Abstract “DASH AT THE ENEMY!”: THE USE OF MODERN NAVAL THEORY TO EXAMINE THE BATTLEFIELD AT ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA By Adam Kristopher Parker December 2015 Director: Dr. Nathan Richards DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY Immediately following the Union victory at Roanoke Island (7-8 February 1862), Federal naval forces advanced north to the Pasquotank River and the town of Elizabeth City, North Carolina where remnants of the Confederate “Mosquito Fleet” retreated. The resulting battle led to another Union victory and capture of the Dismal Swamp Canal, thereby cutting off a major supply route for the Confederate Navy from the naval yards at Norfolk, Virginia as well as destroying the Confederate fleet guarding northeastern North Carolina. The naval tactics used in the battle at Elizabeth City have been previously examined using the documentary record; however, little archaeological research has been undertaken to ground truth interpretations of the battle. The present study is an archaeological analysis of the battle using the same framework used by the American Battlefield Protection Program, a military terrain analysis called KOCOA. Since the KOCOA framework was developed as a means to analyze terrestrial battlefields based on modern military theory, questions arise as to whether a traditionally land-focused paradigm is the best way to analyze and understand naval engagements. Hence, the present study considers amending the KOCOA foundation by integrating modern naval theories used by the United States Navy into analysis of a naval battlefield. “DASH AT THE ENEMY!”: THE USE OF MODERN NAVAL THEORY TO EXAMINE THE BATTLEFIELD AT ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Department of History East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Maritime Studies By Adam Kristopher Parker © Copyright 2015 Adam Kristopher Parker “DASH AT THE ENEMY!”: THE USE OF MODERN NAVAL THEORY TO EXAMINE THE BATTLEFIELD AT ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA By Adam Kristopher Parker APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF THESIS: Nathan Richards, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: Jennifer McKinnon, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: Gerald J. Prokopowicz, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: Lawrence E. Babits, Ph.D. CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY: Christopher Oakley, Ph.D. DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: Paul J. Gemperline, Ph.D. Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my grandmothers, Gladys Kline and Doris Parker, and of course, my mother, Sally Parker. vi Acknowledgments Thanks for this thesis go, first and foremost, to Dr. Nathan Richards for guiding me along the way and teaching me how to be a better scholar and field researcher. None of this would be possible without his help. Further thanks go to my committee members for explaining theory and historiography details with me. Thanks also need to go to East Carolina University’s Water and Dive Safety Office and Mr. Mark Keusenkothen and their assistance in helping me get a boat to do field research and to UNC Coastal Studies Institute for allowing me to use their equipment. For assistance regarding any permit issues, thanks go to Mr. John Morris of the North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch and his patience in dealing with students. Further thanks go to Mr. Greg Stratton and Mr. Ryan Bradley for their assistance in the fieldwork. Finally, thanks go to Elizabeth City’s Mr. Bruce Long for assisting me with historical research when I first began this project. vii Table of Contents List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. ix List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................x Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 Elizabeth City Before the Civil War and as a Strategic Target ............................................3 Objectives ............................................................................................................................7 Research Questions ..............................................................................................................8 Thesis Structure ...................................................................................................................8 Chapter 2: A History and Theory of Battlefield Archaeology Introduction ........................................................................................................................10 Merits of Battlefield Archaeology .....................................................................................10 Battlefield Archaeology Theory and KOCOA ...................................................................13 Battlefield Archaeology and Naval Battles ........................................................................19 Historic Naval Theory ........................................................................................................23 Modern Naval Tactical Theory ..........................................................................................26 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................30 Chapter 3: The Historical Prelude to the Battle of Elizabeth City Introduction ........................................................................................................................33 Union and Confederate Forces at the Beginning of the Civil War ....................................33 State of the Union Navy .........................................................................................33 State of the Confederate Navy ...............................................................................37 Geography of Ports and Re-Coaling ......................................................................39 A Brief Account of the Battle of Hatteras Inlet..................................................................41 The Mosquito Fleet ............................................................................................................46 The Burnside Expedition and the Battle of Roanoke Island ..............................................50 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................55 Chapter 4: The Methodology for Examining the Naval Action at Elizabeth City Introduction ........................................................................................................................57 Historical Research ............................................................................................................57 GIS Model ..........................................................................................................................62 Digitizing the Historic Landscape .........................................................................63 Creation of Bathymetric Models ............................................................................69 Creation of Fleet Formations .................................................................................70 Fort Cobb ...............................................................................................................72 Drawing the Ships to Scale ....................................................................................74 Placement of the Naval Artillery ............................................................................74 Creation of the Fields of Fire .................................................................................76 Temporal Representation of the Battle ..................................................................79 viii Magnetometer Modeling ....................................................................................................80 Archaeological Survey .......................................................................................................83 Chapter 5: One of the Shortest and Most Brilliant Engagements of this Unfortunate Civil War”: The Battle of Elizabeth City and its Archaeological Evidence Introduction ........................................................................................................................87 Detailed Narrative of the Battle .........................................................................................87 Preparations for Battle ...........................................................................................87 The Day of Battle ...................................................................................................91 Archaeological Data.........................................................................................................103 Magnetometer Data ..............................................................................................103 Side Scan Sonar Data ...........................................................................................109 Combined Magnetometer and Side Scan Sonar Data .......................................... 114 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 119 Chapter 6: Analysis Introduction ......................................................................................................................120 The Battlefield Perimeter .................................................................................................120