During the American Civil War, North Carolina joined the Confederacy with some reluctance, mainly due to the presence of Southern Unionist sentiment within the state. [2] A popular vote in February, 1861 on the issue of secession was won by the unionists but not by a wide margin.

From secession on May 20, 1861, through the Battle of Bentonville, March 19-21,1865, and ending April 26, 1865, with the surrender at Bennett Place, North Carolina played a pivotal role in the Civil War.

Some of North Carolina’s best known Civil War personalities participated in the Battle of New Bern including Confederate officers Lawrence O’B. Branch, Robert F. Hoke, and Zebulon B. Vance. From New Bern, Union troops followed the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad southeast, capturing Havelock, Carolina City, and Morehead City.

Sep 17, 2018 · Throughout four years of Civil War, North Carolina contributed to both the Confederate and Union war effort. North Carolina served as one of the largest supplies of manpower sending 130,000 North Carolinians to serve in all branches of the Confederate Army.

3 days ago · Encounter Revolutionary and Civil War History at 6 Engaging Sites. Since before the birth of the United States, North Carolina played a lead role in shaping history. Visit the battlefields and structures that paved the way to life today.

Although most major battle engagements occurred in other states, North Carolina played an important role during the American Civil War. The fertile Piedmont region provided crops for the Confederate forces, and in 1865, Wilmington provided the only access to European trade.

The digital collections includes letters, diaries, newspaper articles, reminiscences, troop histories, state agency records, maps, rosters, books, and other materials related to North Carolina's Civil War history.

Jan 16, 2025 · Unlike South Carolina, whose strident proslavery voices led the South into secession, North Carolina left the Union reluctantly, seeking compromise until the last moment. North Carolina voted to secede only when Pres. Abraham Lincoln called up troops for war.

The outbreak of the war and the occupation of the coast by Federal forces early on, led to dramatic changes for the people of North Carolina. Black refugees, seeking freedom, flocked to Union lines. White slave owners, with their slave property …

Jan 8, 2025 · The consequences of the Civil War made life increasingly difficult for North Carolinians at home as they experienced fear, hunger, and violence resulting from food shortages, Confederate crop seizures, conscription, bushwhackers, Union occupation, and …