N.C. Civil War Timeline for September 1864-- Part 2: Recons of Wilmington and Capture of Two Blockade Runners

SEPTEMBER 19--  Reconnaissance near Wilmington for the examination of its defenses.

SEPTEMBER 25--  Destruction of the blockade runner Lynx.

SEPTEMBER 27--  Reconnaissance near Wilmington for the examination of its defenses.

SEPTEMBER 29--  Destruction of English steamer Night Hawk.

SEPTEMBER 29--  Action  in Scuppernong River , engagement of USS Valley City with Confederate forces.

--Old B-Runner

May 1864 N.C. Events: Capture of Three Blockade Runners

MAY 9--  Capture of steamer Minnie.

MAY 10--  Capture of British steamer Greyhound.

MAY 15--  Capture of blockade runner Tristram Shandy.  (Later became the USS Tritram Shandy.)

Bad Few Days for Blockade Runners.  --Old B-R'er

May 1864 Happenings in North Carolina-- Part 1: The Ironclads CSS Albemarle and CSS Raleigh Attack

From the North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial Timeline.All events in weastern part of the stae unless you see (WEST).

MAY  4--  Skirmish on Trent Road,

MAY 4-6--  Operations about New Bern, and in Albemarle Sound.

MAY 5--  Skirmish at Croatan.

MAY 5--  Engagement at  in Roanoke River with CSS Albemarle.   Casualties on both sides, roughly 88.

MAY 5--   Skirmish on south  side of the Trent River.

MAY  6--  Capture of British steamer Young Republic.

MAY 6-7--  Attack on Union blockaders off New Inlet by ironclad ram CSS Raleigh.

May 7--  Ironclad ram CSS Raleigh ran aground inside New Inlet and was destroyed by Confederates.

--Old B-Runner

N.C. Sesquicentennial, April 1864: Siege and Capture of Plymouth by Confederates and CSS Albemarle

All events in eastern part of state unless (West).

APRIL 17-20--  Engagement, Siege and Capture of Plymouth and Fort Williams, with the aid of ironclad CSS Albemarle (Hoke),  Sinking of the USS Southfield by Albemarle  --  Operations in defense of Plymouth, including naval  actions.  Casualties roughly 2,834 on both sides.

APRIL 21-- Destruction of Confederate salt works at Masonboro  Inlet, near Wilmington.

APRIL  25--  Skirmish at Plymouth.

APRIL 26-30--  Confederate siege of Washington and Federal evacuation.

APRIL 27-28--  Skirmishes at Washington.

APRIL 27-29--  Affair at Masonboro Inlet between USS Niphon and Confederate batteries, near Wilmington.

APRIL 29-30--  Expedition from Newport Barracks to Swansborough.

--Old B-Runner

Events in North Carolina August 1862: Blockade Runners

From the North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial Timeline.

AUGUST   Carolina and schooner evade blockade

AUGUST  3-23  Naval operations on Chowan River.

AUGUST 14-15   Reconnaissance from Newport to Swansborough.

AUGUST 24--  Sinking of the USS Isaac N. Seymour in the Neuse River near New Bern.

AUGUST  27--Escape of blockade runner Kate at Wilmington.

AUGUST 30--  Skirmish near Plymouth.

--Old B-Runner

A Visit to Fort Fisher-- Part 2

The speaker had lists of why Braxton Bragg got a bum rap and why he was not to blame for the fall of Fort Fisher.  He was very convincing and showed that Confederate General Whiting, although well-liked by his men and others was not such a good general.  I will write about the presentation later this week.

After the presentation, I took a walk around the museum and saw the Whitworth cannon that is there on loan.  This was one of the best guns at the fort and a four-piece flying battery that would go out at a gallop from the fort to safeguard stranded blockade-runners until two were sent off to other points and two were captured at the blockade-runner Hebe fight.

They also had several items belonging to Col. lamb, the fort's commander that had been presented to the fort by the Lamb family this past sesquicentennial commemoration at the fort to mark the fall of it on January 15, 1865.  This was quite an observation with over 20,000 visitors.

I sure would have liked to have been there for it.

--Old B-R'er

Some Mighty Fine Speakers Coming to Cape Hatteras

From the Surf or Sound Hatteras Blog "The Civil War comes to Cape Hatteras at Flags Over Hatteras Commemoration Event."

April 26, 27 and 28th three nationally known authors and historians will be speaking at the Hatteras Village Civic Center, one each day.  I sure wish I lived closer as I would be there despite the price to hear them.  They are James McPherson, Ed Bearss and Craig Symonds.

It is open to the public and cost is $175 for all three.  That will include dinner each session, refreshments and other speakers.  Attendance is limited to 175.

Just to finally get the chance to see Ed Bearss would be worth it to me.  From what I have heard, he is one really unique person.

Worth It if You're in the Area.  --Old B-R'er

Visitation Record at Fort Sumter

From the April 6th NBC4 "Visitation hits record level where Civil War began" by Bruce Smith.

A record 328,000 visitors took the boat ride out to Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC, for the 150th observance of the Civil War in 2011. And that trend continues this year where it was up another 11% for the first three months.

The Fort Sumter Monument also includes Fort Moultrie in Sullivans Island and the Charles Pinckney Historic Site in nearby Point Pleasant.

Fort Sumter usually draws 200,000 visitors a year. Attendance had only exceeded 300,000 one other year and that was the year after 9-11, 2002.

Going to See the Fort!! --Old B-R'er