BONUS EPISODE! | THE ENTIRE BURNSIDE NORTH CAROLINA EXPEDITION | EVERY BATTLE - Battles Of The American Civil War

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
The bloodiest war on American soil. States versus States, Brothers
versus brothers. Join hosts bang and dang as they take
you battle by battle through the most divisive time in
American history. Welcome to battles of the American Civil War.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
The opening phase of what came to be called the
Burnside Expedition, which is the Battle of Roanoke Island, which
was an amphibious operations. We've got a lot of amphibian
amphibious operations in the beginning here.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Which.

Speaker 4 (00:50):
The armored part, the armored part of the boats is
upperhand to the Union, but the quickness and moveability is
the Southern boats.

Speaker 5 (01:02):
So far, that's what we've seen. They can't maneuver.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
And plus Union's got a lot of boats and stuff
that are the rivers too shallow for them, so they
can't get their big ones in there.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
A lot of places. So it's true.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Battle Roanoke Island was fought on February seventh through the
eighth and the North Carolina Sounds, which is a short
distance south of the Virginia borders or just right there
on northeastern North. Northeastern North Carolina is dominated. Is this
first North Carolina North Carolinian.

Speaker 4 (01:33):
I haven't heard of that name yet. Uh, I forgot
about North Carolina, right.

Speaker 2 (01:37):
Northeastern North Carolina is dominated by its sounds, but large
shallow large but shallow bodies of brackish the salt water.

Speaker 5 (01:44):
Yeah, nasty, that.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Lie between the mainland on the outer Banks and the
outer Banks. Although they are all one body, intimately connected
and having a common water level, they're conceptually divided into
several distinct regions. The largest of these is the Pamlico Sound,
immediately behind Hatteras Island, which we've covered already, so I
guess we have had in North Carolina. To its north
is the second largest, called the Elbe lb Marlay Sound

(02:07):
Alba Marley Elba Marlay Sound, which extends almost to the southern.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
Border of Virginia. So some stuff going on here.

Speaker 5 (02:16):
By Virginia and North Carolina.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
North Carolina. Or for waterways, huh.

Speaker 4 (02:22):
The link it's between these two somewhat narrow, is further
constricted by Ronoke Island.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
Okay, So that's where we're at there.

Speaker 4 (02:29):
The portion of the waterway between Ronoke Island and the
mainland is no Croatonton Sound. Both the island and the
sound are about ten miles long. The sound at its
widest is a little more than four miles across. Dang,
it's about it's pretty minique. Actually, the island about half
half of that on the other side, and it had
two mile island. On the eastern side of the island

(02:50):
is Roanoke Sound, much narrower, shallower, and less important.

Speaker 5 (02:55):
Roanoke sounds like.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
And other they would have bet they would have been
classified as other or several or.

Speaker 4 (03:05):
They're classified as homeless vets, less important. Seven North Carolina
cities were cited on the sounds, among them New Bern,
which sometimes had to e at the end in the
mid nineteenth century. Also there were Beaufort, Edenton, and Elizabeth City,
which you guys will hear today.

Speaker 2 (03:26):
Oh I didn't even tell you guys, Yeah, Ron, Did
I tell you it was Elizabeth City too? I can't remember,
but yeah, Elizabeth City is or second one?

Speaker 3 (03:32):
Oh yeah, I did da Nah.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Others not lying directly on the sounds were accessible to
the rivers that emptied into them. As much as a
third of the state is in their watershed all right.
Through most of the first year of the Civil War,
the Confederate forces retained control of the sounds, so that
the coastwise waterborne commerce of the eastern part of the
state was unimpedied.

Speaker 5 (03:52):
Unimpeded.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
The sounds were linked to Norfolk, Virginia by the Albermarle
and Chess Peak Canal and the Dismal Swamp canal that
sounds dismal. The blockade of Norfolk could not be complete
so long as cargoes could reach the city through its
back door. The communications were not affected appreciably when Federal
forces captured the forts on the outer banks of Hatteras.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
Inlet, which we.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Had an episode on and go look at that in
August of eighteen sixty one. As a Union navy could
not bring its deep water vessels into the sounds through
the shallow inlets.

Speaker 5 (04:25):
Just like I was saying.

Speaker 4 (04:26):
Earlier, Just like I was saying too, Rono Island was
the key to control of the sounds. Yeah, if controlled
by the Union forces, they would have a base that
could be attacked only by amphibious operation which the rebels.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
Could not mount.

Speaker 4 (04:40):
We know that if the Union established naval superiority at
the sound, all points on the mainland shores would be
equally vulnerable to the saalt Okay. The Confederate defenders would
be forced into an impossible situation. They would either have
to give up some positions without a fight, or they
would have to spread their assets too thin to be

(05:00):
of any use.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
Either way, they're screwed.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
The defense of Roanoak Island started in an accidental manner.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
Oh it isn't that usually how great things start? Right?

Speaker 2 (05:09):
And when the Federal fleet appeared off or somebody was like,
hold my beer.

Speaker 3 (05:12):
You think they said that first?

Speaker 2 (05:15):
When the Federal fleet appeared off of hatters Inlet on
August twenty seventh, eighteen sixty one, the third Georgia Infantry
Regiment was hastley sent from Norfolk to help hold the
forts there, but the forts fell before they arrived, so
they were diverted to Roanoak Island.

Speaker 4 (05:27):
I was gonna say, hold my budwiser, but and then
happened to eighteen seventy six.

Speaker 3 (05:33):
Right.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
They remained there for the next three months, making somewhat
desultory efforts to expel the Union forces from Hatteras Island.
Litter was done to secure the position until early October.

Speaker 4 (05:43):
It's not our fault that we have problems, it's just
why would these type of words right, come on, you
know there's a better word for desulty.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
I'm gonna have to start going through every one of
these and ones that used the use the the the
layman's term for it. This is the layman's term. That's
that's that's term. That's a layman's term for idiots. Little
was done to the care of the position until early October.

Speaker 3 (06:08):
Idiots Guide to the Civil War. Yeah, I know, right,
Idiot's Guide to the Civil War. Oh we uh have
the Civil War for idiots? Do we? We say all
like the easiest words.

Speaker 2 (06:18):
And little was done to secure the position until early October,
when Brigadier General Hill was assigned to command the coastal
defenses of North Carolina in the vicinity of the Sounds.

Speaker 3 (06:34):
Right.

Speaker 4 (06:35):
Hill set his soldiers to putting up earthworks across the
center of the island, but he was called away to
service in Virginia before they were completed. Shortly after his departure,
his district was split into two. The southern part was
assigned to Brigadier General Lawrence ob Branch, while the northern
part was put in control of Henry A.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
Wise just a rim guy, whose.

Speaker 4 (06:56):
Command included Albemarle Sound and Roanoke Island, but not Familico
Sound and.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
Its cities, Okay, ain't their cities. It is also significant
to established that right.

Speaker 4 (07:08):
It is also significant that Branch reported to Brigadier General
Richard C.

Speaker 5 (07:12):
Gatlin, Oh Gatland.

Speaker 4 (07:13):
Who commanded the Department of North Carolina, while Wise was
under Major General Benjamin Huger, who was in charge of
the defenses of Norfolk.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
So that's probably you can't have that many.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
I wonder if they clashed them, like, oh, don't take
orders from you guys. Wise had been commander of the
so called Wise Legion, but his troops did not accompany him.

Speaker 5 (07:30):
Okay, why the legion was broke up.

Speaker 2 (07:32):
Although he was able to retain two of his old
regiments to forty six and fifty ninth Virginia. He also
had three regiments of North Carolina troops, the second eighth
and thirty fourth, the second eighth and thirty first, plus
three companies of the seventeenth North Carolina.

Speaker 5 (07:45):
The men from North Carolina were.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
Ill equipped and poorly clothed, often armed with nothing more
than their own shotguns.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
As a common theme for Confederate soldiers.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
All told, the number came to about fourteen hundred infantrymen,
but the number available for duty was smaller than that
because the living conditions put his men and he has
one fourth of the command on the cyclist.

Speaker 4 (08:03):
Jez, Yeah, that's ridiculous. Why would they even send these guys?

Speaker 5 (08:07):
Why are they not manufacturing guns.

Speaker 3 (08:09):
Because they can't. Why can't they They don't have any?
They have some New Orleans has shops and ship I
don't know steel plants or anything. New Orleans has something.

Speaker 4 (08:18):
They're buying their guns from the British and they're flintlocks,
probably true. Wis begged Richmond to send him some guns,
as had Hill before him, but the numbers that were
actually sent were inadequate. They were distributed into several nominal
forts facing Crotinton Sound. Were twelve guns in Fort Heager
at Weir's Point, the northwestern corner of the island, four

(08:40):
guns in Fort Blanchard about a mile to the southeast,
and nine guns at Fort Barlow at romantically named pork Point.

Speaker 3 (08:48):
Why is it romantically or.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Fort Bartow anyways? Yeah, Romantic Vina, because they're porking all right.

Speaker 4 (08:54):
I'm working at a Point Baby, about a quarter of
the way down the island. That's where Point Point was
across the sound at Redstone Point, opposite Fort Huger, two
oak canal barges had been pushed up onto the mud,
protected by sandbags and cotton bales, armed with seven guns
and named Fort Forrest.

Speaker 2 (09:10):
A look of them, Geez, what a rank tag Damn
this garbage thing there. These were all the guns that
would bear on the sound. The southern half of the island,
nearest pie Leco Sound, in the direction from which the
attack would come, was unprotected. Five other guns and not
face Crowton Sound, a battery of two guns on the
eastern side of the island protected against possible salt from
Roanoak Sound, and three others occupied in earthwork near the

(09:32):
geometric center of the island. Wise made one other contribution
to the defense. He found some pile drivers damn tombstones
of bitches, and was able to impede the sound before
between Forts Huger and Forest by a double row of
piles augmented by sunken hulks. So one side of the
island is completely unprotected, and of course that's.

Speaker 3 (09:52):
The side that gets assaulted, right idiots.

Speaker 4 (09:56):
Well, the barrier was still being worked on when the
attack came. The Confederate and he also made a contribution
to the defense. Good for them seven gunboats mounta an
toto of only eight guns.

Speaker 3 (10:05):
What's the sense she could have put all those on one boat?

Speaker 4 (10:09):
Jeez, They formed the Mosquito The Mosquito Fleet Officer William F.
Lynch Wise, for one, believe that their their net contribution
was negative. Not only were their guns taken from the
forts on the island, but so were their crew.

Speaker 2 (10:23):
Right, so they took the guns from the forts and
put them on these boats.

Speaker 3 (10:27):
Right right?

