Fort Wagner stands on Morris Island, guarding the approach to Charleston. Early this morning fresh federal troops land on the island, sizing up the fort. The only approach to the beach fort is over a narrow strip of sand bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and swamp marshland on the other. Prospects are…
Today newly-freed former slaves gather in the Baptist Church of Beaufort, South Carolina, a coastal town under Union control and a base of operations for the housing, training and education of freedpersons, many of whom are now serving in the United States military. The story of the gathering of these freepersons in the Baptist Church…
Emancipation along the North Carolina coast began over a year ago when Union General Ambrose Burnside landed on Roanoke Island in February 1862. Soon, much of the coastal mainland was under United States control, and New Bern became Union headquarters for the region. From the landing of Ambrose to the present, African slaves have, in…