Under Three Flags: The Fort Johnston Story
Dram Tree Books' Young Reader's Series of North Carolina History consists of short (32-64 pages on average), very visual and colorful books about the history of North Carolina, aimed at youths between ages 8-18. The idea is to introduce youngsters to the four centuries of great stories we have in North Carolina in a way that is fun, entertaining, and true. As an added bonus, as many adults enjoy the books as kids because they are a great way to learn about our history without having to commit to a thick "regular" history book!
There is one place in North Carolina with a history of active service that stretches from our earliest colonial days right up through the War on Terror. Fort Johnston, named after one of North Carolina’s five royal governors, has guarded the Cape Fear since 1748. It has seen service in virtually every war America has fought for more than two and a half centuries, and witnessed everything from Spanish pirates to British redcoats, Confederate soldiers wearing butternut and gray, to modern soldiers supplying the munitions American soldiers need to defend our nation on battlefields across the world. The names of the men associated with Fort Johnston reads like a Who’s Who list of people who played important roles in the history of North Carolina and the nation: Josiah Martin, Major General Robert Howe, Col. James Moore, President James Monroe, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, Gen. Nelson Miles, Gen. Alfred H. Terry, Abner Doubleday - all have ties to this one-of-a-kind piece of North Carolina’s colorful past. This is Fort Johnston’s story, one that spans more than 250 years.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR...Jack E. Fryar, Jr. has authored or edited more than thirty volumes of North Carolina and Cape Fear history. His historical specialty is colonial North Carolina, particularly during the seventeenth century. Jack has served as a United States Marine, worked as a broadcaster, freelance magazine writer, sports announcer, and book designer. He holds a Masters degree in History and another Masters in Teaching, and taught history in Wilmington, N.C.