Map of the Cape Fear River and the approaches to Wilmington

Map of the Cape Fear River and the approaches to Wilmington N.C. circa 1862

Date Uploaded: 06/14/2024

This map was drawn by R. F. Barnes from Confederate engineer surveys and reproduced by permission of Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels. It portrays the Confederate defenses and the area surrounding the Cape Fear River from its entrances to Wilmington. Shows highways, roads, railroads, landowners, dams, mills, forts and camps, cabins, obstructions in river south of Wilmington, stores, signal stations, lighthouses, and Wreck of the CSS Raleigh near New Inlet. The topography of the land is depicted, and bodies of water are shown and identified. The Union blockade is not depicted on this map, although it is depicted on many other maps produced at this time.

Text below title reads: "From C.S.A. Engineer Surveys."

Lower right corner reads: "R.F. Barnes, del."

Lower center margin reads: "By permission and through the courtesy of Hon. Josephus Daniels, the Secretary of the Navy."

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Public Domain

UNC Digital Collections

Barnes, R. F. Map of the Cape Fear River and the approaches to Wilmington, N.C. [map]. Scale not given. ca. 1862. UNC Digital Collections. Accessed February 20, 2026.

Public Domain

Public Domain is a copyright term that is often used when talking about copyright for creative works. Under U.S. copyright law, individual items that are in the public domain are items that are no longer protected by copyright law. This means that you do not need to request permission to re-use, re-publish or even change a copy of the item. Items enter the public domain under U.S. copyright law for a number of reasons: the original copyright may have expired; the item was created by the U.S. Federal Government or other governmental entity that views the things it creates as in the public domain; the work was never protected by copyright for some other reason related to how it was produced (for example, it was a speech that wasn't written down or recorded); or the work doesn't have enough originality to make it eligible for copyright protection.

Citation

Barnes, R. F. Map of the Cape Fear River and the approaches to Wilmington, N.C. [map]. Scale not given. ca. 1862. UNC Digital Collections. Accessed February 20, 2026.