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The Civil War in North Carolina

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Given the centrality of North Carolina in the Civil War, it's surprising that Barrett's book remains the only comprehensive single-volume work on the state's role in the conflict. It's only recent rival is the similarly titled three-volume series by William R. Trotter, published a quarter-century after Barrett's Civil War centennial-era book.

As both Barrett and Trotter point out, North Carolina was a pre-war stronghold of southern Unionists and the last of the Confederate states to officially secede (five weeks after the Fort Sumter attack). Almost overnight the state, especially the Piedmont and eastern regions, became a strong supporter of the secessionist cause. About 125,000 North Carolinians served in the Confederate armed forces (while several thousand more, including African-Americans and many Appalachian whites, served the Union cause). The state was a prime provider of food, clothing, and other supplies to Lee's Army of Northern Virginia (of which, in the last two years of the war, North Carolina regiments comprised as much as fifty percent). Wilmington, North Carolina, was the last major Confederate port to be closed to blockade runners, in January 1865; and the railroad leading from Wilmington to Weldon, North Carolina (and from there to Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia), was arguably the most important transportation link in the Confederacy.

The state is often overlooked as a site of Civil War battles, however, even though Union forces invaded the state as early as August, 1861 (five weeks after the war's first major battle near Manassas, Virginia). Four years later, North Carolina was the site of the largest surrender of Confederate troops. In between were several hundred battles and skirmishes, mostly in the eastern part of the state, some in the western mountains, and in the central Piedmont area in March and April of 1865 when William T. Sherman's Union army surged across the South Carolina line.

The Union's 1862 coastal campaign in North Carolina was one of the most important military ventures of the entire war, yet among the least appreciated then or now. Beginning in January, Union army and naval forces by June had taken control of North Carolina's "inner banks," from Virginia south to present-day Morehead City. Union setbacks in Virginia, however, led to the withdrawal of many federal soldiers from North Carolina, leaving only enough Union troops to effectively hold a few coastal strongpoints. Greater Union pressure in North Carolina in 1862 - e.g., reinforcements to securely occupy Wilmington and Goldsboro (a vital railroad junction on the Wilmington-Weldon line) - might have created a major military and economic disaster for the Confederacy and shortened the war. Instead, the remaining Union troops hunkered down in fortified coastal towns like New Bern, "little" Washington, and Plymouth until 1865, venturing out now and then to raid and forage in the rich farmlands of eastern North Carolina. (Confederate forces retook Plymouth and Washington in 1864 but abandoned them again before the year was out.)

The state's role in the last months of the war is better known. The fall of Fort Fisher in January 1865 effectively closed Wilmington as a port, depriving Lee's slowly starving troops of a major supply source. Sherman's forces entered the state on March 3, as other Union troops marched from New Bern and Wilmington to meet Sherman at Goldsboro. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston led a vain Confederate effort to stop Sherman in the state's biggest battle, near Bentonville; Johnston then fell back on Raleigh and later to Greensboro. From the Tennessee mountains, Gen. George Stoneman's Union cavalry division descended on the western half of North Carolina in late March and April. Following the Confederate government's evacuation of Richmond on April 2, President Jefferson Davis spent several days in Greensboro, then convened his last official cabinet meeting in Charlotte on April 26 before fleeing south. Johnston and Sherman met at the Bennett Farm, near Durham, on April 17-18 and again on April 26, negotiating the surrender of all remaining Confederate forces in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. (Skirmishing continued in the western mountains of the state until early May, however.)

Barrett's work is more traditional and academic than Trotter's, with extensive endnotes and a valuable bibliographical essay, but the writing is generally clear and moves along well. As one might expect from a North Carolinian of his generation, Barrett's tone is a bit pro-Confederate, but overall his assessment of battles and generalship is sound. However, while the book is strong on the conventional military aspects, Barrett doesn't spend much space on the political and social issues of the war in North Carolina - e.g., the activities of pro-Union political factions, Gov. Zebulon P. Vance's conflicts with Jefferson Davis, or the role of the state's African-Americans in the war. Barrett does devote some space to Confederate deserters and others who resisted serving the Confederacy, but he doesn't give a cohesive picture of North Carolina politics during the war. However, he does do a better job than Trotter of relating military events in North Carolina to the battles and campaigns of the broader war.

The book contains some contemporary illustrations, but the maps are few and poorly done. (I would recommend a DeLorme "North Carolina Atlas and Gazetteer" as a vital supplement to this book; many of the Civil War era rights-of-way remain in use.) Another minor complaint: Some of the place names cited in the book (apparently from wartime records and accounts) have changed since the 1860s and no longer show up on modern maps, and descriptions of these locations in terms of modern landmarks would have been welcome.

With the vast amount of research done on the Civil War in the past forty years, there's a crying need for a new, well-documented, one-volume account of the North Carolina's role in the war, one giving more attention to the political and social aspects without shortchanging the military accounts. Until that book emerges, Barrett's account is a good starting point for learning about the war as it was fought in the Old North State.

An excellent telling of the Civil War in North Carolina. Full of information that is difficult to find anywhere else. A good research tool and a good read. The complicated picture of North Carolina during the war is told in a detailed, interesting, and validated manner.

Major armies on historical fields of battle did not fight this war. The men who served in North Carolina endured hard work, bad food, sickness and death in trying to accumulate small advantages that would improve or maintain their side's position. Only in 1862 and 1864 was this theater in the spotlight. For most of the war, raids skirmishes and garrison duty is the business of the day.

