Was discovered by
Amidas and
Barlow in July, 1584, and taken possession of in the name of Queen Elizabeth.
These navigators spent several weeks in explorations of that island and
Pamlico and
Albemarle sounds, and in trafficking with the natives.
“The people,” wrote the mariners, “were most gentle, loving, and faithful, void of all guile and treason, and such as lived after
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the manner of the
Golden Age.”
They were hospitably entertained by the mother of Wingina,
King of
Roanoke, who was absent.
When they left they took with them
Manteo and Wanchese, two dusky lords of the woods from the neighboring main.
Raleigh sent a squadron under
Sir Richard Grenville in 1585 to
Roanoke Island, who took back the native chiefs.
Grenville sent
Manteo to the mainland to announce the coming of the
English, and for eight days Sir Richard
explored the country in search of precious metals, and by his conduct made the natives his enemies.
Ralph Lane, who went with
Grenville as governor of the country, was delighted with it, as being one of the most fertile regions he had ever beheld; but he contented himself with searching for gold.
His colony, half starved, and afraid of the offended
Indians, deserted
Roanoke Island in one of
Drake's ships.
Other attempts to settle there failed.
In the
American Civil War Roanoke Island became historically conspicuous.
Early in 1862 an expedition was fitted out at
Hampton Roads for operations against the island.
It was composed of over 100 war-vessels and transports, commanded by
Commodore L. M. Goldsborough, and bearing 16,000 troops under
Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside.
The armament left the
Roads on Sunday, Jan. 11, 1862, with its destination unknown excepting to certain officers.
The land force was divided into three brigades, commanded respectively by
Gens. J. G. Foster,
J. L. Reno, and
J. G. Parke.
The fleet was divided into two columns for action, intrusted respectively to the care of
Commanders S. F. Hazard and
S. C. Rowan.
Its destination was
Pamlico Sound, through Hatteras Inlet, and its chief object was the capture of
Roanoke Island, which the
Confederates had strongly fortified with batteries which commanded the sounds on each side of it. There was also a fortified camp that extended across a narrow part of the island.
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These fortifications were garrisoned by
North Carolina troops under
Col. H. M. Shaw, and mounted forty guns.
Above the island, in
Croatan Sound, was a Confederate flotilla of small gunboats,
commanded by
Lieut. W. F. Lynch, formerly of the United States navy.
Goldsborough drew up his fleet in
Croatan Sound and opened a bombardment (Feb. 7) upon the works on the island.
Four of his transports, one gunboat, and a floating battery had been smitten by a storm off
Hatteras before entering the still waters of the inlet and wrecked.
Goldsborough had moved his gunboats towards the island to open fire in columns, the first being led by the
Stars and Stripes,
Lieut. Reed Werden; the second by the
Louisiana,
Commander A. Murray; and the third by the
Hetzel,
Lieut. H. R. Davenport.
the
Southfield was the flag-ship.
The first attack was upon Fort Bartow, on
Pork Point, towards the northern end of the island, and in twenty-one minutes a general engagement took place between the gunboats and the batteries in
Croatan Sound, in which the little flotilla participated.
These vessels disposed of,
Goldsborough concentrated his fire on Fort Bartow, three-fourths of a mile distant.
Burnside's headquarters were on the
S. R. Spaulding.
As Fort Bartow began to give way the transports were brought up, and at midnight, while a cold storm of wind and rain was sweeping over land and water, about 11,000 troops were landed, many of them wading ashore.
These were
New England, New York, and
New Jersey troops.
They were without shelter.
At dawn, led by
General Foster, they moved to attack the line of intrenchments that spanned the island.
The Confederates, much inferior in numbers, made a gallant defence, going from redoubt to redoubt as one after another fell into the hands of the Nationals.
They made a vigorous stand in a well-situated redoubt that was approached by a causeway.
There was to be the last struggle in defence of the line.
At the head of
Hawkins's Zouaves,
Major Kimball, a veteran of the war with
Mexico, undertook to take it by storm.
Colonel Hawkins was then leading a flank movement with a part of his command.
Seeing the major pushing forward, the colonel joined him, when the whole battalion shouted, “Zou!
Zou! Zou!”
and pressed to the redoubt.
The Confederates fled and were pursued about 6 miles, when they surrendered, and
Roanoke Island
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passed into the possession of the
National forces.
The Confederate flotilla fled up
Albemarle Sound, pursued by National gunboats under
Commander Rowan.
Near
Elizabeth, not far from the
Dismal Swamp,
Rowan attacked the flotilla and some land batteries, driving the
Confederates from both, while
Lynch and his followers retired into the interior.
Then the
United States flag was placed upon a shore-battery, and this was the first portion of the
North Carolina main that was repossessed by the government.
The loss of
Roanoke Island was a severe one for the
Confederates.
The National loss in the capture of the island was about 50 killed and 222 wounded; that of the
Confederates was 23 killed, 58 wounded, and 62 missing.
