652
ASSAULT OF THE UNION TROOPS UPON FORT THOMPSON, NEAR NEW BERNE. FROM A WAR-TIME SKETCH.
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The enemy in their retreat destroyed bridges, and as they passed throughthe town set fire to it, and left parts of it in a blaze ; and the first work of ourtroops and sailors after landing was to assist the citizens in putting out theflames, which was not done until much valuable property had been uselesslydestroyed. With the military machinery at his command it did not takeGeneral Burnside long to establish order and give the captured city such agovernment as the occasion required. The next and most important businessin hand was to make the captured position secure from a land attack; andin order to accomplish this, a portion of the railroad leading to Goldsboro’had to be destroyed, and a line of fortifications built between the Neuse andTrent rivers, which would completely insulate New Berne from the sur-rounding country.
THE SIEGE OF FORT MACON.
The next and last objective point of any importance in the new depart-ment of North Carolina was the capture of Fort Macon, an old-style, strong,stone, casemated work, mounting 67 guns, garrisoned by above 500 men, com-manded by Colonel Moses J. White, located on the eastern extremity of BogueIsland, commanding the channel from the open sea to Beaufort Harbor, andabout forty miles from New Berne . [See map, p. 634.] To General Parke was as-signed the duty of moving upon this work and undertaking its capture. March18th, General Burnside and Lieutenant Williamson, of the Engineers , madea reconnoissance to the east as far as Slocum’s Creek, and occupied Have-lock Station with one company of the 5th Rhode Island Battalion. The 21st,