North Carolina’s Secession from the Union

North Carolina’s Secession from the Union

North Carolina first officially brought up the idea of secession from the Union on May 1, 1861. Delegates from each of its many counties met in Raleigh to decide, by vote, how the state would deal with the new upheaval that was taking place in the country. It took nineteen days, and on May 20 the state had voted to leave the Union, and join the Confederacy by a unanimous vote. Although it played a vital role to Confederacy, it was last to secede out of all of the states. The majority of North Carolina’s population at that time, as with many other states, was white farmers who did not own any laves. Politically, North Carolina as a state was very divided. This was due to the geographical divisions created by the three variations in geography. These are the coastal low areas, the piedmont, and the western mountains. Aside from slavery, which had in 1851 been a cause for a call to secede (which was quickly voted down), congress had tried to pass a bill to divide and hand out land in many states, including North Carolina. This infuriated many North Carolina citizens, who for the most part remained relatively conservative in ideals, especially when in comparison to northern states. An inequality among landowners and the lower class was also created by the system of taxation at the time, which burdened some much more than others. For all of these reasons, both slavery and others, North Carolina decided to secede from the Union at the start of the civil war.

The Coastal Battle

The Coastal Battle

The coast of North Carolina was well sought after as both a means of transportation and resources. The confederacy wanted the many sounds of the Intercostal Waterway for the movement of its troops and materials. These waters supplied whatever was necessary for Lee’s North Virginia Army, which was the main source of opposition for the Union’s expansion into the south. The Union’s ability to ship goods to its southern armies was being impeded by the many confederate blockade-runners. These blockade-runners were mainly stationed in the port of Wilmington, which they used to repair and re-supply. Wilmington, located on the mouth of the Cape Fear River, also marked the beginning of the Wilmington-Weldon Railroad, equally vital to confederate operations. The Union assault began from the north, in which General Burnside slowly captured relatively mall, yet strategic forts. This system of small battles carried on throughout the war in this area until the eventual battles of Fort Fisher, and fall of Wilmington in 1865, marking the climax and end of the war. Another large, primary port of the region, New Bern, became a target of union ambition to end the war. It, like Wilmington, supplied the confederacy with many badly needed supplies, which, during the end of the war, became more and more scarce to the dieing cause. However, the issue of the fast blockade runners, darting between Union lines and confederate trading partners, became more and more evident a reason to capture Wilmington. Although the Union army won the Civil War, North Carolina remained a persistent objective to be captured.

Company A 37th Regiment

North Carolina A Company 37th Regiment – Tar Heels

The North Carolina 37th regiment was instrumental to many of the battles both in and outside of the state that North Carolina and the confederacy were involved in. It is made up mostly of volunteers from the Ashe County located in the northwest of the state. 206 men in total were apart of the regiment. With about 22 killed and 20 wounded by its end, it was one of the most successful organized fighting regiments of the war, considering the fact it had existed since the beginning in 1861. Fifty, however ended up as POWs in northern union camps, in which thirteen died. It became a legitimate operation in Wilmington, North Carolina at Fort Fischer. In total, both during and before the war, 2,021, many from different counties, states, and countries, had fought in the regiment. All but one (a freed slave) was a white male, who ranged from doctors to mechanics, five foot one to six foot seven, and 15 to 65 in age. Battles in which they fought include New Bern, and northern Virginia, including Richmond. At Gettysburg, the 37th played a major role in the famous Pickett’s Charge, lead by their new general after their previous one had died in combat. Although North Carolina had an army of 115,000 soldiers and Virginia 196,000, North Carolina had about three times as many casualties. The term Tar Heel was a rather derogatory term used by many other states due to the harsh appearance of the soldiers. Their rather blunt form of fighting, which may have increased the number of casualties, also lent to the name.

The Importance of Pine Tar

North Carolina is a state famous for its production of pine tar. This gave root to the famous name “tar heel”, which referred to the soldiers of the civil war and how they must have had tar on their heels due to their consistency during battle. North Carolina can produce such quantities of tar due to its vast forests, relatively flat terrain, and numerous rivers that lead to the coast, for easy lumber transportation. Tar was mostly used in maritime applications at the time. It acts to preserve the wood of a ship’s hull, and prevent significant wear from the exposure to water and salt. It also helps to keep ships water tight, by placing it between the planks of wood along with another materials, frequently flax fiber or another type of cloth. The state’s history of tar and pitch production began during its initial colonization, when the British Government actually passed acts to encourage its manufacturing and shipping. Although the business of tar production moved further south and east to the gulf states, most was still made in North Carolina, until the demand for it slowly decreased during the later nineteenth century. Uses, which still exist today, that are more domestic include its use for soaps and paintings. Even the restoration of artwork relies heavily on pine tar. For these many reasons, tar and pitch were vital commodities for the Confederate Army, making the state indispensable, and worth defending from Union advance. Although it may seem and unimportant topic, a brief description of the industry, I feel, is definitely necessary.