Carolina Beach in New Hanover County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Blockade Running

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, January 24, 2025

1. Blockade Running Marker

Inscription. In April 1861, President Abraham Lincoln ordered a naval blockade of the major southern ports from Virginia to Texas. This ambitious effort was intended to weaken the Confederate War effort by preventing cotton, the South's most important export, from reaching European buyers and keeping war materials and other manufactured goods from entering southern ports.

The region's two navigable inlets made Wilmington a center for the blockade-running trade. The inlets were separated by Cape Fear and Frying Pan Shoals, making it extremely difficult for Union vessels to effectively blockade the port. In addition, the Confederates maintained strong defenses to guard the inlets: Fort Caswell at the mouth of the river and Fort Fisher at New Inlet. By the end of the Civil War, Fort Fisher, with 46 large guns and a sea-face nearly a mile long was the largest fortification in the South.

New Inlet was the preferred channel for blockade runners entering and leaving the Cape Fear River. Ships, primarily British-built steamers, would arrive under the cover of darkness from ports in Bermuda and the Bahamas laden with war materials, manufactured

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goods, and luxury items. On their return, cotton was the main cargo bound for British textile mills. Although it has been estimated that over 500 successful runs were made through the blockade of Wilmington, blockade running was not without hazards. Throughout the South, some 136 blockade runners were captured and another 85 were destroyed. In the New Inlet vicinity, historical records indicate that at least 13 vessels including British, Confederate, and Union ships were lost during the Civil War.

(captions)
Crew of the Union gunboat Mendota on blockade duty.
Wreck of the blockade runner Modern Greece near Fort Fisher.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1861.

Location. 34° 1.626′ N, 77° 53.67′ W. Marker is in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, in New Hanover County. It can be reached from the intersection of Lake Drive and Carolina Beach Avenue South when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 701 Carolina Beach Ave S, Carolina Beach

Marker Gazebo Proximity to the Wreck image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, January 25, 2025

2. Marker Gazebo Proximity to the Wreck

The gazebo with the Blockade Running marker is circled in red beneath the red arrow. The remains of the blockade runner General Beauregard are just offshore - the prominent features are from her propulsion system, notably the axle for the sidewheels. This drone photo shows the location of the wreck compared to the gazebo and associated markers.

NC 28428, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Cape Fear Coast.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The General Beauregard (here, next to this marker); Shipwreck Site (here, next to this marker); Loughlin Cottage (approx. half a mile away); The Joy Lee Apartment Building and Annex (approx. ¾ mile away); Battlefield of Sugar Loaf (approx. 1.2 miles away); Joseph Ryder Lewis Jr. Civil War Park (approx. 1.2 miles away); We are strongly entrenched here... (approx. 1.3 miles away); To close the port of Wilmington... (approx. 1.3 miles

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away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Carolina Beach.

More about this marker. Marker is one of three mounted in a gazebo located along the Lake Public Beach Access boardwalk.

Regarding Blockade Running. A wrecked blockade runner, General Beauregard, is just offshore.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. These two other markers combine with this one within the gazebo to add context to the shipwreck off shore.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 129 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 20, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.