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The Civil War in North Carolina

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North Carolina's secession convention met in Raleigh and unanimously passed the ordinance to leave the Union on May 20, 1861. The war here ended with the fall of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865 and the surrender at Bennett Place on April 26, 1865.

  • May 20, 1861Secession convention
  • Jan 15, 1865Fort Fisher falls
  • Mar 19, 1865Bentonville begins
  • Apr 26, 1865Bennett Place surrender
Currier and Ives print of Union troops storming Fort Fisher, January 15, 1865
Currier and Ives print of the capture of Fort Fisher, January 15, 1865. Credit: Currier and Ives, Library of Congress, LCCN 2013646578. Rights: No known restrictions on publication (as stated on its Wikimedia Commons file page).

The Short Version

Union troops took Roanoke Island in February 1862, closing off the coast; the fall of Fort Fisher in January 1865 shut the Confederacy's last open port at Wilmington. The war's largest land battle in the state, Bentonville, came in March 1865, and Johnston and Sherman agreed final terms at the Bennett farm near Durham.

At a Glance

DateWhat happenedSource
April 12, 1861Confederate forces bombarded Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Three days later, on April 15, 1861, President Lincoln called for 75,000 troops.ncpedia.org
May 20, 1861North Carolina's secession convention met in Raleigh with 122 Democratic and Whig delegates and unanimously passed the secession ordinance. At Governor Ellis's request, the ordinance was not put to a popular vote.ncpedia.org
May 21, 1861The ordinance was signed, and President Jefferson Davis proclaimed North Carolina a Confederate state.ncpedia.org
February 7-8, 1862Union troops under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside took Roanoke Island. About 10,000 Union soldiers landed. Fewer than 2,500 Confederates defended the island, and 2,488 of them surrendered.ncpedia.org
1862After the battle, many enslaved people on Roanoke Island sought freedom and formed a freedmen's colony that grew to more than 3,500 people at its height.nps.gov
December 24-25, 1864The Union navy first bombarded Fort Fisher, which guarded New Inlet and the Cape Fear River. The fort was defended by Confederate troops under Col. William Lamb, with 44 guns.ncpedia.org
January 15, 1865Fort Fisher fell after a second attack on January 13-15, 1865. Its loss closed Wilmington, described as the last port open to supply the Confederacy.ncpedia.org
March 19-21, 1865The Battle of Bentonville, near Bentonville in Johnston County, was the largest Civil War land battle in North Carolina. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had about 21,000 Confederates; Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman had about 60,000 Union soldiers.ncpedia.org
March 21-23, 1865The Confederates withdrew from Bentonville on the night of March 21, 1865. Sherman reached Goldsboro on March 23. Losses were 1,527 Union and 2,606 Confederate.ncpedia.org
April 26, 1865At the Bennett farm near Durham, Johnston and Sherman reached final surrender terms, 17 days after Lee surrendered at Appomattox. The surrender covered 89,270 soldiers in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.ncpedia.org
1865Johnston and Sherman met three times at the home of James and Nancy Bennitt. Sherman's first agreement was turned down by President Andrew Johnson, and the final terms came later.ncpedia.org
1861-1865NCpedia counts 133,905 North Carolinians in state and Confederate forces, and notes this may be too low. Of those, 40,275 (about 30 percent) did not come home. NCpedia also counts 5,035 Black and 3,156 white North Carolinians in the Union army.ncpedia.org
1921The Bennett farmhouse burned, leaving only its stone chimney. A reconstruction was begun in 1960 and dedicated in 1962.ncpedia.org
2028The NC History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction in Fayetteville, a state museum on the whole state's story, lists its opening as 2028. It is not open yet.nccivilwarcenter.org

1861: Leaving The Union

North Carolina did not leave the Union right away. It acted after Fort Sumter was bombarded on April 12, 1861, and Lincoln called for troops on April 15. A convention met in Raleigh on May 20, 1861, and passed the secession ordinance without a single no vote. No one asked the voters. (source)

The ordinance was signed the next day, May 21, 1861, and President Jefferson Davis proclaimed North Carolina a Confederate state. (source)

