Burnside's North Carolina Expedition facts for kids

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The Burnside's North Carolina Expedition was a series of important battles fought along the North Carolina coast during the American Civil War. These events took place between February and June 1862. The main goal of this expedition was to help the Union's "Anaconda Plan". This plan aimed to block Confederate ships, called blockade runners, from using ports in the Outer Banks.

This large operation involved both land and sea forces. It was led by Union Brig. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, with help from the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron led by Captain Louis M. Goldsborough. Many of the soldiers were from New England and North Carolina.

Planning the Expedition
Important Battles
Forces Involved
- Union Forces
- Confederate Forces

Planning the Expedition

General Ambrose Burnside.

In August 1861, Union forces led by Major General Benjamin F. Butler and Flag Officer Silas H. Stringham captured Forts Hatteras and Clark. These forts guarded an important entry point into Pamlico Sound. It took several months for the Union leaders to decide what to do next.

General George B. McClellan, the Union's top general, believed in the idea of invading North Carolina from the sea. He convinced President Abraham Lincoln to approve the plan. Brigadier General Ambrose E. Burnside was chosen to lead this important mission.

Burnside's Army: The Coast Division

Burnside carefully put together his army, called the Coast Division. He recruited soldiers from states along the North Atlantic coast. He wanted soldiers who knew about the sea. His army was split into three main groups, called brigades. Each brigade was led by a friend of Burnside's from his time at West Point.

Brig. Gen. John G. Foster commanded the first brigade. Brig. Gen. Jesse L. Reno led the second. And Brig. Gen. John G. Parke was in charge of the third. In January 1862, Burnside's forces left Fort Monroe. They met up with Flag Officer Louis M. Goldsborough at Hatteras Inlet. Their first target was the Confederate forts on Roanoke Island. This island protected Albemarle Sound.

Confederate Defenses at Roanoke

Brigadier General Henry A. Wise was in charge of the Confederate defenses in the Roanoke area. He had only about 1,400 men and a few cannons. The Confederates also had a very small navy. This navy was made up of 8 work boats that were turned into gunboats. Wise called them his "mosquito fleet" because they were so small.

Wise asked his commander, Benjamin Huger, for more soldiers. Huger refused to send help at first. However, Wise eventually got some reserves and a battalion of soldiers from Norfolk. The Union expedition also faced problems. Bad weather made it very hard to move forward. At times, it seemed like the whole mission might have to be stopped. But the expedition, with 63 navy ships, finally reached Roanoke Island.

Battle of Roanoke Island

By the time Burnside arrived, about 3,000 Confederate soldiers were defending Roanoke Island. They were led by Colonel Henry M. Shaw. General Henry Wise was still in charge overall, but he was sick in bed.

Burnside and Goldsborough attacked the Confederate forces. They won the battle and captured about 2,500 prisoners. A few days later, the Union navy found and destroyed the rest of the Confederate "Mosquito Fleet." These boats had escaped from Roanoke Island.

Battle of New Bern

After Roanoke Island, Burnside returned to Hatteras Inlet. He received more ships from the navy for his next target: the railroad town of New Bern. This town was located along the Neuse River. New Bern was important because it could be a base for the Union Army to move further into North Carolina.

Brigadier General Lawrence O'Bryan Branch commanded the Confederate forces at New Bern. After Roanoke Island fell, Branch knew an attack on New Bern was coming. He had about 4,500 new, inexperienced soldiers from North Carolina. The Confederates built a line of defenses, called breastworks, south of the town. These defenses were along the Atlantic & North Carolina Railroad. Fort Thompson protected the defenses along the Neuse River. Branch believed the main attack would come from the water, so most of Fort Thompson's guns faced the river.

However, Burnside's main attack did not come from the water. Instead, he marched his three brigades along the railroad. They attacked New Bern from the south. After fighting along their defenses, Branch's defeated Confederate soldiers fled into New Bern. Hundreds of troops boarded a train leaving town. Branch ordered the rest of his soldiers to fall back to Kinston to regroup.

Battle of Fort Macon

Burnside's next goal after New Bern was to capture Morehead City and Beaufort. These cities were at the southern end of Pamlico Sound. Fort Macon guarded both cities.

Burnside sent Brig. Gen. John G. Parke's brigade to capture the fort. Parke's forces surrounded the fort, which had about 500 Confederate soldiers inside. While Fort Macon was under siege, the Union forces in North Carolina got more soldiers. This allowed Burnside to organize his army into 6 brigades.

During this time, Brig. Gen. Jesse L. Reno was sent to destroy the Dismal Swamp Canal locks. This was to stop Confederate ironclads (armored ships) from coming down from Norfolk. Reno's group was stopped by Colonel Ambrose Wright's Confederates near Camden at the Battle of South Mills. The fighting there didn't have a clear winner, and Reno decided to stop his mission. This was the first time Burnside's expedition faced a setback from the Confederates. On April 26, Fort Macon surrendered.

End of the Expedition

By June 1862, Burnside's forces had taken control of Roanoke Island, New Bern, Morehead City, Beaufort, and Washington, North Carolina. Colonel Robert Brown Potter was put in charge of the Union soldiers in Washington. Potter sent a small group of soldiers out to explore. They met the 44th North Carolina under Col. George Singletary. After a short fight, the Confederates retreated, and the Union soldiers returned to Washington. This was a small fight with no big impact. It turned out to be the last battle of Burnside's expedition.

Confederate President Jefferson Davis's new military advisor, Robert E. Lee, understood how important North Carolina was. So, Confederate reinforcements began arriving in the area. Burnside was getting ready to attack Goldsborough, his next big target. However, he received orders to return to Virginia. He was told to bring any extra soldiers he could spare. These soldiers were needed to help General McClellan's forces, who had been defeated while trying to capture the Confederate capital. Burnside left on July 6, 1862, with 7,000 troops. These troops later became the core of the IX Corps.

After the Expedition

Burnside left General Foster in command of about 8,000 troops. Foster led an attack against the railroad at Goldsborough, which he destroyed at the end of 1862. After this, the fighting in North Carolina mostly became smaller raids and skirmishes.

In 1864, the Confederates tried to take back some of the land they had lost to Burnside's expedition. They failed to retake New Bern. However, they reconquered Plymouth and held it for six months. The next major campaigns in North Carolina were the capture of Fort Fisher and the march of William T. Sherman's armies in 1865.

Important Battles

Battle of Roanoke Island (February 7–8, 1862)
Battle of Elizabeth City (February 10, 1862)
Battle of New Bern (March 14, 1862)
Battle of South Mills (April 19, 1862)
Battle of Fort Macon (March 23-April 26, 1862)
Battle of Tranter's Creek (June 5, 1862)

Forces Involved

Union Forces

Before April 2, 1862: Coast Division – Brig. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside

1st Brigade – Brig. Gen. John G. Foster
2nd Brigade – Brig. Gen. Jesse L. Reno
3rd Brigade – Brig. Gen. John G. Parke

North Atlantic Blockading Squadron – Flag Officer Louis M. Goldsborough

Naval Forces in Pamlico Sound – Commander Stephen C. Rowan

After April 2, 1862: Coast Division – Brig. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside

1st Division – Brig. Gen. John G. Foster
- 1st Brigade – Col Thomas I. C. Amory
- 2nd Brigade – Col Thomas G. Stevenson
2nd Division – Brig. Gen. Jesse L. Reno
- 1st Brigade – Col James Nagle
- 2nd Brigade – Col Edward Ferrero
3rd Division – Brig. Gen. John G. Parke
- 1st Brigade – Col Charles A. Heckman
4th Brigade – Col Rush C. Hawkins