Hatteras in Dare County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Burnside's Expedition Crossing Hatteras Bar/The Burnside Expedition at Hatteras Inlet

Burnside's Expedition Crossing Hatteras Bar Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, August 16, 2011

1. Burnside's Expedition Crossing Hatteras Bar Marker

Inscription.
Side A:Burnside's Expedition Crossing Hatteras BarOn January 11, 1862, the Burnside Expedition left for Fort Monroe, Virginia destined for Hatteras Inlet 120 miles to the south. Two days later, the fleet of over eighty vessels was struck by a strong Northeaster while crossing Hatteras Bar. Reassembling the fleet in Pamlico Sound was delayed until the month's end due to frequently stormy weather. Among the ships lost were the Pocahontas, Grapeshot and City of New York. The following Regiments were transported by the fleet: the 8th, 10th and 11th Connecticut; the 21st, 23rd, 24th, 25th and 27th Massachusetts; the 6th New Hampshire; the 9th New Jersey; the 1st, 9th, 51st, 89th and 99th New York; the 48th and 51st Pennsylvania; and the 1st, 4th and 5th Rhode Island.

Side B: The Burnside Expedition at Hatteras InletGeneral Burnside's forces captured Roanoke Island on February 8, 1862. In quick succession, thirteen counties and over thirty cities and towns were annexed including: New Bern, Plymouth, Beaufort, Edenton, Elizabeth City and Washington. By July of 1862 the Confederate coastal supply line from the Deep South

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to Virginia was deeply compromised. These events underscored the inability of the Confederacy to set priorities and the failure of the Federal leadership to recognize the full potential of their coastal conquests. The loss of the Outer Banks undermined Southern morale and boosted that of the North. It intensified the secession controversy and the conflict between the Confederate government and North Carolina.

Erected by Dare County Tourism Board.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is January 11, 1862.

Location. 35° 12.364′ N, 75° 42.343′ W. Marker is in Hatteras, North Carolina, in Dare County. It can be reached from Museum Drive 0.2 miles west of Coast Guard Road. Located at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Shipwreck Museum. Part of the Hatteras Village Guided Tour. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hatteras NC 27943, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Outer Banks.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper

The Burnside Expedition at Hatteras Inlet Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, August 16, 2011

2. The Burnside Expedition at Hatteras Inlet Marker

South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Fort Clark / The Bombardment of Fort Hatteras (a few steps from this marker); Maritime Casualties of the American Civil War/Loss of the USS Monitor (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Flagship USS Minnesota/Hotel de Afrique (about 300 feet away); U-boats Off North Carolina's Coast (about 500 feet away); Propeller From USS Dionysus (approx. 0.2 miles away); Welcome to captivating Hatteras Island… (approx. 0.2 miles away); Confederate Forts (approx. ¼ mile away); Storm Watch (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hatteras.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, August 16, 2011

3. Burnside's Expedition Crossing Hatteras Bar Marker

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, August 16, 2011

4. The Burnside Expedition at Hatteras Inlet Marker

Burnside Expedition<br>The Fleet and Transports off Hatteras During the Storm image. Click for full size.

Internet Archive

5. Burnside Expedition
The Fleet and Transports off Hatteras During the Storm

The General Giving Orders From Frank Leslie's Illustrated History of the Civil War by Frank Leslie and Louis Shepheard Moat, 1895. Page 171.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,484 times since then and 61 times this year. Last updated on August 22, 2025, by Mark P. Brock-Cancellieri of Baltimore, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on August 17, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 2. submitted on August 21, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 3. submitted on August 17, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 4. submitted on August 21, 2011, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 5. submitted on March 12, 2021, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.