North Carolina Minute

The United States Marine Corp

Note: While looking through some stories of the Civil War on the internet, I found this story about the United States Marine Corp. Brother it's a far cry from our proud marines today.

The United States Marine Corp (USMC) was not utilized to full advantage during the Civil War. Already weakened by the resignations of many of its best officers, the USMC's morale suffered further as a result of feuding between staff and line officers and senior officers who regarded themselves administrators rather than field commanders. Another blow to morale was the practice of appointing new junior officers by patronage.

In 1861 Congress authorized the United States Marine Corp to be enlarged to 93 officers and 3,034 enlisted men, and Abraham Lincoln increased that number by another thousand. However, recruiting was hindered by a lack of funds for bounties and longer terms of enlistment than for men in the volunteer army. By 1863, negative feelings toward the USMC resulted in a congressional resolution that would have transferred the corps to army control. The resolution was defeated, however, and when Marine Commandant-Col. John C. Harris died in1864; Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles retired several other senior officers and appointed Maj. Jacob Zeilin his successor.

Harris had governed the corps by carefully following all naval regulations and by staying clear of army operations, and Zeilin continued this policy. As a consequence, marines did not play a major role in expeditions and amphibious operations during the war. Both Harris and Zeilin failed to recognize the possibilities of amphibious assault, regarding such operations as a responsibility of the army. Some 400 marines did participate in the navy's unsuccessful landing operation against Fort Fisher (North Carolina), January 13 through 15, 1865; the army landing finally won the battle there.

When the war ended, the corps was at full strength. A total of 148 marines were killed in action, while 312 more died from other causes. Seventeen marines received the Medal of Honor for conspicuous bravery.

North Carolina in 1840

1. According to the 1840 census, North Carolina's population stood at 753,419. The census of 1840 also showed that one-third of all white adults could neither read nor write.

2. On January 20, 1840 North Carolina's first public school opened in Rockingham County.

3. March 7, 1840 was the date the last railroad spike was driven, completing the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. Upon completion it became the longest railroad track in the world with 161 1/2 miles of track. The railroad was originally to be the Wilmington - Raleigh Railroad, but the people of Raleigh was not willing to invest any money in the road.

4. The annual production of cotton in North Carolina for the year 1840 was 34,617 bales, with each bale weighing 500 pounds. Twenty years later (1860) North Carolina's production was 145,514 bales.

5. In the fall of 1840, a fire in Wilmington, which got out of control on the waterfront, destroyed 150 buildings.

6. The first newspaper in the state to devote a "sports page" to their newspaper was the "Raleigh Register" in 1840.

7. During the 1840 session of the North Carolina General Assembly, legislation was enacted; "to place a tax on billiard tables, gates, carriage wheels, slave traders and peddlers."

8. The two biggest events of 1840 was the completion of the State Capitol and the Raleigh-Gaston Railroad. A three-day celebration was held in honor of the two. Our state capitol took seven years to build at a cost of $536,000.

Hurricane Hazel

Our question today is: what has been North Carolina's worst natural disaster in history? Some will tell you that Hurricane Floyd would be number one. That surely was a great disaster with the flooding that it brought to our state. But for my money, I believe that Hurricane Hazel would be our worst.

Hurricane Hazel hit the coast of North Carolina on October 15, 1954 with winds over 100 miles an hour. The eye of the storm hit at Southport causing great destruction. It then moved through Long Beach where over 300 homes were destroyed; at Wrightsville Beach more that 89 buildings were leveled to the ground and many others damaged.

Carolina Beach reported winds in excess of 98 miles an hours, destroying 362 cottages and causing damage to 663 others. At Kure Beach 35 cottages were destroyed along with the Kure Beach Fishing pier and 42 structures received major damage. At Topsail Beach with only 231 structures on the beach, only 22 were left standing. It was impossible to count the number of boats, trailers and cars that were destroyed.

The storm passed through eastern North Carolina causing damage all along the way. Even Raleigh was in the path of the storm. Yes, I venture to say that Hurricane Hazel was our state's worst natural disaster.

The Yellow Rose of Texas

Anna McNeill was born and raised on a plantation "Oak Forest" in Bladen County, North Carolina. During her early years she fell in love with a young cadet at West Point Military Academy. It was a great disappointment for Anna to learn that the suitor had married another woman. After seven years of marriage, the army officer's wife died and he then turned to Anna for a renewed romance.

They were married when Anna was 27 years old. During this union, Anna gave him five sons. Her first son became a painter (artist) and made his mother famous the world over. Who was this Anna and what is her fame?

Anna McNeill was none other than Anna McNeill Whistler, mother of the famous artist James McNeill Whistler, who painted a portrait of his mother entitled "Arrangements on Gray and Black."

Today, this famous painting hangs in the Louvre, in Paris, France and is better known as "Whistler's Mother."

Thought for the day: A class reunion is a gathering where you come to the conclusion that most of the people your age are actually a lot older than you are.

J.C. Knowles is a traveling speaker, historian and antique expert. For more interesting North Carolina stories, visit www.heathero.com/ssg.