Civil War Illustrations
Battle of Roanoke Island
The Battle of Roanoke Island was fought on February 7-8, 1862. It was the beginning phase of Burnside's North Carolina Expedition. "On February 7, Brig. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside landed 7,500 men on the southwestern side of Roanoke Island in an amphibious operation launched from Fort Monroe. The next morning, supported by gunboats, the Federals assaulted the Confederate forts on the narrow waist of the island, driving back and out-maneuvering Brig. Gen. Henry Wise's outnumbered command. After losing less than 100 men, the Confederate commander on the field, Col. H.M. Shaw, surrendered about 2,500 soldiers and 32 guns. Burnside had secured an important outpost on the Atlantic Coast, tightening the blockade." (from CWSAC Battle Summaries, National Park Service.) The Union forces occupied the island for the remainder of the war.
Slaves living on the island at the time were classified as contraband. More slaves came to the island from the mainland. The Army developed the contraband camp into the Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island. By 1864, more than 2,200 freedmen lived there.
New York State troops involved in this engagement were: a detachment of the Marine Artillery, 9th Infantry (Hawkins's Zouaves), 51st Infantry and Company B, 99th Infantry.
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