Union control of the sounds and coastal watercourses strengthened
the Federal blockade of Southern ports. The Confederates scuttled a ship
north of here in Currituck Sound to obstruct the Narrows but with little
effect. After the fall of Roanoke Island until the end of the war, the north-eastern
sounds were under Union control, although the Confederate iron-clad
Albemarle steamed briefly into Albemarle Sound in April 1864.
CURRITUCK SOUND
★ ★ ★
Avenue of War
For many years before the war, Currituck Sound
was a busy avenue of commerce sheltered from
the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks. Vessels
carried produce and goods between North Caroli-na
and Virginia. After hostilities began, the
sound became strategically important for both
the Union and Confederate navies and armies.
On June 9, 1861, Confederate Gen. Walter
Gwynn, commander of the coastal defenses,
urged Currituck County’s citizens to send both
enslaved and free black laborers to build fortifications on Roanoke Island.
Local boats also played an important role in fortifying the North Carolina
coast. One, CSA Currituck, was a wooden, screw-propeller
steamer, constructed in Norfolk in 1860.
The vessel was small, about 44 tons and 60 feet
in length. It transported supplies through the
sound, carried troops, towed schooners, and final-ly
was sent back to Roanoke Island in February
1862 under a flag of truce with terms of surren-der,
which were not accepted. After the Battle of
Roanoke Island, Currituck removed Confederate
supplies across the sound to Point Harbor here
at the southern tip of Currituck County.
Currituck Sound from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper (1859) – Courtesy The Mariner’s Museum
Currituck County, ca. 1858
Courtesy University of North Carolina
Libraries
The small vessels in this lithograph
are similar to CSA Currituck
Courtesy Tryon Palace