The Capture of Fort Caswell
.\lllioii“li f«*\v people are anuro of the fact.
Ihe men of the Cape Fear country made this
capture three months before Fort Sumter,
at Charleston, was fired upon.
WIIAT was the first overt act
of the War Between the
States?
Your answer to that query
probably will be: "The attack on
Fort Sumter at Charleston. S. C."
But your answer is wrong. The
first overt act of the war was
the capture of Fort Caswell at the
mouth of the Cape Fear River,
across the harbor from Southport.
It was effected by Wilmington
volunteer militiamen on or about
January 9. 1861. The event hap-
E?ned three months before Fort
uniter was attacked, and nearly
five months before North Carolina
seceded from the union to become
one of the Confederate States of
America. When it was captured,
Fort Caswell was offered as a prize
of war to the Governor of North
Carolina, but the tender was re¬
spectfully declined inasmuch as
hostilities had not commenced at
that time.
The element of human interest
centers considerably in this un¬
usual incident, based* as it was upon
the fact that the Wilmington men
were actuated by a spirit and de¬
termination to protect their homes
at all costs. Recording of the facts
may be of interest in the effort to
keep history straight.
In the fall of 1860 war clouds
were lowering, and thoughtful
people realized that a break be¬
tween the North and South was
imminent because of differing
points of view regarding slavery,
state’s rights, etc. North Carolina
showed a disposition to proceed
slowly in so far as actual secession
was concerned. This attitude was
the cause of much dissatisfaction
and resentment among residents
of eastern counties, especially in
sections along the sea-coast, There
it was feared that at almost any
time, the Federal Government
might decide to strongly garrison
the forts commanding entrances
to the Cape Fear River and the
harbor at Beaufort. The people
of Wilmington were particularly
concerned about this possibility.
They realized that Fort Caswell
was a bastioned masonry post of
great strength and in first-class
Ki; I .OH IS T. 1IOOII I :
condition. Once armed and occu¬
pied by additional Federal guns
and troops, they knew that it
would be impossible for the South¬
ern states to recapture it. It also
was realized that possession of Fort
Caswell by the Federal govern¬
ment would effectually seal the
port of Wilmington as a point of
supply for the South.
With the people of the
Саре
Fear section, to think in times of
peril is to act. Especially is this
true when they feel that their
rights or their liberties are im¬
perilled. Being under the impres¬
sion that North Carolina as a whole
was acting altogether too slowly,
they proceeded to act for them¬
selves.
Local records show that a great
mass meeting was held in Wilming¬
ton. followed by a call for volun¬
teers to be enrolled for quick serv¬
ice under the name of "The Cape
Fear Minutemen.” John J. Hed¬
rick was named commander of this
outfit. Without any delay, Major
Hedrick and his men are said to
have embarked on a schooner from
Wilmington and set sail for South-
port. They had sufficient pro¬
visions aboard for one week and
were assured by the Committee
of Safety of continued support and
proper supplies.
Upon arrival at Southport, Ma¬
jor Hedrick and his men took
possession of the U. S. barracks
known as Fort Johnston. They
then continued onward to Fort
Caswell, across the harbor. There
they formally demanded and ob¬
tained surrender from the United
States sergeant in charge. All this,
it should be kept in mind, occurred
during the second week in January
of 1861; weeks before the actual
declaration of war.
Major Hedrick assumed actual
command of the fort and immedi¬
ately started preparations to make
his position as secure as possible.
He and his men gave not the slight¬
est thought to the fact that their
action, unsustained by even state
authority, might be regarded as
treasonable rebellion, thereby en¬
dangering their lives. Their only
thought was to protect their fam¬
ilies and homes.
Upon receipt of unofficial infor¬
mation of the invasion and capture
of Fort Caswell by the Wilmington
volunteer military forces. Gover¬
nor John Ellis, as Captain-General
and Commander-in-Chief of the
North Carolina militia, addressed
a letter to Colonel John L. Cant¬
well, commanding the 30th Regi¬
ment of North Carolina militia at
Wilmington, in connection with
the seizure of Fort Caswell. This
letter was dated January 1 1, 1861.
After stating that ho was well
aware of the fact that the Wilming¬
ton men were actuated by patriotic
motives, the Governor continued:
"Yet. in view of the relations ex¬
isting between the General Gov¬
ernment and the State of North
Carolina, there is no authority of
law. under existing circumstances,
for the occupation of the United
States forts situated in this State.
I cannot, therefore, sustain the
action, however patriotic the mo¬
tives may have been. I am com¬
pelled by an imperative sense of
duty to order that Fort Caswell be
restored to the possession of the
authorities of the United States.
You will proceed to Smithville
(now Southport) on receipt of
this communication and communi¬
cate orders to have troops with¬
drawn from Fort Caswell. You
will also investigate and report
the facts to this department."
Colonel Cantwell notified the
Governor that he would proceed
to Fort Caswell at once, accom¬
panied by Robert IS. Calder, Act¬
ing Adjutant, and William Calder,
Acting Quartermaster. The latter
two were staff officers temporarily
appointed for that purpose. It was
after night-fall of January 12,
when they reached Fort Caswell.
After some conversation, the
guards admitted Colonel Cantwell
and his aides. They were escorted
to Major Hedrick, to whom the
order outlined below was given. It
should be remembered that the
quartet engaged in the conversation
