Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 4.djvu/46



ARLY in 1862 the Federal government decided to follow up its successes at Hatteras by descending upon the North Carolina coast with the famous &quot;Burnside expedition.&quot; This expedition was supplied with almost every conceivable necessity for the prosecution of its mission. Even railroad hand-cars were brought along to be used, when needed, in the transportation of troops. Its infantry and artillery were equipped with the latest arms. Its highest officers were all members of the regular army, and three of them were veterans of the Mexican war.

North Carolina, as shown above, was at that time not prepared, either in the available number of its soldiers or in the arms of its soldiers, to resist successfully such a large and well- organized force. Its regiments that had seen most service and that were best armed were in Virginia. Although earnestly requested to do so, the Confederate government felt unable to spare any of these regiments to reinforce the small garrisons on the coast. So the heroic Shaw was left on Roanoke island with two regiments, to oppose, as best he might, Burnside with nearly 15,000 men. At New Bern the gifted Branch, having only seven regiments and most of them but newly organized, was called upon to make an effort to hold a long line of intrenchments against this same force, aided by numerous gunboats. As a result of this disparity in numbers, Roanoke island, New Bern, and Fort Macon