The Neuse was built in a corn field alongside a bridge across the river and was actually attacked by Union troops during Union General Foster's December 1862 raid toward Goldsboro.
On April 22, 1864, the newly completed Neuse ran aground on a sandbar one-half mile below Kinston, NC, as it was to participate in an attempt to retake New Bern. It remained stuck there for almost a month which caused the attempt to come to a halt. During that month, the Confederate troops who were to launch the attack were transferred to Virginia, causing the attempt on New Bern to be cancelled.
Finally free of the sandbar, the Neuse remained docked in Kinston until March 12, 1865, when its commander, Joseph Price, CSN, ordered his crew to shell advancing Union cavalry, then set the shipon fire to prevent its capture. Before the fire had consumed the Neuse, a loaded gun discharged and blew a hole in the hull, causing the ship to sink rapidly.
More to Come. --Old B-Runner
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