Speaker 4 (10:28):
He gave vent to this after the battle. Captain Lynch
was energetic, jealous, are zealous and active. But he gave
too much consequence, entirely to his fleet of gunboats, which
hindered transportation of piles, lumber, forage, supplies of all kinds,
and of most importantly to the troops, by taking away
the steam tugs and converting them into perfectly imbecile gunboats.

Speaker 5 (10:50):
Imbecil gun boats.

Speaker 4 (10:51):
He's oh pete Polly pocket right, yeah on this one.
But great great grandfather, despite wise his approval disapproval, the
Mosquito Fleet was part of the defense, and the Union
forces would have to.

Speaker 2 (11:02):
Deal with They have to deal with it, to deal
with it, A short time after Hatter's Island was captured
for the Union, Burnside began to promote the idea of
a coast division to be composed of fishermen, dock workers,
and other watermen from the Northeastern States and used to
attack coastal areas. The reason that such men were already
familiar with ships, and therefore it could be easy to
train for amphibious operations. Probably, Burnside was a close friend

(11:23):
of General in Chief George B. McClellan, so he got
a respectful hearing. Although Burnside had initially intended to operate
in Chesapeake Bay and the hands of McClellan and the
War Department, his ideas were soon transformed into a planned
assault on the North Carolina interior coast, beginning with you
guessed that Roanoke Island island dang. An unspoken reason for

(11:45):
the change of target was a mistaken belief that pro
Union sentiment was being suppressed in North Carolina. An invasion
would allow them to express their true lords.

Speaker 3 (11:54):
So I mean, I guess.

Speaker 4 (11:56):
When it was fleshed out, the invasion North Carolina came
to be known as the Burnside Exhibition. As we said,
as recruiting progressed. Burnside organized the Coast Division into three brigades,
led by three friends from his military academy days.

Speaker 3 (12:09):
Hey, Bud, you got a job for you, oh.

Speaker 4 (12:11):
Brigadier General John G. Foster led the first brigade. Brigadier
General Jesse L. Reno led the second. Brigadier General John G.

Speaker 3 (12:18):
Park had the third len for him.

Speaker 4 (12:21):
In early January, nearly thirteen thousand men were ready to
fight like we're ready, boys.

Speaker 2 (12:28):
Thirteen thousand of us, all of us. Although the Union
Navy would provide most of the gunnery that would be
needed to suppress the rebel batteries, Bernstein decided to have
some gunboats under army control. This immediately led to some
interference between the two services.

Speaker 3 (12:42):
Of course, the.

Speaker 2 (12:43):
Navy had no vessels sturdy enough to go to sea
and at the same time draw little enough water to
be able to pass through the shadow inlet right thought
to be about only eight feet.

Speaker 5 (12:52):
Wow, that's not at all right.

Speaker 2 (12:55):
They therefore had to buy suitable merchant ships for conversion
at the very time that Inside and his agents also
dickering their ships. Because the sailors are more experienced, they
were able to get most of the more suitable ships rightly.

Speaker 3 (13:08):
Right, clearly they know what they're looking for, right.

Speaker 4 (13:11):
Yeah, that's that the Union had that advantage because the
Union Atlantic coasts from Virginia on up, actually from Maryland
on up.

Speaker 3 (13:20):
Those guys are like fishermen crabs.

Speaker 2 (13:23):
That and they had the ability to just go out
and buy ships right to convert.

Speaker 4 (13:28):
And the southerns usually they're just farmers man. Right, there
were no not a lot of fishermen unless you go
down to Florida.

Speaker 3 (13:34):
Or something like that, right or right on the coast
of the Carolinas. Right.

Speaker 4 (13:39):
The Army was left with the mixed bag of rickety
ships that were barely sea worthy. By the time the
expedition got on the way. The Navy had twenty gunboats
talk about the Union right well, and the Coast Division
had nine. The armada was supplemented by several canal boats
converted into floating batteries, mounting boat howartzers, and protected by
sandbags and bells of hey oh all told, the exhibition

(14:01):
carried one hundred and eight pieces of ordnance. Good for
them a lot, well, Burnside questioned.

Speaker 3 (14:07):
The hate hate and the cotton stacks right a.

Speaker 2 (14:12):
Bills and the well easy to set on fire. But
I mean, bullets aren't gonna go through a big ass
stack of hay.

Speaker 3 (14:18):
That's true.

Speaker 2 (14:19):
And how many of those are going to remember the
one battle we had, and.

Speaker 3 (14:23):
How many soldiers canna have flaming arrows?

Speaker 2 (14:25):
Well, the one battle, remember we they soaked the bales
of hay and water, and then to prevent them from
uh doing hot shots at them and stuff like that.
They were hiding, but they were rolling them while they
were moving up behind them.

Speaker 3 (14:40):
So yeah, that gives you a lot of weight on
that boat. Though, that's true. That's norm why they weren't movable.

Speaker 5 (14:47):
It's only eight feet of water.

Speaker 2 (14:48):
Cheese well, Burnside's agents for purchasing the gunboats. They were
also buying at least in other vessels to be used
as transports. The soldiers and transports for the expedition assembled
at Annapolis. They started leaving on jan fifth, eighteen sixty two,
and on January ninth, they began to get underway with
orders of rendezvous at Fort Monroe, near the entrance to
Chesapeake Bay. There they met the naval contingent, and on

(15:09):
January eleventh they set sail. Until this time, only Burnside
and his immediate staff knew their ultimate destination.

Speaker 3 (15:14):
Of course, that's how it should be. Right.

Speaker 2 (15:16):
Once at sea, the captain of each ship opened as
sealed orders and learn that a ship would proceed to
the vicinity of Cape Hatteras.

Speaker 3 (15:22):
Oh around the move, boys, on the new things.

Speaker 4 (15:27):
Let's take a look at the Union Army in this
little battle. Coast Division Brigadier General Ambrose E. Burnside. He
led that his first brigade was the tenth Connecticut, twenty
third Massachusetts, twenty fourth, twenty fifth, and twenty seventh Massachusetts.
Second brigade, led by Brigadier General Jesse L. Reno, had
the twenty first Massachusetts, ninth New Jersey, fifty first New York,

(15:47):
fifty first Pennsylvania. Third brigade was Brigadier General Park eighth Connecticut,
eleventh Connecticut, ninth New York, fourth Rhode Island, and the
fifth Rhode Island. Unassigned units first New York Marine Artillery,
ninety ninth New York, which was a coast guard, nice army, gunboats,

(16:08):
picket vedet, who's our lancer, Ranger, chessure, chest sewer, Pioneer,
and Centennial Sentinel.

Speaker 2 (16:18):
Yeah, yeah, we got the Union Navy over here called
it was a North Atlantic Blockaden Squadron under flag Officer
Louis M.

Speaker 3 (16:27):
Goldsborough with the USS Philadelphia the USS Southfield. Yeah, but
the Philadelphia could was not fit for engagement.

Speaker 2 (16:34):
So squadron flagship, though being unfit for the purpose, took
no part in the engagement. But it was still the
flagship USS Southfield, commanded by c FW. Bame, USS Delaware
Lieutenant SP. Quackenbush got that one. USS stars and striped
and popular Quackenbush.

Speaker 5 (16:53):
My science teacher in ninth grade was mister Quackenbush.

Speaker 2 (16:58):
USS stars and stripes. Lieutenant Reid warden Is captaining that
one or commanding that one. USS Louisiana, led by Lieutenant A.
Murray USS Hedzel, Lieutenant H. K. Davenport, USS underwriter Lieutenant W. N. Jeffers,
USS Commodore Perry, Lieutenant C. W. Flusser, USS Valley City,
USS Commodore Barney, USS Hunchback and the USS Morse good

(17:22):
for those, plus the USS Whitehead plus the USS John L.
Lockwood plus the USS Henry Brinker plus the USS Isaac
N seymour seymour plus USS series more USS General Putnam
plus the USS Shawshing and the USS Granite. Holy shit,
they got a lot of stuff going on wow.

Speaker 3 (17:46):
Season.

Speaker 4 (17:47):
Confederate Army was the district of Roanoke. Brigadier Brigadier General
Henry Wise. He was not president in the battle because.

Speaker 3 (17:53):
He was cityhand to the sniffles.

Speaker 4 (17:55):
Right, so Colonel Henry M. Shaw was second in command.
He had the second North Carolina, eighth North Carolina, seventeenth Carolina, Carolina,
thirty first Carolina, forty sixth Virginia in fifty ninth Virginia.
The Virginia regiments were part of the Wise Legion. Mosquito Fleet.
Flag Officer William F. Lynch commanded that all these fleets,

(18:16):
which was the CSSCA Bird, which was the flagship CSS Curlew,
was sunk, CSS LS, CSS Beaufort, CSS Rally, CSS Fanny,
CSS Fours, css A Potomacs, pot Appomattox, Pomattox not the
Battle of Ronou Island. It wasn't at the Battle of
Rono Island. But this is the ships that he commanded

(18:38):
CSS Black Warrior.

Speaker 3 (18:39):
It was a shoooner, though a schooner right.

Speaker 5 (18:45):
For many of the Federal soldiers, the boys. The heteras
Inlet was.

Speaker 2 (18:47):
The worst part of the battle, earned its reputation the
weather in the vicinity of the Cape Hatteras turned foul,
causing many of them to.

Speaker 5 (18:54):
Become seasick, and an act of bravado.

Speaker 2 (18:56):
Burnside left his comfortable quarters aboard the transport George Peabody,
and with his staff went aboard the army gunboat Picket.

Speaker 3 (19:02):
Poor guy.

Speaker 2 (19:03):
He chose this vessel because they considered her to be
the least sea worth they shipped in his command, and
by showing his troops that he was willing to share
their misery, he earned their devotion.

Speaker 3 (19:11):
Yeah, we'll good for him.

Speaker 5 (19:12):
He was like, a right, I'm gonna go on here
and we'll see what this is all about.

Speaker 3 (19:15):
Boys. Oh shit, this is a mistake. This sucks.

Speaker 4 (19:20):
When the storm struck, he began to doubt the wisdom
of his move, but Picket survived and got him safely
to his destination.

Speaker 3 (19:27):
Pickets the boat.

Speaker 4 (19:28):
Three vessels in Narmada were uh, not so lucky though
the City of New York, laden with ordinance and supplies,
The Pocahontas, carrying horses, an army gunboat Zoave were all lost.
Although all persons aboard were rescued, The only personal loss
were two officers of the ninth New Jersey who were

(19:50):
drowned when their surfboat overturned following a visit to the flagship.

