Civil War

Controversial Silent Sam Monument Turns 100

Isaac-Davy Aronson and Frank Stasio — Wed, 29 May 2013 16:26:17 +0000

On June 2nd, 1913, the University of North Carolina dedicated a memorial on its Chapel Hill campus to students who had fought for the Confederacy. A century later, Silent Sam – as the statue has come to be known – still stirs passions.

Fragile Civil War Flag Preserved For NC History Museum

Catherine Brand — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 21:59:46 +0000

A battle-worn confederate flag has undergone a $6500 dollar preservation and has now been returned to the North Carolina Museum of History. The flag was lost in the final months of the Civil War and was carried by the 6th Regiment of North Carolina in the Battle of Sailor's Creek in Virginia. It was captured by Union forces in 1865.

Jackson Marshall, the museum's assistant director of programming, says the flag has been cleaned and placed under glass in an acid-free environment that should last another 50 years.

Union Sailors Caught In Famous NC Shipwreck Laid To Rest 150 Years Later

Eric Hodge — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:34:17 +0000

The remains of two Union sailors who went down with the ironclad USS Monitor off the North Carolina coast will be honored Friday at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Civil War ship sank 150 years ago. The remains were found in 2002. Lauren Heesemann is the research coordinator for NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

Civil War Re-enactment Group Restores Flag

Laura Candler — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:11:34 +0000

On May 12, 1864 during the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse in Virginia, a Union soldier in hand-to-hand combat with a North Carolina standard-bearer tore the battle flag right off its staff. The flag ripped along its left border, the color-bearer was captured and imprisoned, and the Union soldier who seized the flag was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his deed. Today, the historic flag is on display at the North Carolina Museum of History.

Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation Coming To Raleigh

Laura Candler — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:33:59 +0000

From May 15 through June 16, the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation will be on display in the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. The historical seven-page document is on loan from the National Archives in Washington, D.C..

New Clues Found In Sinking Of Confederate Sub

Laura Candler — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:32:25 +0000

Scientists say they may have found a new clue that sheds light on the sinking of Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley during the Civil War. The new evidence lies in a pole, called a spar, once placed on the front of the sub and used to plant explosives on enemy ships. Scientists announced Monday that 135 pounds of gunpowder was attached to the spar at the front of the vessel.

Meet Walter Bennett

Frank Stasio and Susan Davis — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 14:56:00 +0000

There’s a scene in Walter Bennett’s new novel "Leaving Tuscaloosa" (Fuze Publishing/2012) that will send chills down your spine. It’s 1962 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and a group of young white men ride through the African-American part of town throwing eggs and hurling racial taunts. The scene is based on an experience from Walter Bennett’s adolescence and it still bothers him.

Fire of Freedom

Frank Stasio and Nicole Campbell — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 14:16:00 +0000

Abraham Galloway was a fugitive slave hailing from Wilmington, North Carolina, who became a union spy, a radical abolitionist and a state senator. However, you'll rarely, if ever, see Galloway's name in a history textbook. For 10 years, author and historian David Cecelski researched and attempted to uncover the life of Abraham Galloway.

Civil War Cannon Unveiled At Museum Of History

Isaac-Davy Aronson — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:25:00 +0000

A cannon that saw service in Wilmington during the Civil War will now mark the plaza in front of the North Carolina Museum of History. The Raleigh museum is unveiling the artifact later this morning, adding to its exhibits marking the sesquicentennial of the conflict.

Civil War Cannon Returns to Raleigh

Jeff Tiberii — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:17:00 +0000

A Civil War artifact is back in North Carolina to help commemorate the battle of New Bern.

Jeff Tiberii: On March 14th, 1862 nearly 500 soliders were wounded at the Battle of New Bern. A Massachusetts made cannon began that day in confederate hands. It had been used in the early part of the Civil War in Eastern North Carolina. However, the Amherst Cannon was seized by it’s original Union owners in the fight. Dr. Jeanne Marie Warzeski is curator at the North Carolina Museum of History.