Please see the series on the Union Naval Blockade- 1861 as a reminder of Union Naval and Army activity along the coast of North and South Carolina in 1861. Union forces had established a beachhead at Hatteras Inlet in late August of 1861. The following month Major General George McClellan, now in command of the Army of the Potomac, began preparations for an amphibious assault along the coast of North Carolina to establish a base that would allow the destruction of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad an important supply line for Confederate forces in Virginia. He hoped this military action would force the Confederacy to send troops there from Virginia, further weakening General Joe Johnston’s army in Virginia in preparation for an attack by McClellan.
McClellan assigned his friend Brigadier General Ambrose Burnside to recruit a Coast Division of 15,000 men. Generals Benjamin Butler and Thomas Sherman were also recruiting in the northeast so it took Burnside several months to gather his force. Most of his men had little knowledge of ships or the sea. He would also need to obtain transports ships and gunboats to guard his flotilla. Annapolis, Maryland would be their rendezvous point. His force would be divided into three brigades under regular army officers. The 1st Brigade would be commanded by John G. Foster (23rd, 24th, 25th and the 27th MA, and 10th CT), the Second Brigade under Jesse Reno (21st MA, 51st NY, 51st PA, 9th NJ), and the 3rd Brigade led by John G. Parke (8th and 11th CT, 9th and 53rd NY, 4th and 5th RI Battallion). Artillery support would include Battery F, 1st RI Artillery (Captain James Belger) and the 1st NY Marine Artillery (Colonel William Howard). The 53rd NY was a behavioral problem and had to be sent back to Annapolis after the expedition began. This would be a joint operation with the Navy commanded by Rear Admiral Louis Goldsborough. It would involve 12,000 men and a fleet of 120 vessels.
The overall plan (see map above) was to first attack and secure Roanoke Island, and then seize New Bern on the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad. This would cut off Beaufort, NC and Fort Macon. With a base and port secured he would march overland to Goldsboro and destroy the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. On January 6th the ships began to load for the trip to Fort Monroe where they recoaled and took on more water. They left Hampton Roads, VA on the 11th. As soon as they rounded Cape Henry they hit a severe nor’easter which they battled from the 13th to the 15th. The storm prevented the ships from crossing the bar into Pamlico Sound and they were forced to remain anchored, where they were battered by the storm. The City of New York sunk with no loss of life. Two supply ships (Grapeshot and Pocahontas), a floating battery and the gunboat Zouave also sank. There were three deaths when a boat that contained a small group of men from the 9th NJ capsized. A second gale struck from January 22-24.
Burnside was joined off Hatteras by a flotilla commanded by Rear Admiral Louis Goldsborough of 19 gunboats with a total of 60 cannons. Stephen Rowan would be the tactical commander. It was not until February 1st that most of the ships had crossed the bar. Burnside left the 6th NH, 11th CT, 89th NY and his artillery battery at Hatteras and added the 9th NY from the garrison to Parke’s brigade. Ships that drew more than 7 and one half feet of water and, therefore, could not cross the bar were unloaded and sent back to Annapolis. In many cases ships had to be unloaded and reloaded just to cross the bar, which delayed the expedition another two weeks. The fleet would soon set sail for Roanoke Island. Roanoke Island was chosen as the first target for several reasons. If the Federals controlled Croatan Sound to the west of the island then they would control entry and exit from Albemarle Sound and all the rivers that emptied into it, an important area of supply for Confederate armies. In addition, they would also control traffic on the Dismal Swamp Canal the back door to Norfolk, Virginia.
Posts in the series will include:
The Battle of Roanoke Island- February 7-8, 1862
Roanoke Island- Other Civil War Sites
Naval Action at Elizabeth City- February 10, 1862
Elizabeth City- Other Civil War Sites
Elizabeth City- Museum of the Albemarle
The Burning of Winton- February 19, 1862
The Battle of New Bern- March 13, 1862
New Bern Battlefield Park- Part 1
New Bern Battlefield Park- Part 2
New Bern, NC- Other Civil War Sites
The New Bern Historical Society Museum
Washington, NC- March 20, 1862
The Battle of South Mills- April 19, 1862
The Siege of Fort Macon- From New Bern to Fort Macon
The Bombardment and Surrender of Fort Macon- April 25-26, 1862
Hoop Pole Creek Nature Preserve- Atlantic Beach, NC
Fort Macon- The Visitor Center
Fort Macon- Casemate Exhibits in the Fort’s Lower Level
Morehead City, NC and the Civil War
History Museum of Carteret County- Morehead City, NC
Sources
Burnside’s Invasion of North Carolina by Richard A. Sauers. Blue and Gray Magazine. Volume 5, Issue 5. May 1988.
Gunboats, Muskets, and Torpedoes. Coastal North Carolina 1861-1865.
The Civil War in North Carolina by John Barrett
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