Battle of Roanoke Island facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Roanoke Island |
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| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
 Capture of Roanoke Island, Feby. 8th 1862, by Currier and Ives |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States (Union) |
 CSA (Confederacy) |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Ambrose Burnside Louis M. Goldsborough |
Henry A. Wise Henry M. Shaw |
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| Units involved | |||||||
| Department of North Carolina North Atlantic Blockading Squadron |
Wise's Legion | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 10,000 | 3,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 264 total 37 killed 214 wounded 13 missing |
2,643 total 23 killed 58 wounded 62 missing 2,500 captured 30 guns captured |
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The Battle of Roanoke Island was an important fight during the American Civil War. It happened on February 7–8, 1862, in the waters off North Carolina. This battle was the start of what was called the Burnside Expedition.
The Union forces, led by Brig. Gen. Ambrose Burnside, used both land troops and a fleet of gunboats. The Union Navy gunboats were commanded by Flag Officer Louis M. Goldsborough. On the Confederate side, about 2,000 soldiers were led by Brig. Gen. Henry A. Wise. However, Wise was sick during the battle, so Col. Henry M. Shaw took charge. The Confederates also had a small group of gunboats called the Mosquito Fleet, led by Capt. William F. Lynch.
On the first day, Union gunboats attacked Confederate forts along the water. Later that day, Union soldiers landed on Roanoke Island without any fighting. They set up camp for the night.
On the second day, February 8, Union soldiers moved forward. They faced Confederate troops and artillery in the middle of the island. The Confederates thought their defenses were safe because of thick swamps on both sides. But the Union soldiers managed to go around the swamps and attack from the sides. This forced the Confederates to retreat to their forts. With no way to escape, Col. Shaw surrendered to prevent more fighting. This battle was a big victory for the Union.
Contents
Why Roanoke Island Was Important
Northeastern North Carolina has large, shallow bodies of water called sounds. These sounds are between the mainland and the Outer Banks. Pamlico Sound and Albemarle Sound are two of the biggest. Roanoke Island sits between them, making it a key spot. The water between Roanoke Island and the mainland is called Croatan Sound.
Many North Carolina cities were located on these sounds or on rivers flowing into them. For much of the first year of the Civil War, the Confederates controlled these sounds. This meant they could easily move goods and supplies by water. The sounds were also connected to Norfolk, Virginia, through canals. This made it hard for the Union to fully block supplies to Norfolk.
Roanoke Island was like a gateway to these sounds. If the Union controlled it, they would have a strong base that was hard for the Confederates to attack. It would also give the Union Navy control of the sounds. This would make many Confederate positions on the mainland vulnerable to attack.
Preparing for Battle
Confederate Defenses
The Confederates started building defenses on Roanoke Island by accident. When Union ships appeared off Hatteras Inlet in August 1861, soldiers were sent to help. But the forts there fell quickly, so the soldiers went to Roanoke Island instead.
Later, Brig. Gen. Daniel Harvey Hill was put in charge of coastal defenses. He started building earthworks (dirt walls) across the middle of the island. But he was soon moved to Virginia. After he left, Brig. Gen. Henry A. Wise took command of the northern part of the sounds, including Roanoke Island.
Wise had about 1,400 infantry soldiers. Many of them were not well-equipped or clothed. Some only had their own shotguns. Many soldiers were also sick due to poor living conditions.
Wise asked for more guns, but not many were sent. These guns were placed in several forts facing Croatan Sound:
- Fort Huger: Had twelve guns at the northwest corner of the island.
- Fort Blanchard: Had four guns about a mile southeast of Fort Huger.
- Fort Bartow: Had nine guns further south along the sound.
- Fort Forrest: On the other side of the sound, it had seven guns on two old barges protected by sandbags.
Wise also tried to block Croatan Sound between Forts Huger and Forrest. He used a double row of wooden piles and sunken ships. This barrier was still being built when the Union attacked.
The Confederate Navy also helped with seven small gunboats, called the Mosquito Fleet. They had only eight guns in total. General Wise didn't think they were very helpful because their guns and crews were taken from the island's forts. But the Mosquito Fleet was still part of the defense.
Union Attack Plan
After capturing Hatteras Island, General Burnside came up with an idea for a "Coast Division." This group would be made of fishermen and sailors from the Northeast. He thought they would be good at attacking coastal areas because they already knew about ships. Burnside was a friend of General-in-Chief George B. McClellan, so his idea was taken seriously.
Burnside's plan was to attack the North Carolina coast, starting with Roanoke Island. Some people also believed that many North Carolinians secretly supported the Union, and an invasion would help them show their loyalty. This plan became known as the Burnside Expedition.
Burnside organized his Coast Division into three brigades, with nearly 13,000 men ready for duty.
The Union Navy would provide most of the big guns. But Burnside also wanted some gunboats under Army control. This caused some problems because both the Army and Navy were trying to buy ships at the same time. The Navy, with more experience, got most of the better ships. The Army ended up with older, less sturdy vessels.
By the time the expedition started, the Navy had 20 gunboats, and the Army had nine. They also had several canal boats turned into floating batteries, armed with small cannons. In total, the Union force had 108 cannons.
The Union soldiers and their transport ships gathered in Annapolis, Maryland. They set sail in early January 1862, heading for Fort Monroe in Virginia. From there, they learned their secret destination: Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
The Battle Begins
Journey to Pamlico Sound
For many Union soldiers, the trip to Hatteras Inlet was the hardest part. The weather near Cape Hatteras was terrible, causing many to get seasick. General Burnside even moved to one of the least seaworthy Army gunboats, the Picket, to show his troops he was with them. The Picket survived the storm, but three other Union ships were lost, though everyone on board was rescued.
