North Carolina in the Civil War

Military actions in North Carolina during the Civil War can be divided into three phases. The first phase encompasses the period of time from North Carolina’s secession until the late spring or early summer of 1862. The second phase is the period from summer 1862 through fall 1864 when military action in the state was at its ebb. Even so, there were significant military actions that occurred within this time span, including the Union’s strengthening of its naval blockade of the coast and raids by Gen. John G. Foster and Gen. Edward Potter. The final phase covers the Confederacy’s demise in North Carolina, beginning in fall 1864 and ending with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s surrender at Durham Station in April 1865. Most of the state’s major military actions occurred during this phase of the war, including the battles in the Cape Fear region, the fall of Wilmington and Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign.