On June 30, 1863, the 35th United States Colored Troops regiment officially mustered in New Bern. The organizing and recruitment of North Carolina’s African-American troops had already been underway for nine months. In July 1862, Congress issued a Second Confiscation and Militia Act. The act allowed President Abraham Lincoln to use as many African-Americans as […]
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On May 24, 1775, Josiah Martin, the last royal governor of North Carolina, fled Tryon Palace under cover of darkness. In 1774, delegates to North Carolina’s First Provincial Congress recommended that counties form committees of safety, a move to supplant royal authority. Fearing that the cannons on the palace grounds might be used in an
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On April 6, 1959, pioneering photographer Bayard Wootten died in New Bern. Born in New Bern in 1875, Wootten left the area to attend college in Greensboro and then teach. She returned to New Bern to help family members. Once back, she did design work to support her family, eventually creating Pepsi-Cola’s first trademarked logo.
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On March 14, 1862, the Battle of New Bern was fought. The Battle was the second of three major engagements in an expedition led by Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside. The first was the capture of Roanoke Island in early February. The next Union objective was to capture New Bern due to its strategic location. The
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