearly 1,000 people contracted the disease, and more than 300 died before the illness had run its course and activity resumed.
211:. Along with vital supplies, the blockade runners brought foreign crews, who poured money into the local economy through bars, taverns, hotels, shops, and merchants. The town soon took on an international flavor not seen before the war.
324:. Other ships in the blockade picked up two other boats containing friends of Gould in what may have been a coordinated effort. Though they had no way of knowing it, within an hour and a half of their rescue President
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in May 1862, Wilmington's importance increased. It became the main
Confederate port on the Atlantic Ocean. Along the Atlantic seashore, Wilmington's defenses were so sturdy that they were only surpassed by
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consisted of a series of three small engagements near the Cape Fear River that led to the abandonment of the city by the
Confederate forces under General
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organized shipments of cotton from the interior of the
Confederacy to Wilmington for smuggling through the blockade to England.
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Wilmington was not captured by Union forces until
February 22, 1865, approximately one month after the fall of Fort Fisher. The
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Wilmington was one of the most important points of entry for supplies for the entire
Confederate States. Its port traded
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led the first
Federal troops into Wilmington, and his forces occupied the city for the rest of the war.
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They included Joseph Hall, Andrew Hall, John Mackey, Charles Gile, John
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escaped with six other enslaved men by rowing a small boat 28 nautical miles (52 km) down the
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Nixon's slave quarters were on
Chestnut Street in Wilmington, between Third and Fourth Streets.
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Just as the dawn was breaking on
September 22, they rushed out into the Atlantic Ocean near
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Admiral Porter's boats removing torpedoes and buoying the channel in Cape Fear River
454:"Escaped slave and Navy sailor recounted his remarkable Civil War story in a diary"
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As almost all the military action was at some distance from the city, a number of
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173:. This nourished both the southern states in general and specifically General
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The blockade runners operated indirectly from British colonies–such as
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and Thomas Cowan, Charles Mallet, and Frank Clinton who were rescued by the
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They include Virgil Richardson and Ben Greer who were picked up by the
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convened a meeting of his cabinet to finalize plans to issue the
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homes and other buildings have survived in downtown Wilmington.
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Diary of a Contraband: The Civil War Passage of a Black Sailor
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In the summer of 1862, sailors arrived who were infected with
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574:. Vol. 57, no. 1. Nantucket Historical Association.
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Wilmington, located 30 miles upstream from the mouth of the
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The Wilmington Campaign and the Battles for Fort Fisher
514:"William Benjamin Gould's diary traces road to freedom"
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Last Rays of Departing Hope: The Wilmington Campaign
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241:Blockade running became an organized industry. The
593:(paperback ed.). Stanford University Press.
130:(February 1865), completing its blockade of the
45:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
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609:Yearns, W. Buck and Barret, John G., eds.,
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512:O’Connor, Brian Wright (October 3, 2012).
342:Blockade runners of the American Civil War
181:. The trade was based on steamer ships of
76:Learn how and when to remove this message
886:North Carolina in the American Civil War
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194:Union's extensive and efficient blockade
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452:MacQuarrie, Brian (November 21, 2020).
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161:in exchange for foreign goods, such as
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896:History of Wilmington, North Carolina
891:U.S. cities in the American Civil War
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611:North Carolina Civil War Documentary
309:and hoisted their sail. There, the
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347:Wilmington insurrection of 1898
627:, Campbell, Cal.: Savas, 1997.
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589:Gould IV, William B. (2002).
566:Hannon, Helen (Winter 2008).
188:. These vessels were called
118:, was a major port for the
95:Fort Fisher, North Carolina
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657:, Wilmington Today website
115:Wilmington, North Carolina
330:Emancipation Proclamation
623:Chris E. Fonvielle Jr.,
31:This article includes a
691:U.S. Cities during the
645:"Capture of Wilmington"
60:more precise citations.
634:, Da Capo Press, 1999.
568:"Freedom on Nantucket"
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109:Monument in Wilmington
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772:Romney, West Virginia
285:1862 Escape of slaves
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230:'s fortifications in
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518:The Bay State Banner
261:Battle of Wilmington
456:. The Boston Globe.
693:American Civil War
572:Historic Nantucket
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33:list of references
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522:. Retrieved
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272:Jacob D. Cox
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216:yellow fever
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66:October 2020
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52:Please help
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830:New Orleans
810:Chattanooga
792:Confederacy
583:Works cited
236:Fort Fisher
209:Nova Scotia
122:during the
120:Confederacy
107:Confederate
58:introducing
880:Categories
865:Wilmington
860:Winchester
835:Petersburg
805:Charleston
767:Louisville
739:Pittsburgh
719:Harrisburg
709:Cincinnati
403:References
322:contraband
279:antebellum
228:Charleston
171:foodstuffs
138:Importance
128:Union Army
855:Vicksburg
825:Nashville
777:St. Louis
762:Lexington
757:Baltimore
714:Cleveland
313:Cambridge
269:Maj. Gen.
186:smugglers
163:munitions
840:Richmond
815:Columbia
520:. Boston
336:See also
179:Virginia
167:clothing
132:Atlantic
800:Atlanta
613:, 1980.
316:of the
205:Bahamas
201:Bermuda
183:British
159:tobacco
134:coast.
54:improve
820:Mobile
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203:, the
155:cotton
850:Selma
701:Union
353:Notes
207:, or
39:, or
595:ISBN
526:2020
311:USS
294:and
169:and
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
