PEOPLE & 



PLACES 



'The CSS Neuse was to 

 have played a critical part in 

 the defense of the region," 

 Bass says. "The number one 

 concern was to keep the 

 supply line open. About 75 

 to 80 percent of all supplies 

 traveled to Richmond on the 

 Wilmington and Weldon 

 Railroad line — and Kinston 

 was on the front line of its 

 defense." 



However, work on the 

 CSS Neuse progressed very 

 slowly. Its arrival in Kinston 

 was delayed by a Union raid 

 through the area earlier in December 1862. One 

 report in the Harris book describes the results of 

 three successful expeditions by the Massachu- 

 setts 44th regiment, including the destruction of a 

 railroad bridge. 



The Union Corporal Zenas T. Haines 

 writes: 



On Sunday, our fourth day from Newbern, 

 we were drawn up in line of battle about one mile 

 from Kinston, a large rebel town on the Neuse. 

 The duty of the right wing of the 44th was to 

 deploy as skirmishers and pass through a swamp 

 to the right of the road, which was defended by a 

 strong rebel battery near the river. 



Days later, Haines writes about Union 

 soldiers advancing on Whitehall/Seven Springs, 

 where the CSS Neuse was still under 

 construction. 



Finally floated to Kinston in 1863, wage 

 disputes, and worker and material shortages 

 further delayed its completion — and entry 

 into battle. 



A TURN FOR THE WORSE 



By 1864, frustration was apparent among 

 CSS Neuse officers. Letters from Confederate Lt. 

 R.H. Bacot to his sister in South Carolina reveal 

 his impatience. In March 1864, Bacot resided in 

 Kinston, about a quarter of a mile from what he 

 has dubbed the "Neus'ance." 



Bacot writes: 



/ am afraid that name will prove but too 

 appropriate. Her Iron Fixin 's are not done her 



A scale model of the ironclad is displayed in the visitor's center at 

 CSS Neuse/Richard Caswell Historic Site. Along with other artifacts, 

 visitors may view a multimedia presentation about the ill-fated ironclad. 



Camay of il" Mwrt £ ir 



engines are not ready, her quarters and 

 storerooms are not ready and last but not least 

 the river is falling about 12 inches a day and we 

 will have to trust Providence for another rise 

 when the vessel is finished. 



A month later, Bacot writes: 



/ have bad news to tell you this time. Even 

 worse than I anticipated when I wrote last. The 

 river has fallen and the CSS Neuse is nearly 

 high and dry on a sand bar just below Kinston. 

 The river had fallen about six feet when we got 

 orders to go down and there was scarcely water 

 enough for us to cross the obstructions; we 

 nevertheless started down last Friday and had 

 proceeded about a half mile when we grounded 

 on a sand bar. We tried very hard to get her off, 

 but her great weight and the strength of the 

 current were too much for us. Besides, the river 

 was falling at the rate of 4 in 's per hour. ... 



I assure you our disappointment was great 

 when we found that we could not get off; the 

 troops were here ready to join us in the attack on 

 Newbern and we were all expecting to take the 

 city and sink the gunboats without much trouble 

 and to liave a fine time afterwards. ... it does 

 seem hard to be so sorely disappointed after 

 expecting so much. 



By January 1 865, the war had taken a 

 decided turn against the Confederacy. But Bacot 

 seems optimistic and determined to be engaged 

 in victory over the enemy. He writes to his sister: 



We are not yet whipped and our people are 

 not discouraged. 



However, from 

 Raleigh on March 27, 1865, 

 Bacot writes of the final 

 chapter of the ill-fated CSS 

 Neuse: 



My old home, the 

 Neuse is gone, all the 

 troops were withdrawn 

 from Kinston and the 

 Yankees 18,000 strong 

 came upon us and not 

 having any prospect of 

 being relieved before our 

 provisions gave out and 

 being in a narrow river 

 where we could not work 

 the ship under fire, after shelling the Yankee 

 Cavalry for a little while, we removed our 

 powder and stores and burnt the vessel. 



Historian Bass explains when the CSS 

 Neuse was finally completed in April 1864, 

 nature sealed its fate. It had been a very dry 

 season, and Neuse River levels had fallen 

 dramatically. 



The ironclad steamed out of Kinston, only 

 to be stranded on a sandbar. A slight rise in the 

 river, he says, allowed the ship to return to its 

 moorings the next month. 



There it would remain until March 1865, 

 when Union troops approached Kinston. CSS 

 Neuse Commander Joseph Price realized there 

 was no alternative but to scuttle his vessel. And 

 on March 12, 1 865, the Neuse was burned by the 

 crew. A large explosion sank the ship. 



The relic hull and other artifacts from the 

 CSS Neuse are on view at the historic site. 

 The ultimate goal for the site is to enclose the 

 vessel in a climate-controlled facility. Free 

 interpretive tours are offered daily. On Nov. 16 

 and 17, a Civil War Naval encampment will be 

 staged. □ 



Want to go? Take U.S. 70 Business at 

 Kinston (West Vernon Street). The historic site is 

 about a half-mile on the right. For fall hours, call 

 252/522-2091. For information about the CSS 

 Neuse on the Internet, go to www.ah.dcr.state.nc. 

 us/sections/hs/neuse/neuse.htm. Or, select a 

 search engine and key in CSS Neuse. 



22 AUTUMN 2002 



