Wyse Fork Battlefield

 Camp Southwest
The Wyse Fork property owned by HPG consist of about 57 acres and lies next to the railroad tracks within the core area of the Wyse Fork Battlefield. The site has some of the most pristine earthworks in North Carolina.  It was the location of part of Camp Southwest and some of the fortification along Southwest Creek.  It is believed that after the capture of Union soldiers on the first day of the Battle of Wyse Fork,  the Union prisoners were brought to this location to be disarmed and sent by rail to Richmond for imprisonment.

 

Fifty-six acres of land which includes part of  defensive earthworks  are being preserved in their pristine condition thanks to the efforts of the Historical Preservation Group (HPG).  The 56 acres contains the area where the 15^th Connecticut was disarmed after the last mass capture of Union troops during the Civil War.

The Battle of Wyse Fork was the second largest land battle in North Carolina.  The approximately 56 acres of the Wyse Fork Civil War battlefield’s defensive line along Southwest Creek took place on September 22, 2004.

  The purchase of this property was made possible through a grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund from the National Park Service, with matching funds from the Center for Civil War Living History.  The Center for Civil War Living History was created to distribute $500,000 earned by reenactors who donated their time in the filming of “Gods and Generals.”  

The Lenoir County Battlefields Commission under the auspice of the Historical Preservation Group has appointed the Camp Southwest Committee to oversee the developing of the property.  The Lenoir County Battlefields Commission is working on a program to make the acquired Wyse Fork property accessible to the public for educational tours and living history programs. However, because of the sensitive and fragile nature of the property, the land is posted until it has been developed and deemed safe for the public to view.  Contact HPG diamondgp@suddenlink.net for private a tour. 

HPG continues to look for property on the Wyse Fork Battlefield that may be donated, purchased or easement place on property for further developing of the Battlefield Park. 

Accomplishments at Camp Southwest Site

-57 acres has been purchased by the Historical Preservation Group to be preserved forever as part of the Wyse Fork Civil War Battlefield
-Camp Southwest Sign
-Lenoir County Civil War Trails marker interpreting the Junior reserve role during the battle of Wyse Fork
-Much undergrowth has been cleared
-GPS reading have been done on various areas of the site
-Trail along side the earthworks
-Stone monument to Honor the Vause Family on there support in preserving the earth works for generations
-Interpretive marker on the North Carolina Junior Reserves
 

Futures Plans include:  Acquisition of property, Parking area, Trails with interpretation, Overlook for earthworks

Earthwork at Camp Southwest site

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See Vause Family Dedication for Preservation