FOOTNOTES IN HISTORY...

I've always been fascinated by Civil War History. Maybe it's the abundance of historic sites here in the Carolinas. I have fond childhood memories of visiting Bentonville Battlegrounds, Fort Fisher, and the remains of the ironclad CSS Neuse. There are some fascinating stories to be found locally- and many of them have to do with the weather.

We must remember that the atmosphere is always in motion, in times of peace and war. Have you ever stopped to consider the impact that a sudden tornado could have on a military engagement during the 1860's? Or perhaps a hurricane? A good example of the "sudden" nature of storms can be found in an event called the "Expedition Hurricane".

By November of 1861, a fleet of Union ships had embarked on a doomed expedition into Confederate waters. It was one of the largest naval movements under American command up to that time- and it met with disastrous results. An unexpected hurricane crossed the Outer Banks, sinking at least 2 of the ships. An unconfirmed number of ships were badly damaged, and fell prey to confederate forces near Cape Hatteras. The storm became famous because of it's impact on the expedition, hence the name.

Even in the decades that followed the Civil War, the unpredictable nature of hurricanes resulted in significant losses to American shipping and commerce. Near the turn of the century, President William McKinley would call for the formation of a hurricane forecasting branch of the National Weather Service, planting the seeds of the modern day National Hurricane Center.