Speaker 3 (19:55):
Oh geez, they're just going to visit in their little
boat and they drowned. How can you be in the
navy you don't know how to swim?

Speaker 5 (20:03):
Well, this is the Army, all right, Army, This is
the army boat.

Speaker 3 (20:06):
And we would the army have a gunboat.

Speaker 5 (20:08):
Because do we just discuss that he wanted his own gunboat?

Speaker 3 (20:12):
Oh?

Speaker 5 (20:13):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (20:14):
The entry into Pamblinco Sylend through headters Inlet was time consuming.
The swash, thought to be eight feet deep, was found
the hard way to be only six feet Oh jeez.

Speaker 5 (20:22):
Saw how much so those ran out ground? Jesus.

Speaker 2 (20:25):
Some of the Union Army ships drew too much to
get across and had to be kedged in before being
lightened right or after being lightened. Others were too deep
even to be kedged in. The men or materials they
carried had to be brought ashore on Headera's Island and
the ship sent back. Bark, Bark John, dude, he's flying

(20:47):
right into my mind. Bark John. Trucks never made it
at all. She could not get close enough to the
Hatter's Island, even for the men aboard to be taken
off all right. She returned to Annapolis with the majority
of the regiment, which was the fifty third New York
A detachment of the man was active in the Battle
of Roanoke Island. Not until February fourth was the fleet
as ready as it ever would be and assembled in
Pamlico Sound ever ready for battle now.

Speaker 3 (21:09):
Boys, oh Man.

Speaker 4 (21:10):
While the nordn fleet was struggling over the bar, the
Confederates were strangely inert. No reinforcements were sent to the island.
For that matter, any other possible targets in the region.

Speaker 2 (21:19):
IDEs like they don't see all these guys, comment, it's
got how many guys? I got?

Speaker 5 (21:23):
Thirteen thousand men?

Speaker 3 (21:24):
Ridiculous the number of entryment.

Speaker 4 (21:26):
The number of infantry men on the island remained at
about fourteen hundred os with eight hundred and reserve at Nagshead.
The major change was negative. Sure February first, Wise came
down with what was called pleurisy, with high fever and
spitting up blood, threatening pneumonia. Oh He was confined to
bed at Nag's Heead and remained hospitalized until the eighth

(21:48):
of February, after the battle was over conveniently, although he
continued to issue orders, effective command on Roanoke Island fell
like we said earlier Hm. H. M.

Speaker 3 (21:59):
Shaw of the eighth North Carolina in Tree.

Speaker 5 (22:03):
Yes, Sarah. The fleet got underway early in the morning after.

Speaker 2 (22:06):
They had assembled in the sound, which was fevery fifth,
and by nightfall they were near the southern end of
Roanoak Island where they anchored. Rain and strong winds prevented
movements the next day, and the major activity was goldsborough
shift of his flag from USS Philadelphia to Southfield. Uh
oh why February seventh, the weather moderated and the Navy
gunboats got into position. They first fired a few shells

(22:28):
Inland and Ashby Harbor and intended land the intended landing place
and determined that the defenders had no batteries there.

Speaker 5 (22:34):
They were like, all right.

Speaker 2 (22:35):
We're going right up on here on an Ashby Harbor.
We're about to take this fucking island. They moved up
the crow Ten Sound, where they were divided. Some were
ordered to fire on the four at pork Point uh
which is Fort Barlow bartow Well. Others were to concentrate
their fire on the seventh vessel, the Mosquito fleet Okay,
that's the southerns At about noon, bombardment began. The weakness

(22:58):
of the Confederate position was revealed. At this time only
four of the guns that Fort Bartow would bear on
the Union gunboats Forts Huger and Blanchard could not contribute
at all.

Speaker 5 (23:09):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (23:11):
Fort Forrest, on the other side of the sound was
rendered completely useless when gunboats SSS. Curlew hold out the
waterline ran ashore directly in front and her effort to
avoid sinking and in doing so massed the guns for their.

Speaker 3 (23:25):
Own boat idiots. Losses were light on both sides despite
the intensity of the fight. Losses were light and soword wits.

Speaker 2 (23:32):
Several of the Union ships were hit, but none suffered
severe damage. This was true for the Confederates also aside
from Curlew, but the remaining Mosquito Fleet had to retire
simply because they ran out of ammo oh jeez. The
Army Transports A companied by its gunboats had in the meantime,
arrived at Ashby Harbor, near the midpoint of the island.
At fifteen hundred hours. Burnside ordered the landings to begin
and at sixteen hundred hours the troops were reaching shore.

(23:54):
Oh oh, right, we got the land stuff going on now.
A two hundred man strong Confederate force commanded by Colonel
John V. Jordan was the thirty first North Carolina in
position to oppose. The landing was discovered and fired on
by the gunboats. The defenders fled without any attempt to
return fire. There was no further opposition. Almost all the

(24:15):
ten thousand men present were ashore by midnight. With the
infantry went six launches with boat howartzers commanded by a
young midshipman, Benjamin H.

Speaker 5 (24:23):
Porter.

Speaker 4 (24:24):
The unisoldiers pushed inland a short distance and then went
into camp for the night.

Speaker 3 (24:28):
All right, well, we're down here for tonight. Ten thousand, ten.

Speaker 5 (24:32):
Thousand of the sun. Bitches, dude.

Speaker 2 (24:34):
The Federal soldiers moved out promptly on the morning of
February eighth, advanced north on the.

Speaker 5 (24:38):
Only road on the island.

Speaker 2 (24:40):
Leading was First Brigades twenty fifth Massachusetts, with midshipmen porters
howartzers immediately following. They were soon halted when they struck
the Confederate readout and some four hundred infantry blocking their path.
Another thousand Confederates were in the reserve about two hundred
and fifty yards to the rear. Front was so constricted
that Colonel Shaw could deploy only a quarter of his men.
Wow The defensive line ended in what were deemed impenetrable

(25:03):
swamps on both sides, so Shaw did not protect his flanks.

Speaker 4 (25:06):
Right right, The leading elements of the first brigade spread
out to match their opponent's configuration, and for two hours
the combatants fired at each other through blinding clouds of smoke.
The tenth Connecticut relieved the exhausted, but not badly bloodied
twenty fifth Massachusetts, but they could two not advance. No

(25:27):
progress was made until the second brigade arrived and his commander,
Brigadier General Jesse Reno, and ordered them to penetrate the
impenetrable swamp on the Union left. Brigadier General John Foster
then ordered two of the reserve regiments to do the
same on the rights.

Speaker 2 (25:41):
All right, so they're going to the swamp now. About
this time, Brigadier General John G. Park came up with
the third brigade, and it was immediately sent to assist.
Although they were not coordinated. The two flancoln movements emerged
from the swamp at nearly the same time.

Speaker 5 (25:53):
Good for them.

Speaker 2 (25:54):
Reno ordered his twenty first Massachusetts, fifty first New York,
and ninth New Jersey to attack as they were. You're
not the Confederates. A twenty third Massachusetts from the first
brigade appeared on the other end of the line. Oh Jesus,
defensive line begin to crack. Noting this, Foster ordered his
remaining forces to attack. Damn right under assault from three sides.
The Confederates broken, They're gone.

Speaker 4 (26:15):
That's a good call. Go through the swamp there and
there's no fallback. Defenses had been set up, and he
was be reffed of artillery. Colonel Shaw surrendered to Foster
better of included in a included in the capital capitolation,
where not only the fourteen hund infantry that he commanded directly,
but also the guns in the forts. Two additional regiments
of second North Carolina Carolina and forty sixth Virginia have

(26:37):
been sent as reinforcements.

Speaker 3 (26:39):
They arrived too late to take any part in the battle,
but not too late surrender.

Speaker 5 (26:45):
They came all that way just to surrender. What oh, okay,
here you go.

Speaker 4 (26:51):
Wow, Wow, altogether, some twenty five men became prisoners of.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
Imagine them walking up to the site and they see
their men are already surrendered to ten thousand other Union forces.

Speaker 3 (27:04):
Dude, and they're like shit, too late to run now,
all right?

Speaker 4 (27:07):
Aside from the men who went into captivity, casualties rather
light for the Civil War standards. They say the Federal
forces lost thirty seven killed, two hundred fourteen wounded, and
thirteen men missing.

Speaker 3 (27:17):
The Confederates.

Speaker 4 (27:18):
The Confederates lost twenty three killed, fifty eight wounding, and
sixty two missing.

Speaker 5 (27:21):
I mean Confederates always killed more right.

Speaker 3 (27:24):
They don't have the structure to have.

Speaker 5 (27:26):
The men as well.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
Royanold Island remained in Union control for the rest of
the war. Immediately after the Battle of the Federal gunboats
passed the now silent Confederate forts into Albemarle Sound and
destroyed what was left to the Mosquito fleet at the
Battle of Elizabeth City, coming up in about three seconds
Burnside on the Burnside used island as staging ground for
later assaults on New Burn and Fort Macon, resulting in

(27:49):
their capture. Several minor expeditions took other towns on the sounds.
The Burnside expedition ended only in July when it's leader
was called to Virginia to take part in the Richmond Campaign,
which doesn't end well for them.

Speaker 4 (28:02):
After Burnside left, North Carolina ceased to be an active
center of the war.

Speaker 5 (28:05):
I'm sure it did.

Speaker 4 (28:06):
The only one or two exceptions. No notable military action
took place until the last days of the conflict, when
the Second Battle of Fort Fisher closed Wilmington, the last.

Speaker 3 (28:17):
Open port in the Confederacy. Well.

Speaker 4 (28:20):
The army classified the slaves on Roanoak Island as contraband,
and by late eighteen sixty two, hundreds of more escaped
slaves and had joined them. While Foster was commander of
the Department of North Carolina in eighteen sixty three, appointed
Horace James, a congregational chaplain, as superintendent of Negro affairs
for the North Carolina District. Encourage them to support the

(28:40):
former slaves and becoming educated, growing their own food and white.

Speaker 5 (28:44):
Yeah good for them.

Speaker 3 (28:45):
Worked out for money.

Speaker 2 (28:47):
Based in New Bern, James supervised the Trent River contraband
camp there, but decided to make Roanoke Island a self
sustaining colony. The Freedmen's colony of Roanoak Island was an
important model that lasted four years. Not four years, but
four years like the number four. They had a sawmill,
established fisheries, and by eighteen sixty four I had twenty

(29:07):
two hundred residents.

Speaker 3 (29:08):
Good for them.

Speaker 2 (29:09):
It was overcrowded when residents reaches thirty nine hundred at
its peak, in part because poor soil on a island
limited productivity of agriculture.

Speaker 5 (29:17):
Many of its people.