1862: Roanoke Island and The Coast

In early 1862, Union troops under Ambrose Burnside took Roanoke Island on February 7 and 8. It was called the key to the northeast sounds of North Carolina. Taking it opened Albemarle Sound to the Union, and the next target was New Bern. (source)

Many enslaved people on the island sought freedom after the battle. They formed a freedmen's colony that grew to more than 3,500 people. (source)

Winter 1865: The Fall of Fort Fisher

Fort Fisher kept Wilmington open to ships carrying supplies. By 1865 that was the last supply line still open to Robert E. Lee's army. After a first Union bombardment on December 24-25, 1864, a larger attack on January 13-15, 1865, took the fort. (source)

The loss of Fort Fisher closed the port. Historians at the state historic site say it helped seal the Confederacy's fate. (source)

Spring 1865: Bentonville and The Surrender

Joseph Johnston tried to stop William T. Sherman's army at Bentonville on March 19-21, 1865. His men broke the Union left at first, but fresh troops held. The Confederates withdrew the night of March 21, and Sherman reached Goldsboro two days later. (source)

A few weeks later Johnston and Sherman met at the Bennett farm near Durham. Final terms were reached on April 26, 1865, and the surrender covered 89,270 soldiers across the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. (source)

The Cost, and How It Is Remembered

NCpedia counts 19,673 battle deaths and 20,602 deaths from disease among North Carolina's Confederate soldiers. Most fighting in the state took place in the east, while the western mountains saw mostly guerrilla violence. (source)

Today the state runs historic sites at Fort Fisher, Bentonville and Bennett Place. A new state museum in Fayetteville, the NC History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction, lists 2028 as its opening. (source)

Where to Visit

On this site: Fort Fisher State Historic Site, Historic Sites.

Still Unconfirmed

  • Union strength at Roanoke Island varies by source (about 10,000 per the state encyclopedia, about 13,000 per the National Park Service), and Confederate dead are given as 23 or 22.
  • The first two Johnston-Sherman meetings at Bennett Place are not dated on the pages we read; only April 26, 1865 is.
  • The state history center on the Civil War, emancipation and Reconstruction in Fayetteville is under construction, its name has changed between sources and its opening date could move.
  • The strength of the Union landing force at Fort Fisher was not on the page we read, so none is stated. The state encyclopedia notes its count of North Carolinians who served may be too low, because the rolls are incomplete.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did North Carolina secede?

A convention in Raleigh met on May 20, 1861, and unanimously passed the secession ordinance. It was signed on May 21, 1861. There was no popular vote.

When did Fort Fisher fall?

January 15, 1865, after a Union attack by sea and land. It had guarded Wilmington, the last port open to supply the Confederacy.

What was the Battle of Bentonville?

A three-day fight on March 19-21, 1865, in Johnston County. It was the largest Civil War land battle in North Carolina, with about 21,000 Confederates against about 60,000 Union soldiers.

Where did Johnston surrender to Sherman?

At the Bennett farm near Durham. Final terms were reached on April 26, 1865, covering 89,270 soldiers in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.

What happened at Roanoke Island in 1862?

Union troops under Ambrose Burnside took the island on February 7-8, 1862. 2,488 Confederates surrendered, and the island later became home to a freedmen's colony of more than 3,500 people.

More North Carolina History

Sources

  1. NCpedia: Secession Movement
  2. NCpedia: Civil War (Introduction)
  3. NCpedia: Roanoke Island, Battle Of
  4. NPS: The Battle of Roanoke Island (Fort Raleigh)
  5. NCpedia: Fort Fisher
  6. NC Historic Sites: Fort Fisher State Historic Site
  7. NCpedia: Bentonville, Battle Of
  8. NC Historic Sites: Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site
  9. NCpedia: Bennett Place
  10. NC Historic Sites: Bennett Place State Historic Site
  11. NC History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction: About the Center
  12. Wikimedia Commons: Currier & Ives print, Library of Congress copy (rights statement)

Read on October 27, 2026. Secondary sources are labelled in their titles. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? tell us.

Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “The Civil War in North Carolina”, itsnorthcarolina.com/history/civil-war/ (updated ). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.