The Union Occupation of Coastal North Carolina

In 1861 and 1862, Union forces invaded and occupied eastern North Carolina. This chapter explores the origins, execution, and consequences of this invasion, looking at its military, social, and political significance. It highlights the weakness of Confederate fortifications along the North Carolina coast and the Union military leadership of Cmdr. Silas Stringham, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler, Brig. Gen. Ambrose Burnside, and Capt. Louis Goldsborough. As one of the first sites in the South occupied by the Union Army, coastal North Carolina created an early venue for wartime Reconstruction. The chapter emphasizes how African Americans responded to the Union invasion, escaping from slavery, forming refugee camps in Union enclaves, and working for the Union war effort. In 1862, Military Governor Edward Stanly tried to reinstitute slavery.

Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) Off the North Carolina Coast 1709–2011

Killer whales, Orcinus orca, were first reported off North Carolina by naturalist John Lawson in 1709, and during the 20th century were documented from North Carolina eight times in the scientific and popular literature. The most recent confirmed sighting of killer whales off North Carolina was in the spring of 2011. There have been no reports of killer whale deaths from North Carolina. There has been only one killer whale stranded along the North Carolina coast, with the animal being alive when it was returned to the sea. All sightings have been in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, none on the west side of the Outer Banks in the waters of Pamlico or Currituck sounds. Only three confirmed reports are from nearshore waters, while the rest were spotted more than 20 km offshore. Orcas are most frequently reported from the waters off the Outer Banks from Cape Lookout north to the Virginia border. A 200 yr gap exists in the historical record of killer whales from North Carolina.