Speaker 2 (29:18):
Yeah, I mean, I can't imagine and do too much stuff.
You sur found an island surrounded by swamps. Many of
its people work for the army for wages, and more
than one hundred and fifty men enlisted in the United.

Speaker 3 (29:28):
States Colored Troops.

Speaker 2 (29:29):
Missionary teachers recruited by the American Missionary Association taught reading
and writing to both children and adults, and it was
an important step towards citizenship for the freedmen.

Speaker 4 (29:39):
Right, what you can do, man, you got a it's
like a people, it's like the I agree completely, it's
like that program for the people that had been in
prison for like twenty thirty years.

Speaker 5 (29:51):
Reform.

Speaker 3 (29:52):
Got to reform your ass right.

Speaker 4 (30:03):
Battle of Elizabeth City, Here we go, guys. It was
fought in the immediate aftermath of the battle Ronou Island.
It took place on February tenth, eighteen sixty two, on
the pasqual Tank River near Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Flag
officer Lynch for the South took his fleet to Elizabeth
City to resupply and repair forest.

Speaker 5 (30:20):
They ran away from Roanoke Island.

Speaker 3 (30:22):
Was like, we need them repair.

Speaker 4 (30:24):
Failing to find ammunition to replenish his magazines, he sent
Commander Thomas T. Hunter, former captain of the CSS Curlew
to Norfolk. He later sent CSS Rally up to Dismal
Swamp Canal for the same purpose. Hunter returned with enough
to resupply only two ships, Lynch divided among all his
remaining severer Bowl ships, while Rayleigh, however.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
Was not able to return in time.

Speaker 5 (30:44):
Oh sucks to be him. No further changes of the
status affected the Mosquito fleet.

Speaker 2 (30:49):
On the heave of the battle, Lynch had at his
disposal six ships in the water, each with only enough
shot in potter to be able to fire ten times.

Speaker 3 (30:56):
Oh jeez, so that's sixty shots. That's it. That's sad.

Speaker 2 (30:59):
His flash seabird, carrying two guns, was converted was a
converted sidewheel steamer.

Speaker 5 (31:05):
Yeah, we'll see how well those were.

Speaker 2 (31:07):
Three of his other vessels were the former tugs the
Appomatox and Ellis, each with two guns, and Beaufort with
only one. The Fanny, however, had two guns and had
been a transport vessel used by the US Army until
she was captured by the Confederates near Cape Hatteraz. The
last vessel, which was the CSS Black Warrior, a schooner
that had been pressed into service only four days before

(31:29):
the battle, and that was armed with two.

Speaker 5 (31:31):
Thirty two pound guns.

Speaker 3 (31:32):
Hey.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
In addition to the eleven guns of his fleet, Lynch
counted on the four guns of the Cobbs Point battery
for support.

Speaker 5 (31:38):
You ain't not looking too good, Lynch.

Speaker 3 (31:40):
Four guns better than none, I'd guess, with only ten shots.

Speaker 4 (31:42):
The surrender of Roanoke Island and eighth February included all
the rebel forts that had faced on Crowton.

Speaker 3 (31:47):
Island said dead or sound.

Speaker 4 (31:49):
So they would no longer be able to prevent passes
of Union ships from pamlinko it sound fuck now. Flag
Officer Goldsborough therefore ordered his gun boats to pursue them.
Ascuito fleet destroy at which we know that although none
of his vessels had been seriously hit in the bombardment
of the preceding day, I mean we don't.

Speaker 3 (32:05):
Know that because some are damaged and destroyed the fleet.

Speaker 4 (32:07):
Yet some are damaged enough that he decided not to
include them in his order. Fourteen ships remained, however, and
they carried a total of thirty seven guns.

Speaker 3 (32:16):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (32:16):
Goldsborough himself did not a company to pursue. Instead, he
was Instead, he sent Commander Stephen Rowan.

Speaker 5 (32:23):
He was like in his steed.

Speaker 3 (32:25):
He's like Commander Rowan. Tick care of this for me,
Get out of air for me, right, take care of
this for me.

Speaker 2 (32:29):
Well, those fourteen vessels, like their Confederate counterparts, converted from
civilian vessels in the first days of the war. Rowan's
flagship Delaware, hat So, Isaac N. Seymour, John L. Lockwood's
Series and General Putnam had all been sidewheel steamers before
being acquired by the Navy. The Shaw Sheen was also
a side wheel steamer, and, like two of our opponents,
was a former tug. Two other side wheel vessels, Commodore,

(32:52):
Perry and Morse, had been ferries.

Speaker 5 (32:54):
They made in five ships.

Speaker 2 (32:56):
The Louisiana underwriter Valley City White Ed and Henry Brinker
were steamers.

Speaker 3 (33:01):
We got all types of different shit going on here, right.

Speaker 4 (33:03):
If Captain Lynch had known that the Federal fleet faced
the short as of ammunition very much like his own,
he perhaps would have altered his tactic.

Speaker 3 (33:09):
But he didn't know.

Speaker 5 (33:10):
How could you know?

Speaker 4 (33:11):
Although the outcome would likely have been the same as
it was, Rowan ordered the captains in his fleet to
conserve their ammo. They were told to use ramming and
boarding so far as was possible to disable or capture
the enemy ships. Night to February, Rowan's gunboats passed the
now silent guns a crowten sound and cross albumar sound.
Darkness fell as they approached Elizabeth City, so they anchored

(33:34):
for the right boys.

Speaker 5 (33:35):
We're gonna anchor right hair through the night.

Speaker 2 (33:37):
Normally we'd be passing through here getting shot at by
all sorts of guns.

Speaker 5 (33:41):
Not no more.

Speaker 3 (33:43):
Well.

Speaker 2 (33:44):
Lynch used this time that the Union flotilla was anchored
to arrange his own ships for the coming battle.

Speaker 3 (33:48):
He knew it already. We're going to brace up, boys.

Speaker 2 (33:51):
He decided to base his position on the battery of
four guns at Cobbs Point smart place in schooners hess
black Wire opposite the point, and his five remaining steamships
in line across the river a short distance upstream. He
took this position because he expected the Union to try
to reduce the battery before proceeding, as they had done
three days previously in the opening phase of the Battle
of Roanoke Island. His final instructions to his captains included

(34:14):
the order not to let the ships fall into enemy hands.
If all else failed, they should try to escape or
else destroy the vessels.

Speaker 3 (34:21):
Oh.

Speaker 2 (34:22):
I don't think they want your little rag taggy vessels anyways. Guys,
maybe they do, right, they probably act. They probably do
because the Confederates are the ones that could operate on
shallow waters.

Speaker 3 (34:33):
Right.

Speaker 4 (34:34):
Dawn tenth February, Lynch made his first visit to the
Cobbs Point battery to coordinate its defense with the fleet.
He found it manned by only seven militiamen and a
single civilian.

Speaker 5 (34:45):
Oh jeez.

Speaker 4 (34:47):
Because the battery was the strong point of the planned defense,
he was constrained to order Lieutenant Commander William Harwar Parker,
captain of the CSS Beaufort, to come ashore with most
of his crewd de man the guns right now, one
of his ships are gone.

Speaker 3 (35:01):
Fine.

Speaker 4 (35:02):
He left only enough on the ship to take her
up to the canal. Wow, with additional men, only three
of the four guns could be manned. When battle was joined,
the militia men promptly deserted. She is, yeah, they're militia, man,
They're not even part of the army, right, I know.

Speaker 5 (35:17):
I'm sorry, guys. You guys are about to get smoked.

Speaker 3 (35:19):
I'm not having no part of that, which left two
of the guns could only be used against the enemy.

Speaker 2 (35:24):
Oh dude, the battery turned out to be irrelevant, though,
because his ammunition was low and his mission was destroyed.

Speaker 3 (35:30):
The rebel fleet row in order to ships to bypass
the battery. Right right, Parker and his men.

Speaker 2 (35:35):
Right, So this dude took all of his guys off
the ship to go do the battery, and now they
don't have a ship to protect against or to fight
against these guys. Parker and his men got off a
few wild shots that did no harm, but they found
their guns would not bear once the federal fleet was upstream.

Speaker 3 (35:50):
Right.

Speaker 5 (35:50):
They therefore could only.

Speaker 2 (35:51):
Watch as their ships were destroyed by oh geez, by
the attacking Federal fleet.

Speaker 3 (35:56):
Oh geez man.

Speaker 2 (35:57):
First of the Confederate fleet to be lost was this
When her black wire she was fired on by the
entire attacking force as they passed the cops Point battery,
so her crew abandoned her and set her a fire.

Speaker 3 (36:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (36:08):
Likewise, Fanny was run ashore and burned. A boarding party
from Series captured CSSLIS in hand to hand combat. Her
captain would have blown up Els, but a coal heaver
discovered the charges and revealed them to the boarding party.

Speaker 3 (36:20):
Yeah, he was like, yeah, they're gonna blow this ship.

Speaker 4 (36:24):
CSS C Bird attempted to escape, but was run down
and sunk by Commodore Perry. CSS Beaufort and Epomattics made
good their escape into the dismal swamp.

Speaker 5 (36:35):
They're like bye there.

Speaker 4 (36:37):
Epomatics was found to be too oh no, oh, it's
going to be two inches wide to pass through a lock,
so she was burned. CSS Forests on the stocks to
repair the damaged screw she had sustained On the eighth
February was burned along with the unnamed an uncompleted gunboat.
The CSS rally was still at Norfolk, so she was
not armed. She and Beaufort were the only vessels in

(36:59):
the Mosquity Fleet escaped either capture or destruction.

Speaker 2 (37:02):
Well, casuer flees were modest for this one. The attack
and Federal fleet lost two men killed and seven wounded,
while the rebels lost and all four killed, six wounded,
and thirty four captured.

Speaker 3 (37:14):
That's not bad though.

Speaker 2 (37:16):
Quarter Gunner John Davis was awarded the Congressional Medal of
Honor for his actions on board the Valley City during
the engagement. Guy rim Right Mederal Honor coues that be
the first one of the war so far.

Speaker 5 (37:26):
I don't know. They just implemented it not too long ago.

Speaker 4 (37:29):
Right when they learned the destruction of the fleet in
the surrender of Cobb's Point Battery, Confederate troops retreating from
Roanoke Island set fires in Elizabeth City, acting on orders
from Brigadier General Henry.

Speaker 3 (37:40):
Weiss, to destroy the t other residents they don't care about.

Speaker 4 (37:45):
Two blocks had been consumed when sailors from the Union
flotilla arrived and were able to save the rest said
for them. The Albermarle, the Albmarrow and Chesapeake Canal was
blocked near the entrance at the North River. The retreating
rebels started the obstruction. It was completed by the victorious
Hunther forces acting under the orders of flag officers.

