The Union Invasion of North Carolina Begins.

Fort Clark After Being Captured (Harper's Weekly)

On August 27, 1861 Union forces had Cape Hatteras in its sites. Prior to focusing on North Carolina the Union Army had suffered a surprising defeat at Manassas just a month earlier. Realizing that the war would be much more drawn down than anticipated the Union was forced to take greater action. For the Confederacy the Outer Banks had served as a safe haven for blockade runners eluding the Union blockade.

The Hatteras inlet was defended by two fortifications; Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark. Fort Hatteras was located at the tip of the island making it the key defense for the inlet. The fort was a 250 foot wide square earthen walled fort with an armament of twelve thirty-two pound smooth bore guns. The second fortification on the Island was Fort Clark. The smaller Fort Clark was east of Fort Hatteras and situated closer to the ocean with a defense of five thirty-two pound guns and two smaller guns. The fort's location in relation to fort Hatteras allowed for cross fire at any Union ship that approached the inlet.

Well before the sun arose on August 28 soldiers, sailors, and marines made their final preparations for the invasion. At 10:00 A.M. the Wabash and the Cumberland opened fire on Fort Clark. Return fire was made immediately but fell short of the Union boats. A "Derisive laughter" could be heard from the Minnesota at the site of the Confederates ineffective retaliation. After two hours of shelling the beach the amphibious assault began. By noon 318 men had made it ashore despite all of their landing craft sinking in the surf. The incoming high tide also made it difficult for the Union as they were unable to send additional forces and for the time being cutting off the soldiers on land from the Navy and much needed provisions. Despite the difficulties the Union had such as wet gun powder they were still able to hold their position. By that afternoon Fort Clark had run out of ammo had promptly evacuated and fled to Fort Hatteras.

With Fort Clark in Union hands attention now turned to Fort Hatteras. Believing that the fort might be abandoned due to the absence of the Confederate flag and witnessing some troops flee across the sound the ship Monticello was ordered to sail closer to the coast. As soon as the ship sailed into range then the Confederates opened fire, forcing the Union Navy to commence shelling. At one point the confusion caused the re-shelling of Fort Clark which was already occupied by Union soldiers. An American flag was raised to try and stop the shelling but the men had to evacuate the fort anyway. With night fall and bad weather on the horizon the Union Navy was forced to pull back, leaving the men occupying Fort Clark to the mercy of the Confederates.

Over night the state failed to send in enough reinforcements to protect the fort. At dawn on August 29, the Union Navy began to shell Fort Hatteras once again. By noon Confederates saw prolonging the battle would only mean more lives lost and a surrender flag was raised.  The battle ended with Commodore Samuel Barron surrendering to General Benjamin Butler.

Casualties were relatively low. On the Union side there were no deaths. For the Confederates there are conflicting accounts regarding the number of dead, setting the death toll anywhere from four to fourteen. About 700 Confederates including Commodore Barron would be taken prisoner and shipped off to New York.

The end result was an occupation of the northeastern part of the North Carolina lasted until the war's end. By the spring of 1862 the areas around Cape Hatteras, Roanoke Island, New Bern, Beaufort, and Elizabeth City were now in Union hands. The capture of the region put the second largest deep water port in North Carolina in Union hands (Wilmington was the biggest port and remained open until January 1865). The stronghold also allowed the Union to stage raids into the state's interior and access to the Wilmington-Weldon Rail Road, which connected Wilmington to Richmond.

Sources:
Barrett, John G. The Civil War in North Carolina (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press) 1963.

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Series 1, 27 Vols. Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office, 1894-1917.