A National Park Service Outer Banks Group Know Your Park citizen science program on the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Roanoke Island will be presented by Drew Pullen on Wednesday, February 8, 7 p.m. at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Visitor Center near Manteo. The program is free and will last approximately one hour.

Pullen’s presentation of the battle will include details on the preparation of Burnside’s Expedition, encountering of severe winter storms near Hatteras Inlet, landing of troops on Roanoke Island, assault on the Confederate 3 gun earthwork, and the consequences of this Union victory.

Drew Pullen graduated from Houghton College with a major in history. He did his graduate studies at S.U.N.Y. at Geneseo, N/Y. He is the author of two books: The Civil War On Hatteras Island and The Civil War On Roanoke Island. He is a former history teacher and managed the Hatteras and Ocracoke branches of the East Carolina Bank for more than 25 years. As an amateur historian he has written several articles on the Civil War for local newspapers. Drew serves on the Board of The Friends Of The Graveyard Of The Atlantic Museum, as chair of the “Flags Over Hatteras” Civil War On The Outer Banks Committee and a volunteer at the museum.

The Know Your Park citizen science program series is designed to further connect the Outer Banks communities and residents with the rich natural world and cultural heritage of their neighboring National Park sites; Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. “These presentations offer local residents an opportunity to both learn more about, and better enjoy, their National Parks” stated Mike Murray, Superintendent, Outer Banks Group.

A NEW EXHIBIT, “Beneath the Sands: Past and Present Archaeology at Fort Raleigh will be presented by the National Park Service Outer Banks Group, in partnership with the First olony Foundation and Friends of the Outer Banks History Center,. It will open on Monday, October 10, 2011 at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site near Manteo, North Carolina. The exhibition is presented as part of Roanoke Colonies Archaeology and History Week and is made possible by support from the Percy W. and Elizabeth G. Meekins Charitable Trust. Other activities of the week will include a week-long series of events with theatre, symposium, and archaeological research at Roanoke Island Festival Park.

Superintendent Mike Murray announced that many of the artifacts, on display for the first time, show how scientific analysis of these objects, when combined with historical context, can provide clues to what may be America’s greatest historical mystery.

Roanoke Colonies Archaeology and History Week includes a week-long professional archaeological search for evidence of Sir Walter Raleigh’s colonies and Algonkian Indian habitation on Roanoke Island, with an interactive educational classroom without walls, and a public symposium focused on new discoveries. Two of the nation’s pre-eminent historical archaeologists, Dr. Eric Klingelhofer and Nicholas Luccketti, will direct and train selected Dare County high school students and adult volunteers in
field excavations.

The original play, “Shepherd of the Ocean” will be presented on Monday evening, October 10, by Elizabeth R & Company (www.elizabethr.org) at
Roanoke Island Festival Park and begins at 7 p.m. On Tuesday-Friday, noted archaeologists and historians will present free public programs on
the latest research on the Algonkian Indians of North Carolina, theories on the disappearance of Sir Walter Raleigh’s “Lost Colonists.” the settlement
of Roanoke Island after the disappearance of the “Lost Colony.” and the scientific search for the archaeological remains of the Roanoke colonies.
Programs will be presented at the Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo at 7 p/m.

For more information, see www.firstcolonyfoundation.org or www.obhistorycenter.ncdcr.gov or contact the park headquarters at
252-473-2111.

Few visitors to the Outer Banks realize that 150 years ago these same islands were Civil War battlefields. The barrier islands of the North Carolina coast and the adjacent Pamlico and Albemarle sounds were the gateway to the rest of the state. Whoever could control these barrier islands and sounds could control North Carolina.

Although early in the Civil War, the late August 1861 Battle of Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark, both Confederate forts near Hatteras Inlet, was a pivotal win for the Union. The Union attack signified many firsts in the war: the first combined Army and Navy operation, the first amphibious assault, and the first African American gun crew to fire on Confederates.

To commemorate the sesquicentennial of this battle, the Friends of  The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum Flags Over Hatteras Committee and the National Park Service will be hosting a living history Civil War encampment on the grounds of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, August 27 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, August 28, 2011. The encampment will feature Union and Confederate Civil War re-enactor regiments representing regiments that were involved in the Hatteras Inlet battle action in August 1861. The event is free and open to the public.

The encampment will be open daily for viewing and visitors are encouraged to walk through each camp to talk with re-enactors and view the various displays and exhibits being featured. Visitors will be able to see the type of equipment and personal belongings of the soldiers, a working field battery forge, medical equipment and surgery methods for treating the wounded, displays of civilian life and clothing of the period, and special exhibits on the Union Navy.

Demonstrations are scheduled as follows (schedule subject to change):

Saturday, August 27th:
9 a.m. Union and Confederate Company Formation and Inspection;
10 a.m. Naval Boarding Drill;
11 a.m. Confederate Infantry Drill;
12 p.m. Confederate Artillery Firing;
1 p.m. Union Bayonet Drill;
3 p.m. Confederate Musket Firing;
4 p.m. Confederate Artillery Firing;
5 p.m. Union Infantry Drill.

Sunday, August 28th:
9 a.m. Union and Confederate Company Formation and Inspection;
10 a.m. Naval Boarding Drill;
11 a.m. Confederate Musket and Artillery Firing;
1 p.m. Union Infantry Drill;
2 p.m. Grand Finale Musket and Artillery Firing.

In addition, there will be an 1860’s women’s fashion promenade at 2 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. Sunday.

National Park Service rangers will be on the grounds each day providing discussions about the 1861 Civil War Battle of Fort Hatteras and Fort
Clark.

