Durham’s History Regarding the Civil War

At the time of the Civil War, Stagville, located north of town of Durham, had grown into a sprawling plantation comprising of a large house for the Cameron family, housing for the slaves, farmland, mills, and barns for the livestock. The Camerons not only owned Stagville but also possessed property stretched over three counties which encompassed three other large plantations: Snow Hill, Brick House, and Fairntosh.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Paul Cameron was the wealthiest man in the state and clearly didn’t want slavery to be abolished. He along with other wealthy land owners voiced their strong opinions of support for the South to secede from the Union.

Charles R. Sanders wrote a book about Stagville called The Cameron Plantation in Central North Carolina (1776-1973) and Its Founder Richard Bennehan. This book takes the perspective that Paul Cameron along with his overseers were kind to the people who were enslaved. But after taking a tour of Stagville and reading documents written by some of the enslaved men and women, I believe this was not the truth. The enslaved people worked long hours, were physically abused and the women sexually abused on a regular basis. But as horrendous as the abuse was, the selling of family members was far worse. Once a family member was sold, typically their name was changed to ensure they would never be found. And in most cases, these individuals were never seen again.

Also, to encourage North Carolina’s secession from the Union, local units of men were formed, determined to fight with the Confederacy. Even though most of the people in and around Durham didn’t support these endeavors, their voices were silenced by the loud cries of those ready to go to war.

A month after the Confederacy fired on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, along with Abraham Lincoln’s call for troops to suppress the rebellion, the state of North Carolina took their first steps toward seceding. On May 20, 1861 a secession convention in Raleigh voted unanimously to leave the Union, making North Carolina the last state to join the Confederate States of America.

At the beginning of the war, there was a strong sense of patriotism that compelled many to volunteer. But as the Civil War waned and the number of casualties rose, the sense of enthusiasm that compelled many in and around Durham to enlist, diminished.

Over the four years of the Civil War, over 40,000 men from North Carolina lost their lives. There is no exact number of casualties from Durham, but from all accounts many of the men who left home, never returned. Along with the casualties, the families of the men who had left for war struggled to survive.

Confederate General Joseph Johnston witnessed first-hand the power of the Union as they burned Atlanta and marched east toward Savannah. On the other hand, Confederate President Andrew Johnson could not accept defeat. So, in frustration he replaced General Joseph Johnston with General John Bell. Johnston returned to Richmond. But, after seven months of continual retreats, President Johnson reinstated General Johnston to command Confederate forces in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. At this time, Johnston tried to gather the scattered Confederate troops and concentrate them in North Carolina. But as each city in the South was being destroyed, Johnston was becoming more certain the Confederacy needed to surrender.

In early 1865, many residents of Durham were coming to a full understanding of their dire situation. General William Sherman had conquered Savannah in December of 1864 and was headed north. General George Stoneman had marched his men through Western, North Carolina destroying everything in his path. In early April, he had made his way to Salisbury, North Carolina, only 100 miles away from Durham and burned the Confederate Prison to the ground.

As a personal side note: Only recently did I know that Snow Hill Farm was one of the plantations owned and operated by the Bennehan and Cameron families. Sometime in the 1930’s, my grandfather Richard Harvey Wright Jr. purchased the land and owned it until his death in 1980. I will never forget the many hours I spent exploring the 1200 acres of fields, and woodlands tucked up against the Little River in North Durham County.