Confederate Troops Stationed By Masonboro Sound, N.C.-- Part 2

The largest Confederate  encampment in the general area was Camp Davis, located on the north side of Hewlett's Creek, above Masonboro.  Thousands of troops moved into and out of that camp with their regiments or battalions between 1861 and late 1864.  Most of the troops were North Carolinians, but also South Carolinian and Virginian.

Camp Davis was the largest Confederate  encampment between Fort Fisher and Wilmington's outer defenses at Virginia Creek, 25 miles north of the city.  Camp Davis was located about half way between  Fort Fisher and Virginia Creek.

A great fear of Confederate authorities was that Union forces would attack Wilmington by way of Masonboro, Wrightsville or Topsail Sounds.  They could use the major creeks like Whiskey, Hewlett's, Bradley, Pages, etc. to assault Wilmington from the east, thus bypassing the strong defenses, including Fort Fisher, at the mouth of the Cape Fear River.

Thus Confederate forces were deployed along the sound to contest  an enemy landing and delay their advance until reinforcements could arrive.

The reported Confederate battery that was shelled by the Niphon and Monticello in Tuesday's post would have been part of this defense system.

--Old B-Runner