Speaker 2 (38:04):
So now they're blocking, you ain't getting back in Confederates.
The town of Edenton was taken without bloodshed on the
twelfth February by four of Commander Cohen's gunboats. Two schooners
were captured, another destroyed, and eight cannon were seized. More generally,
there was no longer Confederate presidence on the Albumaro sound.
It remained so for the rest of the war. For
most of the rest of the war, the only significant

(38:25):
challenge of the Union dominance was the short lived experiments
of the css Albemarle in the summer of eighteen sixty four,
which we'll get to I'm sure.

Speaker 5 (38:32):
Although Norfolk was not attacked and May.

Speaker 3 (38:35):
The city was abandoned.

Speaker 5 (38:36):
So all of Norfolk, Virginia gone. Do they can't get
no more supplies up there?

Speaker 3 (38:41):
Wow, that's a blow.

Speaker 2 (38:44):
That is major, I would say, major, major, major blow.
Battle New Bern, also known as Battle of Newbern with
an E, that was fought March fourteenth, eighteen sixty two,

(39:06):
near the city of New Bern, North Carolina, as part
of the Burnside expedition, there's a lot of burns field Burn.

Speaker 3 (39:13):
Newburn lies on the.

Speaker 2 (39:14):
Left, which is the southwest bank of the Noose River,
about thirty seven miles above its exit into Pamlico Sound.
The river's broad in this vicinity and deep enough that
vessels that can navigate the Sound can also ply the
river nice. In the colonial era, the town was quite
important as a seaport, but since been taken over by
the time of the Civil War from Moorhead City and Beaufort,

(39:36):
which had largely supplanted it as in Portie.

Speaker 4 (39:40):
Nevertheless, new Burn was still a significant military target, as
the railroad that connected the coast with the interior passed
through the city, which was the.

Speaker 3 (39:48):
Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad.

Speaker 4 (39:51):
A short distance further up, at Goldsborough, the line crossed
to Wilmington. Wilmington and Weldon Railroad noted for keeping the
Confederate Army of North and Virginia supplied throughout the wall.

Speaker 3 (40:02):
Okay, gotta have them supplies.

Speaker 4 (40:04):
Thus, if new Burn were to fall into Federal hands,
an important link in the supply chain of that army
would be severely broken. The land in this part North
Carolina is low, rather flat, sometimes Vedi Vadi Mashe.

Speaker 3 (40:19):
Especially in eighteen sixty two.

Speaker 2 (40:20):
The side of land was mostly covered with open pine forests,
although in places it was broken into low hills with
deciduous forests separated by ravines.

Speaker 3 (40:29):
It's got a little bit of everything.

Speaker 2 (40:31):
It was crossed by many creeks, as sometimes rise to
the status of small rivers. I'm a small river, I'm
a river. One of these is the Trent River separates
new Burn from the land to its south. Slightly smaller
Slocum's Creek enter sixteen miles farther down the noose. There
was to be the land in sight for the attacking
federal forces. The entire action, aside from the takeover of

(40:52):
the city, was combined to the land confined to the
land between these two streams.

Speaker 3 (40:57):
The railroad ran on.

Speaker 2 (40:58):
A system of burms, an occasional about a mile inland
from the river.

Speaker 4 (41:02):
That's a rough train over in that part of the
old can camp. Anybody's from this area of the country,
they know it entered the city on the bridge over
the Trent River. A county road passed over the same land,
also connecting new Burn with Moorhead City and Beaufort in
the vicinity of the battle. It lay between railroad and
the river, but it crossed the railroad about a mile
and a half north of what.

Speaker 3 (41:22):
Would be the battlefield.

Speaker 4 (41:24):
Okay, and it's ulf a little picture there, what's going on.
The road continued to be northwest, crossing the Trent on
a drawbridge about four miles west of the city, and
the manner of the time the road was unpaved. As
the soldiers of the Union learn to their sorrow.

Speaker 3 (41:39):
Well they would too.

Speaker 4 (41:40):
How many paved streets were there in eighteen probably eighteen nothing,
eighteen sixty something, I bet you all the eastern coast
big cities, Boston.

Speaker 3 (41:48):
Yeah, because there were bricks all right, little.

Speaker 2 (41:53):
Horses clacking on them throughout the city.

Speaker 3 (42:01):
I don't know if that's how coorting a red dead
redemption too.

Speaker 2 (42:06):
The importance of New Burn was no more obvious to
Burnside than it was the Confederate authorities in Richmond, but
they did little to secure it. Although more than a
month past after Ronald Island fell, before Burnside can mount
an attack on the city, the local command received no reinforcements.
They were like, we know, you guys are probably next,
but we're not.

Speaker 5 (42:22):
Gonna do anything to help you right, one of.

Speaker 3 (42:24):
The General Branches.

Speaker 2 (42:25):
A one of General Branch's aides estimated that the lines
would need at least sixty one hundred men to hold them,
but he had only about four thousand at his disposal,
a number often reduced by sickness.

Speaker 3 (42:35):
Right.

Speaker 5 (42:36):
Furthermore, many of the men poorly were poorly armed militiamen.

Speaker 3 (42:40):
I didn't give a shit either way.

Speaker 5 (42:41):
Those are the ones that are desserting the first chance
they get too.

Speaker 3 (42:44):
And that's a common theme. Poorly armed.

Speaker 2 (42:48):
I don't know you can put any word after that,
you want poorly anything. The disparity between necessity and reality
persuaded Branch to draw his lines in abandoning some of
the strong breastworks erected by his predecessor.

Speaker 3 (43:00):
Shale could have left them strand it out like that.
At least you have something.

Speaker 5 (43:02):
He could have left him exactly how they were right.

Speaker 3 (43:04):
He would have had something there. Well.

Speaker 5 (43:06):
This principal defense would be the line based on Fort Thompson.

Speaker 4 (43:09):
Well, that Fort Thompson line that had been set up
by General Hill extended only from the river to the railroad.
They ended on the right in a brickyard that would
figure prominently in the fighting makes sense because the land
far to the right was fairly firm and would allow
his position to be flanked. General Branch decided to extend
the line beyond the railroad and end it in a swamp.

Speaker 5 (43:28):
Yeah, you ain't gonna go through the swamp.

Speaker 4 (43:30):
I wouldn't want to. This just about double the length
of the defensive line. He made a major blunder and
laying out the line. However, in haste to complete the
extension and face with an exasperating shorts of labor, he
decided to use a small creek as a natural part
of the line, which he shouldn't have.

Speaker 3 (43:46):
They're never gonna walk the small creek. It.

Speaker 4 (43:49):
It'll be just like the marsh right now, they're gonna
walk through the creek.

Speaker 3 (43:54):
That swamp.

Speaker 4 (43:56):
You don't want that swampy. Yeah, this creaking secret railroad
at a point about some one hundred.

Speaker 3 (44:02):
And fifty yards or so up from the brickyard.

Speaker 4 (44:04):
The line of breastworks therefore had a dog leg in
its center, so it was even worse a little blind spot.

Speaker 2 (44:10):
Right. There's Opete guy over on the Union side.

Speaker 3 (44:15):
We got Ambrose burnside and Stephen c.

Speaker 2 (44:17):
Rowan over there commanding things of the Coast Division and
North Atlantic Blockade and Squadron, thirteen infantry regiments, about eleven
thousand soldiers with fourteen gunboats on their side, ridiculous mean,
while on the other side we got Lawrence Obi Branch.
She's got the first first Division, Department of North Carolina
with six infantry regiments, about four thousand people.

Speaker 4 (44:37):
Not even the Calvary right, not even more than halfbury
injured or sick.

Speaker 2 (44:42):
The soldiers of the Coast Division clambered into their transport
at Roanoke Island on March eleventh, and got underway early
the next morning, accompanied by fourteen Navy gunboats and one
gunboat of their own.

Speaker 3 (44:53):
One of the navy.

Speaker 2 (44:54):
Vessels was detached to guard the mouth of the Panlico River,
where it was incorrectly rumored that rebels were preparing two
ships to cut off transports that might become separated from
Navy protection rumors. The main force traverse Pamlico Sound, entered
the News River and anchored near the mouth of Slocum's
Creek at dusk.

Speaker 3 (45:11):
Jesu pe, We're ready right.

Speaker 4 (45:13):
The fleet that traveled up the News River was full
of infantry who left their ships and set up south
of Confederate soldiers at Fort Thompson. These Confederate soldiers consisted
of four thousand men who were behind temporary defenses. Branch
was aware of their presence immediately ordered his forces to
take up defensive positions. He sent Colonel James Sinclair's thirty
fifth North Carolina Infantry to the landing out of creek

(45:36):
in front of the Croton Work with instructions to oppose
enemy landings at that site.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
I would hope so.

Speaker 2 (45:42):
Colonel zebielon Vance's twenty sixth North Carolina was ordered into
the Crowton Work. Other unit guards, other units guarded the
river upstream, and reserves were assembled at the intersection of
the railroad and Beaufort Road. All units were instructed that
they were forced from their positions, they should fall back
onto Fort Thompson line.

Speaker 4 (45:58):
All units were instructed too uh reply right right.

Speaker 3 (46:03):
And on reply.

Speaker 5 (46:04):
March thirteenth, Federal troops began to disembark.

Speaker 2 (46:07):
Oh small rabbit Rabbitbbit, a small rebel unit trying to
contest the landing, was quickly driven away by fire from
the gunboats. As Colonel Sinclair interpreted interpreters orders to defend
against the landing at Otter Creek narrowly.

Speaker 4 (46:20):
Burnside. Spent the morning getting many equipment ashore. With the infantry.
Came six boat howartzers and two Army houartzers.

Speaker 3 (46:27):
From the Navy. Well six right six were from the
Navy and two from the Army.

Speaker 4 (46:31):
Because of the weather, he decided to land his other
artically closer to enemy lines, but dense fog soon closed
in he could not communicate with his fleet. His remaining
guns were not landed. A little afternoon, the Union soldiers
began to move toward the Confederate lines, and at about
the same time the rains became.

Speaker 3 (46:51):
Let the rains begin. The road was soon turned into
a mud. Little little mud bugget into to little mug.

Speaker 4 (47:02):
And the mere act of walking and cuired great exertion.
But it did well, especially with these guys. The gunners
with the howitzers a company and the infantry soon were
exhausted trying to move their pieces. So our regiment of infantry,
which was the fifty first Pennsylvania redetailed to help them.

Speaker 3 (47:17):
Many of those foot.

