Ocracoke Island and Portsmouth Island Civil War Veterans Memorial
Posted by: 
showbizkid
N 35° 07.058 W 075° 59.179
18S E 410124 N 3886533
This is a dual-purpose marker which notes the history of Confederate Fort Ocracoke but also honors the men from Ocracoke Island and Portsmouth Island who served in both the Confederate and Union Armed Forces during the Civil War.
Waymark Code: WMJ6X
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 07/25/2006
Views: 25
This memorial and historic marker is located adjacent to the large parking area near the ferry terminal at Ocracoke Village.
One side of this marker is a memorial to soldiers and sailors from Ocracoke and Portsmouth Islands.
The marker reads:
IN MEMORY OF VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR
FROM OCRACOKE & PORTSMOUTH ISLANDSThe soldiers and sailors are listed by name, separately, by the two islands. The units are also listed. Interestingly enough, a few of the men listed served in the Confederate Army or Navy and also in the Union Army or Navy. This isn't too surprising given the pro-Union sentiment on the Outer Banks and the fact that the Union took the Outer Banks early in the war. A few of the boys traded in their gray for blue.
The other side of the marker gives some history about the Confederate's Fort Ocracoke:
THE REMNANTS OF FORT OCRACOKE ARE SUBMERGED IN OCRACOKE INLET, 2 MILES TO THE WEST-SOUTHWEST, TOWARDS PORTSMOUTH ISLAND. THE LAST OF POSSIBLY FOUR FORTS ON BEACON ISLAND, THE MOSTLY EARTHEN FORT OCRACOKE WAS CONSTRUCTED BY MAINLAND CONFEDERATE VOLUNTEERS, BEGINNING ON MAY 20, 1861, THE DAY NORTH CAROLINA SECEDED FROM THE UNION AND JOINED THE CONFEDERACY.AFTER UNION VICTORIES ON HATTERAS ISLAND IN AUGUST, 1861, THE CONFEDERATES PARTLY DESTROYED THE FORT AND ABANDONED IT WITHOUT A FIGHT. MAINLAND UNION FORCES COMPLETED THE DESTRUCTION IN SEPTEMBER, 1861. BEACON ISLAND WAS CONSUMED BY THE WATERS OF OCRACOKE INLET IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY. THE FORT'S REMAINS WERE DISCOVERED AND IDENTIFIED BY MEMBERS OF SURFACE INTERVAL DIVING CO. IN AUGUST, 1998, ACTING ON A TIP FROM OCRACOKE CHARTER BOAT CAPTAIN, DONALD AUSTIN
To record your own visit to this waymark, take and post your own photo of the waymark with your log. Logs must contain an original photo as proof of your visit, please.