North Carolina was not a fire-eater state and one of the last to join the Confederacy. Once in, she threw her support to the cause making a major contribution, bearing more than her share of dead and wounded. Blessed or cursed with a large costal area, she was one of the first states to be blockaded and invaded from the sea. From 1862 on, the Union blockaded, raided, invaded or garrisoned much of her coast. Most of the military action is a history of the Union attacks and Confederate response.

That military history is not the end of this book! The author presents a detailed account of the home front in a secure area. This is one of the best and most interesting parts of the book. From initial refusal to join the CSA to being a refuge for draft dodgers and deserters by the end of the war, the people had a difficult time. This is an account of the CSA that we seldom see and is badly needed. The integration of military and social history makes for a varied, intelligent comprehensive history of the war. The "problems" of Eastern Tennessee invading the western sections of the state is not often seen in histories. For the state government and the locals it was a major problem and one they lacked the means to respond to.

Reading this book will help you understand just how few resources the Confederacy possessed and how many resources were required. The state by sending so much to support Lee in Virginia lacks resources to defend against the Union invasions. Better local Union leadership or allocation of more Union resources might have changed the direction of the war in the East. However, the North is as committed to fighting in Virginia as the South. This resulted in North Carolina being a secondary front and ignored for the all resources needed during most of the war.

Good accounts of the battles of Monroe's Crossroads, Averasboro and Bentonville provide additional value. The author's account of Johnston's surrender and the problems it causes Sherman is balanced and fair to both parties.

That a book written almost 45 years ago is still in print and being read proves its' value. Yes, some of what was accepted historical fact has been proven wrong. Yes, at times, the book may seem to favor the South but overall the account is very balanced. The major difference I find is how much Political Correctness changed our style of writing. For those that are committed to the idea of PC, the book may present a challenge to their sensibilities. This is not a page-turner, nor is it a hard read. The book is a well-written, comprehensive coverage of the subject and is worth your time and money.

Barrett writes all that happens to North Carolina in this book from Burnsides fascinating attack on Roanoke Island that is composed of the first amphibious landing and with fascinating Confederate errors to the end when Sherman slides through North Carolina shadowed by Johnson's army with Hardee, Mclaws and Bragg. In between all this are the modest attempts the Union makes to penterate the North Carolina interior particularly Washington, Plymouth and New Bern along with the numeroius attempts by Confederates to retake these towns. Even covers the number of deserters who hide in the montains and those that become "galvanized Yankees", four of which are captured and hung by Pickett. An interesting collection of Generals command in North Carolina such as Daniel Harvey Hill and George Pickett. Barrett has it all from raids to full fledged campaigns.

As explained in the title, this book details the role of North Carolina in the Civil War. This 1963 volume explains in great detail why North Carolina was important, how it was invaded early in the war by General Burnside and the importance of his base of operations in New Bern. Next, Barrett effectively describes the stalemate in the state before the exciting Battle of Fort Fisher, which eventually causes the collapse of the state. In the description of that battle, Barrett is at his best as a writer, particularly in describing the desperate struggle the Confederates put up (including hand to hand fighting in the sand dunes of the Atlantic Coast). The last chapters describe, in breathless and detailed fashion, the Battle of Bentonville, the conquest of Raleigh, the raids on the mountains and the final surrender of the Confederacy.

Note: If you are looking for a collection of NC unit movements or regimental history summaries, this isn't it. This is a geographical account of what happened in the state.

As a North Carolina history teacher, I look forward to using this volume. It was a wonderful read.

The history of North Carolina has always fascinated me and so has the Civil War. Wouldn't it be great if there was a book that tied the two together? Thankfully there is. "The Civil War in North Carolina" by John Barrett.

While no major battles of the Civil War were fought in North Carolina, the state did see its share of skirmishes. In striking detail, this book covers the beginning of the war until it's conclusion. It's truly fascinating to read about the places and events that took place one hundred and forty years ago.

The research by Barrett in constructing an acurate view of the state during the war is top notch. A lot of footnotes accompany the text. A highly recommended and worthwhile read for both Civil War and history buffs of the Tar Heel state.

This book represents a detailed analysis of the North Carolina's role in the Civil War. Both small scale fighting and large scale battles are discussed, from the origins of the Civil War until the final stages.

North Carolina was not a leader in demanding secession, but when secession came, ultimately North Carolina joined the Confederacy. Shortly thereafter, military action began. Small scale it may have been, but in later 1861, the Union forces occupied territory on the Outer Banks; Confederate forces held Roanoke Island. Ambrose Burnside, somewhat later, used a combined force (Army and Navy) to take Roanoke Island. The book discusses in detail Burnside's efforts, including New Bern.

Other battles and campaigns covered--Pickett's ineffective effort to retake New Bern; the ironclad Albemarle along with infantry forces of the Confederates trying to retake New Bern--once more unsuccessfully; the efforts by Union forces to take Fort Fisher and, thereafter, Wilmington. Toward the end of the book, North Carolina braces for General William T. Sherman's forces on their march to link up with General Grant outside Richmond. . . . The book does a nice job of describing the ragtag Confederate forces under Joseph Johnston trying to slow Sherman's advance--at the battles of Averasboro and Bentonville. A few other conflicts are also covered.

North Carolina was not a central staging point and battlefield in the Civil War, but there was action that took place. This is an important resource to understand the extent to which this state was involved in the struggles between the armies of north and south.