Speaker 2 (47:18):
Soldiers long remembered this as the hardest part of the battle.
As the soldiers made their slow progress, the gun boats
kept a short distance ahead, shelling places where rebels might
be waiting.

Speaker 3 (47:28):
Colonel R. P.

Speaker 2 (47:29):
Campbell and command of the Confederate right wing interpreted the
naval gunfires preliminary to another landing that would take the
croat and.

Speaker 3 (47:36):
Work and reverse. So we ordered a general pullback to
the Fort Thompson line. Good brim right.

Speaker 2 (47:43):
So all I'm here now is the Confederates are misinterpreting everything.

Speaker 3 (47:48):
When the Federal army came upon.

Speaker 4 (47:52):
When the Federal Army came upon the first Confederate pressworks,
they found them abandoned.

Speaker 3 (47:56):
Like hey, people are supposed to be here. What happened?
They're not there.

Speaker 4 (47:59):
B Division soon resumed its march, leaving the croat and work.
First first brigade moved on the right, which was Foster's brigade,
following the country road, while the second county right, while
the second brigade followed the railroad on the left with
his Renos brigade. The third brigade followed after the first.
So that's parks Park's gonna follow Foster and Reno's gonna

(48:21):
go off to the Louis. They continue until they came
into contact with the enemy pickets about a mile and
a half away from Fort Thompson daylight haven't been exhausted.
Burnside ordered at haul I had the brigades rest down
for the night.

Speaker 3 (48:35):
Right, and he.

Speaker 4 (48:36):
Says, I want you guys to stop where you're at
in order of the march.

Speaker 3 (48:40):
Guys, yep out here right now.

Speaker 5 (48:41):
You guys stay in order, and UH pick it up
in the morning.

Speaker 4 (48:44):
You stayed to the left, you stayed to the right. Anybuddy,
you stay behind and you stay back there. And I
want to nobody intertwining with to anybody. You stay where
you're at, buddy. The howitzers did not arrive, though until
three a m.

Speaker 5 (48:59):
Dude was covered by a dense fog.

Speaker 2 (49:01):
On the morning of March fourteenth, Burnside ordered his forces
to form and advance on the rebel works. Yankees did
not have complete information concerning their opponent's disposition at this time.
So far as they knew, the Confederate line extended only
from the river to the Brickyard, and keeping with this belief,
Burnside ordered the first brigade to engage the enemy left,
while the second brigade would try to turn their right
at the Brickyard. The eight howitzers were deployed across the

(49:24):
county road Okay, he still got the one in reserve.
The army also got some dubious support from the gunbones
on the commander Stephen c. Rowan, who shelled the rebel positions,
although they were hidden by intervening for us, it doesn't matter.

Speaker 3 (49:36):
They're throwing in when anything had happened.

Speaker 4 (49:39):
This gun fire greatly disturbed the North Carolinians, but it
was inaccurate enough that Burnside eventually asked Cohen to change direction.

Speaker 3 (49:46):
He's like, all right, get a little crazy there.

Speaker 4 (49:48):
But meanwhile, anyway, right, Meanwhile, on the other side, General
Branch had put his regiments into the line from his
left at Fort Thompson to the brickyard on his right,
where the twenty seventh, thirty seventh, seventh, thirty fifth North
Carolina regiments.

Speaker 3 (50:00):
His reserve was a thirty third.

Speaker 5 (50:02):
All right, so they're there, and you need to change
out some regiments outmanned.

Speaker 3 (50:07):
Oh hell yeah.

Speaker 2 (50:08):
The right flank of the thirty fifth was anchored in
a brickyard. Obviously, that was a brickyard.

Speaker 3 (50:13):
Kiln that was loophilled loop hold for artillery.

Speaker 2 (50:16):
The entire line beyond the railroad was occupied by a
single regiment, which was twenty sixth North Carolina plus a
few companies of Calvary. The gap in this line created
by the dog leg at the railroad was covered only
by his weakest unit, which was the militia battalion that
only had two weeks of training.

Speaker 3 (50:31):
And we're only armed with shotguns and hunting rifles.

Speaker 4 (50:33):
I'll take the Honey RCOs rifles, the honey rifles shotguns to.

Speaker 5 (50:38):
Give the medicinal support.

Speaker 2 (50:39):
He ordered up a two gun battery of twenty four
pounders to the kiln, but they were not mounted when
they came under attack. He's not gonna do no good
if he ain't mounted.

Speaker 4 (50:46):
They're hoping these guys, the little battalion there, the little militia,
would just at least hold them.

Speaker 3 (50:51):
Off for a second. It didn't work out. Stupid, right,
That was dumb.

Speaker 4 (50:55):
The first brigade of the Union Army opposed them from
the river to the railroad. Right to left the units
where the fed twenty four to twenty seven to twenty
third Massachusetts, tenth Connecticut. The Beaufort Road ran through the
center of this line, and here General Foster replaced the
howitzers that had been dragged along on the Federal left.
General Reino still unaware of the extension of the enemy

(51:15):
lines beyond the railroad or to day part of the
twenty first Massachusetts to charge the brick Kiln. Well the night,
New Jersey and the fifty first New York would engage
the enemy and support First Pennsylvania was held in reserve.
The chilge was successful at first, but they didn't found
themselves on a five from the whole line.

Speaker 3 (51:34):
I'm forced to pull back.

Speaker 2 (51:35):
Right now, and there's more people here, and they extend
over the brickyard right well Burnside at this time ordered
his reserve the third Brigade into the line as the
fort Reno Second mart The Fourth Road Island replaced the
twenty first Massachusetts, which had used up its ammunition while
trading places.

Speaker 3 (51:50):
Colonel Isaac P.

Speaker 2 (51:51):
Rodman of the Fourth Road Island was told by Lieutenant
Colonel William S. Clark of the twenty first Massachusetts that
he thought that another attack on the brick Kilne would
be successful.

Speaker 3 (51:59):
It would be Rodman sent.

Speaker 2 (52:00):
A carrier courier to General Park, informed him that he
was taking responsibility, then formed his regiment and ordered them
to charge.

Speaker 3 (52:08):
It's good ship right there. Mmmm. It's like we need
to keep on rolling here.

Speaker 5 (52:12):
We gotta hit him. To hit him once, right, we
got keep going at him, and we.

Speaker 4 (52:15):
Know we got more than them earned with better knowledge
of the enemy.

Speaker 3 (52:19):
This charge was successful.

Speaker 4 (52:21):
The fourth Rhode Island captured nine brass field pieces found
themselves in the rear of the rebel entrenchments. So at
this point the Confederate line broke. The rupture started then
when the inexperienced militia men fled and exposed the units
on both of their flanks.

Speaker 3 (52:38):
That's crazy. That's like a uh.

Speaker 4 (52:40):
That's like your right tackle not doing his job, or
your right guard left tackle.

Speaker 3 (52:45):
It's like the interior of the line just leaving and
all you got is your guards.

Speaker 1 (52:50):
Jeezus, oh pete wow.

Speaker 4 (52:52):
Branch ordered his reserves to plug the gap, but they
did not arrive in time. They never do, never do.
As the line was rolled up on both wings, each
regimental commander in succession pulled his unit back to escape
being slaughtered.

Speaker 3 (53:04):
They was about to get slaughtered. The General Branch order
to retreat, which soon became a route. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (53:09):
The fleeting North Carolinians dashed across the bridge over the
Trent River into New Bern, then burned the bridge so.

Speaker 3 (53:16):
So freaking fast that some of their dudes were left
behind and they would.

Speaker 2 (53:20):
Capture sorry guys, and they invent them from coming over
the bridge.

Speaker 3 (53:23):
Right.

Speaker 4 (53:23):
They also burned a fire raft in the river, which
soon drifted across to the railroad bridge and destroyed that.

Speaker 2 (53:29):
Okay, oh, geez, no railroad either. They're kind of hurting
themselves there.

Speaker 3 (53:33):
Though.

Speaker 2 (53:34):
While the battle was in progress, Commander Rowan ships had
moved up the river to assist. They received only minor
damage and passing the lower barrier, and then positioned themselves
to shell Fort Thompson. When the fort was abandoned, they
immediately passed the second barrier and moved on to New Burn.
Because branches ordered to retreat included all of the Confederate
river batteries, their guns were spiked and they were abandoned
to the fleet.

Speaker 3 (53:54):
Of course they were at the city.

Speaker 2 (53:55):
The fleet shelled the retreating Confederate troops, denying them the
opportunity to recruit.

Speaker 3 (53:59):
I mean, yeah, yeah, there's too much going on. Better
just leave the city now if you want to live.
Everybody just stop and you end up somewhere. You try
to figure out a way to get a hold of
each other.

Speaker 4 (54:08):
Right, The retreated units couldnot reform until they had fled
all the way to Kingston.

Speaker 3 (54:13):
Oh. That's where they regroup.

Speaker 4 (54:15):
With both bridges destroyed, Burnside soldiers had to be ferried
across the river by the gunboats, so that slowed them down.
Brands had lost sixty four men that were killed, one
hundred and one wounded, four hundred thirteen captured or missing,
compared to Burnside's ninety kill, three hundred and eighty wooden
and a single man captured.

Speaker 3 (54:30):
Again though North they don't care. They're throwing their guys
in it. And we know we got more, so we
can handle some more losing more man.

Speaker 4 (54:38):
New Burn fell and was occupied by the United States
of America.

Speaker 3 (54:42):
Under occupation, he remained in.

Speaker 4 (54:44):
Control of the United States for the rest of the war.
Immediately found the battle, Burnside turned his attention to his
next important objective, getting control of the port at Beaufort,
which was defended by Fort mackin or Macon Well. That
battlefield is preserved today as the new Burn Battlefield Site.
The Civil War Trust and its potanas, including the new

(55:06):
Burn Historical Society, have acquired and preserved twenty five acres
of the battlefield site, good.

Speaker 3 (55:11):
For them right, good battle. Union slaughtered them pretty much ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (55:27):
We got the Siege of Fort Macon taking place from
April March twenty third to April twenty six.

Speaker 3 (55:32):
I got a whole month long battle. Here, draw me
a bath.

Speaker 2 (55:36):
On the outer banks of Carteret County, North Carolina. Fort
Macon was one of the Third system coastal forts that
were built around the borders of the still young United States,
found in the War of eighteen twelve. Was built on
the eastern end of Bogue Banks and the outer banks
of North Carolina, and was intended to defend the entrance
to the ports of Beaufort and Moorhead City.

Speaker 5 (55:56):
Guess what didn't happen to begun in eighteen twenty six.

