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'Roanoke Island' is an island in Dare County near the coast of North Carolina, United States.
About eight miles (13 km) long and two miles (3 km) wide, Roanoke Island lies between the mainland and the barrier islands, with Albemarle Sound on its north, Roanoke Sound at the northern end, and Wanchese CDP at the southern end. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is on the island. There is a land area of 17.95 square miles (46.48 km²) and a population of 6,724 as of the 2000 census.
Located along U.S. Highway 64, a major highway from mainland North Carolina to the Outer Banks, Roanoke Island combines recreational and water features with historical sites and an outdoor theater to form one of the major tourist attractions of Dare County.
Roanoke Island is best known for its historical significance as the site of Sir Walter Raleigh's failed attempts to establish a permanent English settlement with his Roanoke Colony in the late 16th century. The fate of the final group of colonists has yet to be ascertained, leading to the continuing interest in what became known as the "Lost Colony" for over 400 years. In the 21st century, even as archaeologists, historians and scientists continue to work to resolve the mystery, visitors come to see the longest-running outdoor theater production in America: "The Lost Colony."

Contents

History

The Lost Colony

Story of the Lost Colony

Revolutionary War

Battle of Roanoke Island

External links

History

The Lost Colony

Roanoke Island was the site of the 16th century Roanoke Colony, the first English colony in the New World in what was then called Virginia, in honor of England's ruling monarch, Queen Elizabeth I. There were two major groups of settlers who attempted to establish a permanent settlement at Roanoke Island, and each failed.
The first attempt to establish the Roanoke Colony was run by Ralph Lane after Sir Richard Grenville, who had transported the colonists to Virginia, returned to England for supplies. Unfortunately for the colonists, who were desperately in need of supplies, Grenville's return was delayed. As a result, when Sir Francis Drake put in at Roanoke after attacking the Spanish colony of St. Augustine, the entire population of the colony returned with Drake to England.
In 1587, the English again attempted to settle Roanoke Island, led by John White. However, John White left the colony to return to England for supplies that he felt would help them to survive, expecting to return to Roanoke Island within 3 months. Instead, he found England at war with Spain, and all ships were confiscated for use of the war efforts. His return to Roanoke Island was delayed until 1590. When he finally returned, the colonists had disappeared. The only thing he found was the word "Croatoan" carved into a post of the fort and "Cro" carved into a nearby tree, telling about the Indians who lived close by. Their fate has never been authoritatively ascertained, and they became known as "The Lost Colony".

Story of the Lost Colony

The idea of settlement was given encouragement by the English queen, Queen Elizabeth. She had supported the settlement of the new world, and in 1584 the explorer, Sir Walter Raleigh, was given the job of organizing expeditions. These earliest explorers were told to make contact with the local native tribes and fortify Roanoke Island, a place judged to be sheltered and inaccessible to enemy ships. That time, Spain and England were on verge of war. The first settlers found the island swampy and inhospitable, and relations with the local tribes soon deteriorated. It seems the settlers mistakenly damaged their relationship with the neighboring tribes by kidnapping some of them in an effort to obtain information. Finally, in the summer of 1586, these original colonists, frightened and hungry, returned to England on some passing ships.
Just three weeks later, ships sent from England and loaded with supplies for the settlers arrived at Roanoke. When this supply expedition found the original colonists gone, the captain left a small force of fifteen men to hold the fort and left again for England.
About a year later a second group of colonists, over a hundred of men, women, and children arrived at Roanoke. But they found the holding force of fifteen men had been killed by an unfriendly neighboring tribe. Therefore some of these new colonists attacked the natives in retaliation. However, they ignorantly attacked the wrong group of natives, a tribe that until then had been on friendly terms with the settlers. As a result, that tribe refused to help the settlers. With the situation looking desperate, some of the colonists sailed back to England to get assistance, leaving about one hundred people behind. Unfortunately, their return voyage was delayed due to war between England and Spain.
The ships bringing supplies finally returned to Roanoke about three years later. The crew members found the fort completely abandoned. Not a trace of the one hundred people remained. Only one clue to their whereabouts was found. At the site of the fort, the word ''Croatoan'', the Native-American name for a nearby island and also the name of the friendliest tribe, had been scratched on an entrance post of the port. At another place on the island the party found the first three letters of this same word carved on a tree. Perhaps the carver had been interrupted and hadn't had time to finish writing.

Revolutionary War

During the Revolutionary War, Roanoke Island was forified with
fort that was commanded by Colonel/Commodore Henry Meachum/Meacham.
Col Henry Meachum

Battle of Roanoke Island

During the American Civil War, the island was first fortified by the Confederacy. The Battle of Roanoke Island (February 7–8, 1862) was an incident in the North Carolina Expedition of January to July 1862, when Brigadier General Ambrose E. Burnside landed an amphibious force and took Confederate forts on the island. Afterwards, the three Confederate forts on the island were renamed for the Union generals who had commanded the winning forces: Fort Huger became Fort Reno; Fort Blanchard became Fort Parke; and Fort Bartow became Fort Foster. This incident would eventually lead to the resignation of Confederate Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin . Roanoke Island remained under Union occupation for the duration of the war.
Slaves from the island and the mainland of North Carolina fled to the occupied area with hopes of gaining freedom. By 1863, a substantial number of these former slaves, known as "contrabands," were living on the fringe of the Union camp. They had built churches and opened what was most likely the first free school for blacks in North Carolina. Fearing that this freedmen's camp might lead to problems related to sanitation and soldiers' discipline, the Union Army established an official freedmen's colony on the island. In addition to its original residents, it was to serve as a refuge for the families of black soldiers who enlisted in the Union Army. The superintendent of the colony, Horace James, had great hopes for the colony, viewing it as a grand social experiment. Northern missionary teachers, mostly women, journeyed to the island to help with the experiment.

External links

★ Battle summary: Battle of Roanoke Island

★ Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony

★ Article in ''Atlanta Journal'' about Lumbee and Lost Colony

★ Roanoke Adventure Museum

★ Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

★ Roanoke the Accidental Colony

★ Lost Colony Blog