Flags Over Hatteras Sesquicentennial Commemoration
This encampment is part of the larger “Flags Over Hatteras” Sesquicentennial Commemoration being held August 22-28, 2011. The larger
event includes a conference (registration required; go to http://flagsoverhatteras.com) which features a powerful cadre of keynote
speakers: authors James McPherson, Craig Symonds, and Ed Bearss. McPherson is known for his Pulitzer-winning book, Battle Cry of Freedom. As a former history professor of the U.S. Naval Academy, Symonds has published multiple works on Civil War naval battles. Bearss is a former National Park Service Chief Historian.

As part of the Flags Over Hatteras event, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras Village will be offering free programs and a new Civil
War exhibit called, “Flags Over Hatteras.” The exhibit will be open Aug. 22, 2011 – July 31, 2012, with special hours August 22-23 only of
Monday—Saturday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The exhibit will showcase items and documents from across the country that are related to eastern North Carolina activities and actions during 1861, with the primary focus being the Battle of Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark.

On Thursday, August 25 at 2 p.m., there will be a dedication of a Civil War Historic Marker at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in honor of ‘Hotel De Afrique’, the first safe haven for runaway slaves in the state, and alsoin honor of some of the first African Americans to fire against Confederate forces. After the Battle of Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark, news that Hatteras was controlled by Federal forces prompted many slaves to escape from the mainland and seek safe haven on Hatteras Island. Federal forces arranged for construction of ‘Hotel De Afrique’ to shelter the runaway slaves

There will also be a “Ole’ Time Civil War Auction,” on Saturday, August 27, at 5 p.m. at the Hatteras Village Civic Center. The public is invited to
participate, admission is free; see http://flagsoverhatteras.com for details.
More about the 1861 Civil War Battle of Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark:

In the 1860s Hatteras Inlet, between Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, was the most traveled and most vulnerable inlet on the Outer Banks. After North Carolina joined the Confederacy in 1861, soldiers and slaves constructed Forts Hatteras and Clark, at the southern end of Hatteras Island in an effort to control access into Pamlico Sound.

The taking of Hatteras Inlet was an early priority for Union forces. On August 28, 1861, seven Federal ships opened fire on Fort Clark. The great
Union ships with their long guns remained far out to sea, well beyond the range of the Confederates’ feeble artillery. By midday the poorly equipped Confederate troops at Fort Clark abandoned their stations and fled to Fort Hatteras. A small contingent of Union soldiers landed and took Fort Clark.

At dawn Union ships began bombardment of Fort Hatteras. After hours of intense shelling, the Confederate commander surrendered the fort and its 700 men.

The taking of Hatteras Inlet was a morale boost for the Union and marked its first victory in the war. This victory was so important that news was
quickly dispatched to the White House, where President Abraham Lincoln, roused from bed in the middle of the night to receive the news, danced a jig in his nightshirt.

With the breakthrough at Hatteras Inlet, the Union set its sights on Roanoke Island, seizing control of the island in February 1862. The fall of
Hatteras Inlet and Roanoke Island opened eastern North Carolina to Union control. By the summer of 1862, the port cities of Plymouth, Elizabeth City, New Bern, Washington, Edenton, Hertford, N.C., and Norfolk, Va., had all fallen to Union forces. The vital rail line carrying supplies from Wilmington—North Carolina’s only remaining Confederate port—was also vulnerable. With the huge success at Hatteras and Roanoke Islands, the Union stranglehold on the South was ever tightening.

Within two years of the Battle of Forts Hatteras and Clark, although the war was raging in places like Vicksburg and Gettysburg, the Outer Banks
became a quiet duty station for the Union troops. The clashes of war had moved elsewhere. Just like the waves of the ocean, the waves of war had
washed over the Outer Banks. In 1864 the Union decomissioned Fort Clark and moved the remaining soldiers to Fort Hatteras. By 1867 even they weregone.

Today little physical evidence remains of the forts and battle sites. Change is a constant on these shores, just as it is in the annals of
history. Natural processes have overcome these features from a short period of history on the Outer Banks.

Instead of bullets and bombardment, the only sounds heard today are the blowing wind, the calling of gulls and the pounding of surf, as nature has reclaimed the works of war.

The National Park Service Fort Raleigh National Site on Roanoke Island’s north end will offer free programs in celebration of the 424th anniversary of Virginia Dare, the first child of English parentage born in America.

Born to Ananias and Eleanor Dare on August 18, 1587, Virginia Dare was the first child born to English parents in the New World. Since 1937, her birthday has been remembered and celebrated annually on Roanoke Island. At this year’s Virginia Dare’s Birthday Celebration on August 18, activities will be taking place on the grounds at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and at the Elizabethan Gardens.

The National Park Service Fort Raleigh National Historic Site will offer free programs throughout the day.

10:30 a.m., Life in the Roanoke Tribe – a family activity program. Meet at the picnic area near the Visitor Center.

11:30 a.m., and 2 p.m., 1584-1590 Exploration and Colonization – a discussion on the mystery of England’s first attempt to colonize the New World. Meet at the Earthen Fort.

3 p.m., The Algonquians – a discussion of the culture of the Algonquian people who lived on Roanoke Island. Meet at the Earthen Fort.

In addition, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the staff of the Elizabethan Gardens and The Lost Colony will be offering a variety of activities taking place near or within the Elizabethan Gardens. These activities include children’s games and activities, storytelling, arts and crafts, balloons, and face painting. (Admission fees to the Gardens apply.) For more information check www.thelostcolony.org and www.elizabethangardens.org.

Kids are also invited to participate in the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Junior Ranger Program. By completing a booklet and attending programs, kids can earn a Junior Ranger badge! Junior Ranger booklets are
free and available at the Visitor Center.

The Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A 17-minute video about the Roanoke Voyages is shown every hour.