Smoke and Flames

— Burnside Expedition —

On March 13, 1862, Union Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside prepared to capture New Bern after seizing Roanoke Island in February. Confederate Gen. Lawrence O?B. Branch defended the city in a line of fortifications located several miles down the Neuse River, but by late in the morning of March 14, Burnside overwhelming force had breached the line. The Confederates retreated to Kinston. Eleven thousand Federal troops were about to descend on New Bern with a large fleet of United States Navy gunboats sailing up the river in support.



On the nearby banks of both the Trent and Neuse Rivers, the retreating Confederates set fire to warehouses filled with cotton bales, military supplies, and thousands of barrels of pine tar and turpentine. The Confederates also fired the railroad bridge across the Trent River to delay the approaching Union army. The serene beauty of today Union Point Park stands in sharp contrast to the scene here in 1862. Huge clouds of billowing black smoke and flames poured out of the wooden warehouses. A flank speed, the Federal gunboats charged upriver with their coal-fired steam engines spewing black smoke and their heavy guns blazing as they bombarded New Bern.



During the next 24 hours, stray soldiers, sailors, and a few residents looted and vandalized New Bern until Burnside troops restored order. Soon thereafter, New Bern was transformed into a fortified city and remained under Union control for the duration of the war.



(captions)

(lower left) "The Battle of New Bern." published by Currier & Ives - Courtesy of the Tryon Place Collection

(upper right) Gen. Lawrence Branch; Gen. Ambrose Burnside

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  New Bern, NC  |  Craven County  |  28560  |  North Carolina  |  United States of America

USRC Diligence
U.S.C.G.C. Pamlico
Baron Christoph von Graffenried
Samuel Cornell
Graham A. Barden
Christ Church
First Post Road
William Gaston
F. M. Simmons
Richard Dobbs Spaight

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.