Speaker 2 (56:00):
It was completed and received its first garrison in eighteen
thirty four. It's eight years after its first garrison, but okay,
as it was intended for defense against attacking enemy naval forces.

Speaker 3 (56:10):
It was built of masonry.

Speaker 2 (56:11):
Gunfire from a rolling ship's deck was not accurate enough
at that time to be able to break down brick
and stone walls at that time. At that time, although
the advent of rifled artillery would soon make its walls vulnerable.

Speaker 4 (56:22):
No alterations were made to the fort since we found
out about that first iron clad battle. Guess what, guys,
Hey man.

Speaker 3 (56:29):
These guys can do some damage now.

Speaker 2 (56:31):
But yet it was a whole generation out of date
when the Civil War came, whole general pretty much, you
guys already know what's gonna happen.

Speaker 3 (56:40):
Like, what are you talking about?

Speaker 4 (56:40):
This fort stood the war of eighteen twelve, the Spanish
American War.

Speaker 3 (56:44):
Yeah, this is totally different, the.

Speaker 5 (56:47):
Whole new set of rules, hair pals, totally different, guys.
We're actually fighting against ourself right.

Speaker 4 (56:52):
Well, after the first spate of enthusiasm, the fort was
allowed to deteriorate.

Speaker 5 (56:56):
Sure it was.

Speaker 4 (56:57):
The woodwork routed, the ironwork rusted, and the gun carriages
were allowed to decay. The garrison was steadily reduced in size.

Speaker 5 (57:05):
Okay, it if Bofer and.

Speaker 3 (57:08):
Morehead or whatever, it was more valuable than new Burn.
Why didn't they do anything with this, I understand, it's stupid.
They knew making it was the place to be.

Speaker 1 (57:19):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (57:19):
The garrison steadily reducing size until by the time the
beginning of the Civil War, the care of the fort
was entrusted to.

Speaker 5 (57:25):
A single sergeant, one single sergeant.

Speaker 4 (57:27):
When the fort was taken over by North Carolina troops
under Captain Josiah Solomon Pender on April fourteenth, this is
before the stay had succeeded from the Union, only four
guns were mounted.

Speaker 6 (57:39):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (57:40):
The local military authorities immediately said about improving this aramimant armament.

Speaker 2 (57:46):
Armament a total fifty six pe okay, So they allowed
to decay, and then the war happened.

Speaker 3 (57:51):
Now they're going to fix it up. Okay. Well, before
the war.

Speaker 5 (57:55):
April fourteenth, they knew when it was come about to
go down.

Speaker 4 (57:58):
So the total fifty six pieces five eight inch and
two ten inch Columbias pounders, nineteen twenty four hunds, thirty
two thirty two pounders, and six field guns. They were
all mounted, but they had ammunition for only three days
of Actually.

Speaker 2 (58:13):
See they do good, but then they do dumb shit
at the same time. I don't understand it.

Speaker 3 (58:16):
We should be good for about three days.

Speaker 2 (58:17):
Right at the time of the siege, the garrison of
the fort numbered about four hundred and thirty officers and
men and men commanded by Colonel Moses J.

Speaker 3 (58:24):
White.

Speaker 2 (58:25):
Sickness reduced this number by about a third. Oh, there
was a sickness again. Despite the poor diet and other
living conditions that they suffered, only one man died, though
morale among the men was generally not good, as they
were cut off from their families, and White was unpopular
both with his men and with the people of Beaufort.

Speaker 5 (58:42):
A few men deserted during the siege.

Speaker 4 (58:45):
You know why because they see White and all his
little buddies sitting there comfortably in their tents with.

Speaker 3 (58:51):
Eating fucking all the food. Shit.

Speaker 5 (58:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (58:54):
When battle came, the fort was outdated and adequately armed,
poorly supplied, and intended for a different form of.

Speaker 5 (59:00):
Combat than than what it's going to face.

Speaker 2 (59:03):
These deficiencies are adequate to explain why the fort succumbs
so readily.

Speaker 3 (59:07):
At the first blow. Yeah, literally like knockdown wall or something. Yeah, terrible,
It was terrible, right, Wow.

Speaker 2 (59:13):
So long as Fort Macon remained in Confederate possession, Burnside,
who was recently promoted the rank of major general good
for him, could not use the ports at Beaufert and
Morehead City, so immediately filed the capture of Newbern.

Speaker 5 (59:23):
He said, we got to get Fort Macon. Boys.

Speaker 2 (59:25):
He was like, these captures are pointless if we don't
take the rest many orders, big Dear General John's g Park,
commander of his third Brigade. They reduced to Fort Park
begin by season, the towns along the inner Shore, Carolina
City on March twenty first, Morehead City on March twenty second,
Newport March twenty third, every day just conquered, and finally
Beaufort on March twenty five. And these are no easy
feats because no, if you listen, if you remember in

(59:47):
our last episode, the Confederates didn't they left all these towns.

Speaker 3 (59:52):
They didn't even put up a fight.

Speaker 4 (59:53):
All right, what was going where? They had to go
through the marshes and all that. That was the last episode.
But yeah, Morehead City, that was to get to New Bern,
all right.

Speaker 3 (01:00:02):
Then after New Bern and Kernstown a bandit basic.

Speaker 2 (01:00:05):
Yeah, the Confederates left. They're like, fuck this, dude, we
can't do anything there.

Speaker 4 (01:00:09):
They thought Beaufort, Beaufort, and Morehead City were gonna be
like majorly occupied, and it wasn't.

Speaker 2 (01:00:14):
Well yeah, when they got there, well well i'm sure
we'll see right now. Communications between the Gears and other
Confederate forces were thereby severed.

Speaker 3 (01:00:20):
They were too.

Speaker 2 (01:00:21):
Park had also also had to repair a railroad bridge
at Newport burned by the retreating Confederates, which we explained
found the loss of New Bern The railroad was needed
for the transport of a siege artillery, right.

Speaker 4 (01:00:31):
The only thing that slowed down their attack was having
having to go across the river because the bridge burned down.
Twenty third of March eighteen sixty two, General Park sent
a message from his headquarters at Carolina City to Colonel
White demanding the surrender of the forts. He offered to
release the men on parole if the fort was turned
over intact. White replied tersely, I have the honor to

(01:00:54):
decline evacuating Fort Macon. The honor the siege can be
regarded as starting with his this exchange.

Speaker 3 (01:01:01):
I mean, what are you gonna do?

Speaker 4 (01:01:02):
You actually think that guy's going to turn over without
hearing from the leading commanders.

Speaker 3 (01:01:08):
There's no choice.

Speaker 4 (01:01:09):
Yeah, But if he turns it over, then these succumbed
to everybody's a prick like Jackson. Yeah, well that's who's
running shit, Jackson and Robert Oh. I guess Robert Lee
was a little more Roberty. The main general right now
is Johnston. I believe Johnston Yeah for them, Johnston.

Speaker 2 (01:01:25):
The investment of the fort was not yet complete, but
that was accomplished on March twenty ninth, when a company
from Park's brigade crossed the sound and landed unopposed on
Bogue Banks. The Confederate infantry that would have defended against
the landing, the twenty sixth North Carolina, had been included
in the retreat following the Battle of New Bern.

Speaker 3 (01:01:40):
They said, we're just leaving, dude.

Speaker 2 (01:01:42):
Federal siege artillery followed, and Parks set up four batteries
that would bear on the fort. He had four eight
inch mortars at a range of twelve hundred yards, four
ten inch mortars at a range of sixteen hundred yards,
three thirty pounder rifled parrots at a range of thirteen
hundred yards, and a twelve pounder boat howitzer at a
range of twelve hundred yards.

Speaker 3 (01:01:59):
Yeah. So this, guys don't even have to get right good.

Speaker 2 (01:02:02):
The batteries are moved up at night and remain hidden
until behind sand dunes until they were ready to open fire.

Speaker 3 (01:02:08):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (01:02:08):
The defenders were aware of these activities, but cannot waste
ammunition by firing at unseen cargets.

Speaker 3 (01:02:13):
Stupidity. They had three days right, total.

Speaker 2 (01:02:16):
Ammunition patrol sent out from the fort to harassing the
Union soldiers were driven back, usually without loss. On April seventeenth,
General Burnside can could state in his report to the
War Department. He says, I hope to reduce the fort
within ten days.

Speaker 3 (01:02:29):
His prediction proved to be remarkably accurate. Yeah, I didn't say.
Guess what this guy. This guy.

Speaker 4 (01:02:36):
Preparations were completed by April twenty third. On that day,
General Burnside communicated directly with Colonel White and repeated his
demand for surrendered. Look at that they me and each
other face face, Hey, bud.

Speaker 3 (01:02:47):
Are you face? I think letters were sent. I think
it goes face face. I don't think so.

Speaker 4 (01:02:53):
Yeah, And he said again, I'm going to offer the
release your guys out on proro.

Speaker 3 (01:03:00):
Go home, think about this war no longer.

Speaker 5 (01:03:03):
On parole, on condition you never take up arms against
the Union again.

Speaker 4 (01:03:06):
Go home, think about this war no longer. Yeah, but
you can't go back to the South. You can go
back to this Oh no, because they'd be like, why
aren't you in the war.

Speaker 3 (01:03:14):
It's true, And then you can't go to North.

Speaker 4 (01:03:17):
I'd be like, dam there's a red so you're kind
of kind of kind of kind of kind of screwed.
Colonel White once more refused. He said, I'm sorry, sir,
but I'm nna have to be honored to say so.
Burnside on April twenty fourth, order General Park to begin
the embombardment as soon as possible. He's like, we're not
getting through the Colonel White, We're gonna have to take

(01:03:38):
the fort.

Speaker 3 (01:03:39):
I think he's at the ballroom with the rope. Uh.

Speaker 4 (01:03:41):
Park waited until nightfall to open an embracers for his
guns behind the dunes. The bombardment began at dawn on
twenty fifth of April. At first, the gunners in the
front man their pieces and replied vigorously, but they were
unable to inflict damage on the federal guns protected by
the dunes. Yeah, why would they help, would they? Well,
they're thirteen yard way. I don't even know if the
rebel guns can go that fire.

Speaker 3 (01:04:02):
Of course I can.

Speaker 2 (01:04:04):
The defenders were also well, they had the same mountain
of guns. Remember, they installed some thirty bounders and drew.
The defenders were also distracted by the apparents of four
vessels from the blockading Squadron, which where the steamers of
the USS Daylight, the USS State of Georgia, and the
Chippewa and the bark Gems Bock. Okay, until this time
the Navy had been had not been involved with the siege,

(01:04:24):
but Commander Samuel Lockwood responded to the sound of gunfight
and brought his sexual the fleet into action. But why
would you not if you can come up, if you
I mean, if you don't need him, why waste it.
The weather was not good for naval bombardment. However, strong
wind created waves that caused the vessels to rock badly
enough to disrupt their aim, and after about an hour
the fleet withdrew.

