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WILMINGTON

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 691 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WILMINGTON , a See also:

city, a See also:port of entry and the See also:county-seat of New See also:Hanover county, See also:North Carolina, U.S.A., on the Cape Fear See also:river, about 30 M. from its mouth, to m. in See also:direct See also:line from the ocean, and about 145 M. S.S.E. of See also:Raleigh. Pop. (189o) 20,056; (1900) 20,976, of whom 10,407 were negroes and 467 were See also:foreign-See also:born; (1910 See also:census) 25,748. It is the largest city and the See also:chief seaport of the See also:state. Wilmington is served by the See also:Atlantic See also:Coast Line and the Seaboard See also:Air Line See also:railways, and by steamboat lines to New See also:York, See also:Philadelphia and See also:Baltimore and to ports on the Cape Fear and See also:Black See also:rivers, and is connected by an electric line with Wrightsville See also:Beach, a See also:pleasure resort 12 M. distant on the Atlantic Ocean. Below Wilmington the channel of the Cape Fear river is 20 ft. deep throughout and in some parts 22 and 24 ft. deep; the width of the channel is to be made 270 ft. under Federal projects on which, up to the 3oth of See also:June 19o9, there had been expended $4,344,029. Above Wilmington the Cape Fear river is navigable for boats See also:drawing 2 ft. for 115 M. to See also:Fayetteville. The city lies on an elevated See also:sand See also:ridge and extends along the river front for about 22 M. Among its prominent buildings are the See also:United States See also:Government See also:Building, the United States marine See also:hospital, the city and county hospital, the county See also:court See also:house, the city See also:hall (which houses the public library) and the masonic See also:temple. The city is the seat of Cape Fear See also:Academy (1872) for boys, of the Academy of the Incarnation (See also:Roman See also:Catholic) and of the See also:Gregory Normal School (for negroes). The city is the see of a See also:Protestant Episcopal See also:bishop.

Wilmington is chiefly a commercial city, and See also:

ships large quantities of See also:cotton, See also:lumber, See also:naval stores, See also:rice, See also:market-See also:garden produce and See also:turpentine; in 1909 the value of its exports was $23,310,070 and the value of its imports $1,282,724. The See also:total value of the factory product in 1905 was $3,155,458, of which $893,715 was the value of lumber and See also:timber products. A See also:settlement was established here in 173u and was named New See also:Liverpool; about 1732 the name was changed to New See also:Town; in 1739 the town was incorporated, was made the county-seat and was renamed, this See also:time in See also:honour of See also:Spencer See also:Compton, See also:Earl of Wilmington (c. 1673-1743). In 1760 it was incorporated as a See also:borough and in 1866 was chartered as a city. Some of Wilmington's citizens were among the first to offer armed resistance to the carrying out of the See also:Stamp See also:Act, compelling the stamp-See also:master to take an See also:oath that he would distribute no stamps. During rnost of 1781 the borough was occupied by the See also:British, and See also:Lord See also:Cornwallis had his ' headquarters here. Although blockaded by the See also:Union See also:fleet, Wilmington was during the See also:Civil See also:War the centre of an important intercourse between the Confederacy and foreign countries by means of See also:blockade runners, and was the last important port open to the Confederates. It was defended by Fort See also:Fisher, a heavy earthwork on the See also:peninsula between the ocean and Cape Fear river, manned by 1400 men under See also:Colonel See also:William See also:Lamb. A federal expedition of 150 vessels under See also:Admiral D. D. See also:Porter and See also:land forces (about 3000) under See also:General B.

F. See also:

Butler approached the fort on the loth of See also:December 1864; on the 24th the " See also:Louisiana," loaded with 215 tons of See also:powder, was exploded 400 yds. from the fort without doing any damage; on the 24th and 25th there was a terrific naval See also:bombardment, which General Butler decided had not sufficiently injured 'the fort to make an See also:assault by land possible; on the 13th and 14th of See also:January there was another bombardment, and on the 15th a combined naval and land attack, in which General A. H. See also:Terry, who had succeeded General Butler in command, stormed the fort with the help of the See also:marines and sailors, and took 2000 prisoners and 169 guns. The Union losses were 266 killed, 57 missing and 1o18 wounded. A See also:magazine See also:explosion on the See also:morning of the 16th killed about See also:loo men in each See also:army. The city was evacuated immediately afterwards.

End of Article: WILMINGTON

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