Beaufort was captured on March 26, 1862, and remained in Union hands for the duration of the war. See the link for an online walking tour of the town, as well as a link for the Old Burying Ground Cemetery.
Grayden Paul Park- 34.7148889, -76.6622222. This was the site of the Atlantic Hotel/House which was on the waterfront between Pollack and Marsh Streets. It was destroyed by a hurricane after the war. The hotel was used temporarily as a hospital (Hammond Hospital) which was run by the Sisters of Mercy, a group of nuns from St. Catherine’s convent in New York, who turned it into a workable hospital. At the corner of Pine and Marsh streets was a small cemetery used to bury soldiers who died there. I see no signs of a cemetery currently at that location.
Sketch of the Atlantic Hotel/House34.71775, -76.6652778 Link
The Josiah Bell House at 138 Turner Street was the home of Josiah Fisher Bell a Confederate agent who was involved in blowing up lighthouses at Cape Lookout.
The Josiah Bell House34.7163056, -76.6649722Link34.7174722, -76.6663889Link
Hatsell House- Emeline Pigott, a Confederate spy, visited relatives here and watched the shelling of Fort Macon from the top porch- 117 Orange Street.
117 Orange StreetSt. Paul’s Episcopal Church- 215 Ann Street
The Leecraft Houses- 301 Ann Street was built by Benjamin Leecraft III, likely before 1850, who served in the 2nd NC Artillery. 305 and 307 Ann Street were built by William Leecraft.
301 Ann Street– used as Union officers quarters. There are apparently axe marks on the dining room floor left by Union soldiers.301 Ann Street305 Ann Street305 Ann StreetThe Leecraft House- 307 Ann Street- the Union Provost Marshall headquarters, now an AirBNB 34.7181111, -76.6638889Ann Street United Methodist Church- 417 Ann StreetCaptain Josiah Pender (1819-1864)– Led a group of fifty men who seized Fort Macon a month before North Carolina seceded from the Union in 1861. An improvised Confederate flag was raised in place of the national colors. Confederate forces held the fort for a year and eleven days until it was retaken by Union General Ambrose E. Burnside in April, 1862. Jechonias Willis (1838-1862)– A Beaufort man killed when Fort Macon was taken by the Federals. Beaufort members of the garrison were brought home on a flat and released on parole. The body of Willis was brought at the same time. General Burnside himself stood at the wharf witnessing the joyful reunion between soldiers and families. Then, as the pine box containing the body of Willis was claimed by sorrowing loved ones, sympathetic tears rolled down the general’s cheeks. Captain Matthew Gooding (1830-1863) — As the pilot of the blockade runner Nashville, he ably ran the Union blockade of Beaufort Harbor during the first year of the Civil War. Sergeant George Johnson (1800’s) — A member of the 35th United States Colored Infantry (U.S..C.I.) Johnson was one of almost 200,000 black soldiers who fought for the Union during the Civil War. He was seriously wounded, but survived the war. Many former slaves were anxious to prove that they deserved freedom and equality by fighting alongside the white soldiers. By the end of the war, almost a quarter of the Union Army was made up of black soldiers. Robt. B. Woolard (1800’s)– A member of the 1st North Carolina Infantry Regiment (Union). Two Regiments of volunteers from eastern North Carolina joined the Union Army. After many of these North Carolinians were captured by Confederate forces, it was discovered that 22 of them had previously served in the Confederate Army. The 22 were hanged by the Confederates as deserters. This had a profound impact on the morale of other members of the two union regiments. Most of them spent the rest of the War in the relative security of Beaufort and Fort Macon.Captain James Lente Manney (1827-1889) – He graduated from Columbia Medical College in 1848, but went to California as part of the Gold Rush of 1849. He returned to Beaufort, poorer but wiser, to practice medicine. He joined the secessionist militia takeover of Fort Macon in 1861. Later he became an artillery Company Commander in the Confederate Army. Following the Union capture of Fort Macon a year later, he was exchanged and returned to the Confederate Army. He participated in the attack on New Bern in 1864, and served with Lee’s army at Petersburg in 1865. After the war he resumed his medical practice in Beaufort!2nd Lieutenant Irvin Pulford. Company K, 10th NC State TroopsCaptain Josiah S. Pender, Company G, 10th NC State TroopsWilliam J. Bushall, Company I, 10th NC State TroopsJohn Simpson, Company H, 10th NC State Troops
Allen Davis House- Burnside’s headquarters during the occupation of Beaufort- 120 Queen Street.
120 Queen Street
Reverend Jones House- used as a hospital during the Civil War- 707 Broad Street.
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