Speaker 3 (01:04:43):
Yeah, the couldn't do much.

Speaker 2 (01:04:44):
The Navy also supplied a pair of floating batteries to
the attack, but again the waves interfered and only one
of them got into action. Yeah, there's not certain whether
the forts sustained any hits from the ships. The Confederate
return fire was accurate enough to hit two vessels, doing
little damage and slightly wounded only one man. Hey, yeah,
it's not worth it for these guys to be out
there on the navy, right, or just bombard them.

Speaker 4 (01:05:05):
With your artillery right, but they also made the Confederate
at waste AMMO.

Speaker 3 (01:05:09):
That's true. The initial fire.

Speaker 4 (01:05:11):
From the mortars on shore was inaccurate, but a Signal
Court officer in Beaufort, Lieutenant William J. Andrews, acting on
his own responsibility, was able to deliver messages to the
battery commanders telling them how to adjust arrange.

Speaker 3 (01:05:24):
Ain't that cool?

Speaker 4 (01:05:26):
After about twelve o'clock one o'clock, virtually all shots were
on target.

Speaker 3 (01:05:31):
Oh nice. Nineteen guns were dismounted. Wow.

Speaker 4 (01:05:34):
The walls of the fort began to crumble under continued pounding,
and the mid afternoon Colonel White began to fear that the.

Speaker 3 (01:05:40):
Magazine would be breached. I was about to be there
four thirty pm.

Speaker 4 (01:05:43):
Four and a half hours of fighting, he decided that
the fort could no longer hold out, so he ordered.

Speaker 3 (01:05:49):
That a white flag be raised.

Speaker 4 (01:05:50):
And He's like, at that point, as it should, firing
on both sides was seized.

Speaker 2 (01:05:57):
Colonel White then met with General Park to discuss terms,
and Park at first demanded unconditioned over surrender. Park's like, dude,
I'll offered you twice already to do the one where
I parole your guys, and you guys can just go
on your merry way, and now you had to do
it now, No, you can surrender right now. But then
White asked them for more favorable conditions and refer to
the terms that Burnside had offered on March twenty third,

(01:06:18):
which was to parle the guys and all that shit.
Park did not concede, but agreed not to renew the
bombardment until he consult what until he could consult with Burnside.
Burnside reason that White could hold out at least one
more day and further actually would only cause more casualties
and greater damage to the fort, right, and they still
want to kind of keep the court at least right
they do.

Speaker 5 (01:06:37):
He therefore agreed to adhere to his first terms.

Speaker 3 (01:06:39):
All right, I mean, how could you not?

Speaker 5 (01:06:42):
Well, they have to.

Speaker 3 (01:06:43):
Those men have to fight, right because of their leader's order.

Speaker 2 (01:06:47):
The men in the fort were allowed to give their pearles,
meaning they would not take up arms against the United
States until properly exchange.

Speaker 5 (01:06:52):
Until properly exchanged, so they can go.

Speaker 2 (01:06:55):
Back into the war once they're out in their own
territory again, okay. They then were permitted to return to
their homes taken with them their personal property. Right, shortly
after dawn on April twenty sixth, the Comfederate flag. Confederates
forced them to go back. Right, you have no right,
no choice then, right, get it. Shortly after dawn on
April twenty six the Confederate Right, I'm assuming the work,

(01:07:18):
don't Confederates, don't call me surely?

Speaker 3 (01:07:22):
I mean right. They'd be like, hey, why aren't you
at war? Sun? Well, I got these papers from the
Union here, But well, do you think the union's your
your government? Boy?

Speaker 5 (01:07:32):
Well, back back then they did. They did.

Speaker 2 (01:07:36):
Like people, not necessarily an army, but people that were
Confederate sympathizers. They got caught for something against the Union,
they would make them take an oath to the Union, right,
that's what they did, or get in prison. Because John
Willis poofed he did. He was like protesting against but
way before the assassination, and they made him take an

(01:07:58):
oath to the Union, and he did to get out of.

Speaker 4 (01:08:00):
Out obviously, and then the CIA was like, hey, here's
a better idea, bud.

Speaker 3 (01:08:06):
In the back of the head. Are you sure it'll
be all right? Yeah? Man, Just don't jump onto the
stage or hide in the barn. All right, I'm gonna
shoot him stage doctor mudd.

Speaker 6 (01:08:20):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (01:08:21):
Oh, well, we'll be having that episode too, got too right.

Speaker 3 (01:08:25):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:08:25):
The Confederate flag was lowered, the defenders marched out, and
Union soldiers of the fifth Rhode Island marched down, and.

Speaker 5 (01:08:30):
Oh, march down, and they were like aye bye.

Speaker 4 (01:08:34):
The battle had been relatively bloodless, at least by standards,
that soon would be coming in the Americans ever war,
Oh soon as soon right around the corner, and the
Uni side only one man had died, even though one
man is two many, right, we've been hearing that for
the past couple of years. Guys and two soldiers and
one seaman were wounded.

Speaker 3 (01:08:52):
Damn, that's too bad.

Speaker 4 (01:08:54):
On the Confederate's side, seven were MOI did outright, Two
died of wounds and sixteen were wounded. So seven were
murdered down the battlefield, two died of the wounds that
sustained on the battlefield, and sixteen were wounded.

Speaker 3 (01:09:05):
And probably most likely died.

Speaker 5 (01:09:07):
Maybe well amputations at least right right. Although the Burnside.

Speaker 4 (01:09:10):
Although the Burnside Exhibition had gained notable success at little
costs in North Carolina, little was done to exploit it.
Wilmington for example, would seem to have vulnerable. Wilmington, for example,
would seem to have been vulnerable for the North, but
it was not attacked until the final days of the war.

Speaker 3 (01:09:28):
They didn't really need it.

Speaker 2 (01:09:30):
They needed these ones because it was important routes to
get supplied.

Speaker 4 (01:09:33):
Burnside was called shortly after the victory at Fort Macon
to assist journal George B. McCleland in the Peninsula Campaign
in Virginia. No further major offensive actions took place. North
of Carolina became a secondary theater until late in the war.
The flag was returned to the state of North Carolina
in nineteen oh six.

Speaker 2 (01:09:49):
Holy shit, fifty years after the war. They were like,
North Carolina, you in your damn flag bag, dude.

Speaker 3 (01:09:57):
They punished him.

Speaker 4 (01:09:58):
It was fifty years of punishment in the Senate chambers
ceremony attended by verterons.

Speaker 3 (01:10:02):
Of the siege. The battle site is now Fort Macon
State Park. That's cool.

Speaker 4 (01:10:08):
So all this time, North Carolina from nineteen sixty five
to nineteen oh six did not have a state flag.

Speaker 2 (01:10:12):
I'm a doming They were only allowed to flag the
American right give him. By the picture that they're showing,
it looks like pretty intact battlefield still, so that'd be
a cool place to go visit, twould be. And we

(01:10:33):
got the small, small, small, small, small Battle of Mills,
South Mills that is also known as the Battle of
Camden took place April nineteenth, eighteen sixty two, Camden County,
North Carolina. That was part of General Ambrose. He's Burnside's
North Carolina expedition. We got Jesse Reno commanding a little
thing for the United States, I think, commanding the Department

(01:10:55):
of North Carolina. He's got about three thousand men he's
going to face off against Ambrose. Are right, his third
Georgia Infantry for Farrabees North Carolina Militia Macomba's Battery which
let Southampton Calvary Company.

Speaker 3 (01:11:08):
And he's got around one thousand people. Ambrose must have
been a popular first name back then. Huh, I guess.

Speaker 4 (01:11:15):
So there's two of them right there, Sir oh Ambrose
Ambrose dean right right. Learning that Confederates were building ironclads
at Norfolk, Burnside plan and expedition to destroy the dismal
Swamp Canal locks to prevent transfer of the ships to Albermarley.

Speaker 2 (01:11:32):
Sound heard these words before his entrusted. He entrusted the
operation to Brigader General Jesse L. Reno's command, which embarked
on transports from Roanoke Island April eighteenth. By midnight, the
convoy reached Elizabeth City and began disembarking troops.

Speaker 3 (01:11:48):
Yeah, nothing to do this one literally two paragrams.

Speaker 4 (01:11:51):
Morning of April nineteenth, Reno march north on the road
to South Mills. At the cross roads a few miles
below South Mills, elements of Kerrent Ambrose Our Rights Command.

Speaker 3 (01:12:01):
Delayed the Federals until dark.

Speaker 4 (01:12:04):
Reno abandoned expedition withdrew during the night to the transports
at Elizabeth City. The transports carried Reno's troops to New Bern,
where they arrived on the twenty second of April. Union
forces later pushed Confederate units out of the coastal areas.

Speaker 3 (01:12:19):
Which they occupied for the duration of the war.

Speaker 2 (01:12:22):
And that is the so called Battle of South Mills. Okay,
nothing doing there. Battle of Trainers Creek Tranters Creek, June fifth,

(01:12:43):
eighteen sixty two in Pitt County, North Carolina, as part
of Ambrose E. Burnside's North Carolina Expedition.

Speaker 4 (01:12:50):
June fifth, Colonel Robert Potter, Garrison commander of Washington, North Carolina,
ordered a reconnaissance in the direction of Pectulus.

Speaker 3 (01:12:58):
The two twenty fourth.

Speaker 2 (01:13:00):
Massachusets under Lieutenant Colonel fa Osborne advanced to the bridge
over Tranner's Creek, where it encountered the forty fourth North
Carolina under rebel Colonel George Singletary. Unable to uh unable
to force a crossing, Osborne fired his artillery, which was
Companies Companies A through G of the first New York
Marine Artillery at the mill buildings in which the Confederates
were barricaded.

Speaker 3 (01:13:21):
Old George Singletary was killed in the bombardment and his
troops retreated.

Speaker 2 (01:13:25):
The Federals did not pursue and return their fortifications at Wattish, Washington.
And that's the Battle of Tranfors Creek.

Speaker 3 (01:13:32):
Oh my god, a coin o that was moid did yep?

Speaker 2 (01:13:35):
Colonel Gone just bombarded I artillery and killed them, and
they said.

Speaker 3 (01:13:41):
Well, job's done here, let's move out, folks.

Speaker 6 (01:13:43):
Quically not bad at an aging ad.

Speaker 2 (01:14:06):
Ap agave a a

Speaker 3 (01:14:11):
A a a

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