Getting into Pamlico Sound through Hatteras Inlet was also difficult. The water was shallower than expected, only about 6 feet deep. Some Union Army ships were too deep to cross and had to be pulled in after being unloaded. Others were too deep even for that, so their men and supplies had to be taken off on Hatteras Island, and the ships sent back. One ship, the John Trucks, couldn't even get close enough to unload its men and had to return to Annapolis. The entire fleet was finally assembled in Pamlico Sound by February 4.
While the Union fleet struggled, the Confederates did not send many reinforcements to Roanoke Island. The number of soldiers on the island stayed at about 1,400. On February 1, General Wise became very sick and was confined to bed. This meant that Col. H. M. Shaw took effective command on Roanoke Island.
First Day: The Bombardment
The Union fleet moved early on February 5 and anchored near the southern end of Roanoke Island. Bad weather kept them from moving the next day. On February 7, the weather improved, and the Navy gunboats got into position. They first fired at Ashby Harbor, where they planned to land, and found no Confederate defenses there.
Then, they moved up Croatan Sound. Some gunboats fired at Fort Bartow, while others attacked the seven ships of the Mosquito Fleet. The bombardment began around noon.
The Confederate defenses quickly showed their weaknesses. Only four guns at Fort Bartow could fire on the Union gunboats. Forts Huger and Blanchard couldn't help at all. Fort Forrest, on the other side of the sound, became useless when the Confederate gunboat CSS Curlew was hit and ran aground in front of it, blocking its guns.
Despite the intense fighting, losses were light on both sides. Several Union ships were hit but not badly damaged. The Confederates also had light losses, except for the Curlew. The rest of the Mosquito Fleet had to retreat because they ran out of ammunition.
Meanwhile, the Army transport ships arrived at Ashby Harbor, near the middle of the island. At 3:00 PM, Burnside ordered his troops to land. By 4:00 PM, soldiers were reaching the shore. A small Confederate force of 200 men, ready to stop the landing, was spotted and fired upon by the Union gunboats. The Confederates ran away without fighting back. There was no more opposition. Almost all 10,000 Union soldiers were ashore by midnight. They also brought six small cannons with them. The Union soldiers moved a short distance inland and camped for the night.
Second Day: Union Advance and Confederate Surrender
Union soldiers started moving early on the morning of February 8. They advanced north on the island's only road. The 25th Massachusetts Regiment led the way, followed by the small cannons. They soon met a Confederate redoubt (a small fort) and about 400 infantry soldiers blocking their path. Another thousand Confederates were in reserve. The fighting area was so narrow that Col. Shaw could only use a quarter of his men. The Confederate line ended in what they thought were impassable swamps on both sides, so Shaw did not protect his flanks.
The Union soldiers spread out and fought the Confederates for two hours through thick smoke. The 10th Connecticut Regiment took over from the tired 25th Massachusetts, but they also couldn't advance. No progress was made until the Second Brigade arrived. Its commander, Brig. Gen. Jesse L. Reno, ordered his men to try and go through the "impassable" swamp on the Union left side. Brig. Gen. John G. Foster then ordered two of his reserve regiments to do the same on the right side.
Soon after, Brig. Gen. John G. Parke arrived with the Third Brigade, and they were immediately sent to help. Even though their movements weren't perfectly planned, both flanking groups came out of the swamp at almost the same time. Reno ordered his 21st Massachusetts, 51st New York, and 9th New Jersey regiments to attack. As they fired on the Confederates, the 23rd Massachusetts appeared on the other end of the line.
The Confederate defense line began to break. Seeing this, Foster ordered his remaining forces to attack. Attacked from three sides, the Confederates broke and ran.
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Since no other defenses were ready, and he had no artillery left, Col. Shaw surrendered to Foster. This surrender included the 1,400 infantry soldiers he commanded, as well as the guns in the forts. Two more Confederate regiments arrived too late to fight but were included in the surrender. In total, about 2,500 Confederate soldiers became prisoners of war.
Casualties (soldiers killed or wounded) were relatively light compared to other Civil War battles. The Union forces lost 37 killed, 214 wounded, and 13 missing. The Confederates lost 23 killed, 58 wounded, and 62 missing.
What Happened Next
Roanoke Island stayed under Union control for the rest of the war. Right after the battle, Union gunboats sailed past the captured Confederate forts into Albemarle Sound. They then destroyed what was left of the Mosquito Fleet at the Battle of Elizabeth City.
General Burnside used Roanoke Island as a base for future attacks on other North Carolina towns, like New Bern and Fort Macon, which were also captured. Several smaller expeditions took other towns on the sounds. The Burnside Expedition ended in July when Burnside was called to Virginia for another campaign.
After Burnside left, North Carolina became less active in the war. Few major military actions happened there until the very end of the conflict.
The Union Army considered enslaved people on Roanoke Island as "contraband" (meaning they were seized property, not returned to their owners). By late 1862, hundreds more escaped slaves joined them. In 1863, a chaplain named Horace James was appointed to help these former slaves. He encouraged them to get an education, grow their own food, and find work. James decided to make Roanoke Island a self-sustaining colony for freed slaves. This Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island was an important model that lasted four years. It had a sawmill and a fishing industry. By 1864, it had 2,200 residents, growing to 3,900 at its peak. Many residents worked for the Army, and over 150 men joined the United States Colored Troops. Teachers helped both children and adults learn to read and write. This colony was a significant step towards freedom and citizenship for the former slaves.
