The Bonner Ironclads

[corn-fed-erate]

John, I still have not gotten my hands on the contemporary newspaper that I had given to Harry Thompson which carried a story of the two "ironclad gunboats building at Hamilton NC."

BUT, I did find this:

A letter that went up for auction at Christie's of New York on 9 June 2004. Sold for $777.00

Gen. John Gray Foster to General Ambrose Burnside
New Bern, NC
27 October 1862

".............This will make 16 regiments of Infantry and with this I shall take Goldsboro, burn the bridges, then take Tarboro (where the rebels are building a gunboat), burn the gunboat, and also the railroad bridge near; then take Hamilton (where the rebels are building 2 ironclads), capture their boats and if my force is sufficient, push on up to Weldon. Can you not manage to reunite the corps, and come down to Suffolk, relieving Gen. Dix. We can make a sure thing on Weldon and perhaps on Petersburg. "

I noticed two oddities, well to me. He called the Tarboro vessel a gunboat and the Hamilton vessels ironclads. Secondly, he proposes to burn the Tarboro boat and capture the Hamilton boats, presumably to use to push up river.

Sure wish I could find that old newspaper.

 

[rebelatsea]

John, I still have not gotten my hands on the contemporary newspaper that I had given to Harry Thompson which carried a story of the two "ironclad gunboats building at Hamilton NC."

BUT, I did find this:

A letter that went up for auction at Christie's of New York on 9 June 2004. Sold for $777.00

Gen. John Gray Foster to General Ambrose Burnside
New Bern, NC
27 October 1862

".............This will make 16 regiments of Infantry and with this I shall take Goldsboro, burn the bridges, then take Tarboro (where the rebels are building a gunboat), burn the gunboat, and also the railroad bridge near; then take Hamilton (where the rebels are building 2 ironclads), capture their boats and if my force is sufficient, push on up to Weldon. Can you not manage to reunite the corps, and come down to Suffolk, relieving Gen. Dix. We can make a sure thing on Weldon and perhaps on Petersburg. "

I noticed two oddities, well to me. He called the Tarboro vessel a gunboat and the Hamilton vessels ironclads. Secondly, he proposes to burn the Tarboro boat and capture the Hamilton boats, presumably to use to push up river.

Sure wish I could find that old newspaper.

Jimmy ,I will have to check before I answer this one. Back later.

 

[DaveBrt]

John, I still have not gotten my hands on the contemporary newspaper that I had given to Harry Thompson which carried a story of the two "ironclad gunboats building at Hamilton NC."

BUT, I did find this:

A letter that went up for auction at Christie's of New York on 9 June 2004. Sold for $777.00

Gen. John Gray Foster to General Ambrose Burnside
New Bern, NC
27 October 1862

".............This will make 16 regiments of Infantry and with this I shall take Goldsboro, burn the bridges, then take Tarboro (where the rebels are building a gunboat), burn the gunboat, and also the railroad bridge near; then take Hamilton (where the rebels are building 2 ironclads), capture their boats and if my force is sufficient, push on up to Weldon. Can you not manage to reunite the corps, and come down to Suffolk, relieving Gen. Dix. We can make a sure thing on Weldon and perhaps on Petersburg. "

I noticed two oddities, well to me. He called the Tarboro vessel a gunboat and the Hamilton vessels ironclads. Secondly, he proposes to burn the Tarboro boat and capture the Hamilton boats, presumably to use to push up river.

Sure wish I could find that old newspaper.

Here is a copy of the NC Assembly of 1861's Charter for the Williamston & Tarboro RR, Page 1 of 12. Its value is the list of names of important people in the area to use for searching. Williamston was 10 miles southeast of Hamilton and also on the Roanoke River.

What info can you give us about the newspaper?

 

[corn-fed-erate]

That was another thing that I found odd. At the time, the Tarboro to Rocky Mount line was a dead end branch off the Wilmington Weldon RR. The line came into Tarboro from the wast. There was no railroad bridge at or near Tarboro at the time.

The paper, I was stupid enough not to even photocopy the section of interest. I am sure it is still in the Port-O-Plymouth museum, just got to find it.

DaveBrt, if you were posting a link, I don't see it.

 

[DaveBrt]

That was another thing that I found odd. At the time, the Tarboro to Rocky Mount line was a dead end branch off the Wilmington Weldon RR. The line came into Tarboro from the wast. There was no railroad bridge at or near Tarboro at the time.

The paper, I was stupid enough not to even photocopy the section of interest. I am sure it is still in the Port-O-Plymouth museum, just got to find it.

DaveBrt, if you were posting a link, I don't see it.

Sorry, grandkids and their big dog woke up and I lost track of things.

 

[DaveBrt]

That was another thing that I found odd. At the time, the Tarboro to Rocky Mount line was a dead end branch off the Wilmington Weldon RR. The line came into Tarboro from the wast. There was no railroad bridge at or near Tarboro at the time.

The paper, I was stupid enough not to even photocopy the section of interest. I am sure it is still in the Port-O-Plymouth museum, just got to find it.

DaveBrt, if you were posting a link, I don't see it.

There are numerous documents on my site (csa-railroads.com) showing that there was a bridge over the Tar at Tarboro. The track went only a short distance past the bridge -- to a warehouse, I believe. The bridge was burned in '63 by Federals and replaced with trestling for the rest of the war.

 

[corn-fed-erate]

Yeah, Dave, it has some big Edgecombe county names: Gov. Clarke, Mayo, Pippin, and Norfleet. All old powerful family names even by that time. Two that I expected to see were missing: Blount and Bridgers.

Thanks for the info.

 

[corn-fed-erate]

Just checked out your site. Saw a couple of maps. From what i saw in my very brief look it looks like it crossed the Tar heading east. Just learned something! If it was burned in 63 it must have been Potter but I don't recall the destruction of a RR bridge at Tarboro as one of his accomplishments. His forces did get the one at Rocky Mount.

You are going to make me pull out my Potter's Raid book when I get back from Fort Branch.

I look forward to spending some quality time on your site. Thanks again Dave.

 

[rebelatsea]

The Tarboro vessel was an Albemarle type IC gunboat contracted to Gilbert Elliott and W. F Martin in 1862 destroyed by Union Raid in 1863, The two vessels at Hamilton were Bonner type IC gunboats, theri fate is unknown.

 

[corn-fed-erate]

John, I know the two in the letter were the Bonners. My main point is that Foster's letter and that newspaper are the only two references I've seen. Was the letter new for you?

 

[corn-fed-erate]

I spent all afternoon in Hamilton and I could not find the Bonners anywhere.

 

[rebelatsea]

John, I know the two in the letter were the Bonners. My main point is that Foster's letter and that newspaper are the only two references I've seen. Was the letter new for you?

Jimmy ,yes it was.