Elizabeth City Highlights Its Civil War History With New Markers
civil war, culture, history, military,
Anyone interested in Civil War history should check out Elizabeth City.
Several interesting events took place here during the Civil War, and six historical markers in the downtown waterfront area highlight those incidents.
Two of the markers are in Waterfront Park, two are on North Elliott Street at East Colonial Avenue (where the new library is located), one marker is on North Poindexter Street, and one is on East Main Street.
“We are part of the Civil War Trails Program that highlights historic battle and strategy sites throughout North Carolina, as well as Maryland and Virginia,” says Charlotte Underwood, director of the Elizabeth City Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The program is a driving tour that then becomes a self-guided walking tour once tourists reach the community they are interested in viewing. Elizabeth City is one of those communities.”
Underwood says interest in the Civil War Trails Program continues to grow among history enthusiasts and vacationers in general.
“Our six markers are simply part of the growing number of attractions in Elizabeth City that are luring tourists to our community,” she says. “We are getting more and more calls all the time about the markers.”
One of the markers is titled The Burning of Elizabeth City and tells of local secessionists who preferred seeing their town burn after it fell into Federal control in 1863. As a result, the courthouse was burned, and many residents set fire to their own homes rather than have Union troops occupy their neighborhoods.
Another marker called Place of Execution tells of guerrilla warfare initiated by Elizabeth City residents who were forced into hiding after Union occupation, but would still fight to the death. A third marker, Universal Panic and Distress, details a Union general’s raid of Elizabeth City to quell the guerilla violence. The general actually held Confederate women as hostages and threatened to murder them if the guerillas killed any Union troops who were captured.
The other three markers in downtown Elizabeth City are named 1st United States Colored Troops Occupies the Town, Dash at the Enemy, and Ambush of Sanders and McCabe.
