From the March 15, 2012 Spokane (Wash.) Examiner by Joe Newby.
On March 11, 1862, Union General Burnside and 12,000 men began a movement up the Neuse River to Slocum's Creek which they reached the next day and landed on the south bank.
Three brigades of infantry with six boat howitzers and two rifled Wizard cannons then began a march on New Bern.
The Confederate opposition consisted of 4,500 untrained, ill-equipped soldiers commanded by General Lawrence O'Bryan Branch, a politician with little military experience.
On March 14th, the Union forces began their attack and were successful, capturing nine forts and 41 heavy guns. The 26th North Carolina distinguished itself, holding off the superior Union force for a length of time.
New Bern became a federal base for the rest of the war despite several Confederate attempts to retake it.
Another Confederate City, Gone. --Old B-Runner
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