CSS Neuse
Kinston, Lenoir County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Css Neuse. Confederate ironclad, built at Whitehall and floated down the Neuse. Grounded and burned by Confederates in 1865. Remains one block N.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
The Confederate ironclad CSS Neuse was built upriver at Whitehall and floated down the Neuse River to Kinston during the Civil War. Plagued by low water and shifting fortunes, she was grounded and burned by her own crew in 1865 to keep her from Union hands. Her recovered remains lie one block north of this marker.
Why it matters
Her short, frustrated career typifies the Confederacy's ambitious but hard-pressed effort to build a river-defense navy.
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Related events
- · Civil War
- · CSS Neuse
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Battle of Whitehall
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On December 15–16, 1862, Union troops under General J. G. Foster raided the village of Whitehall (now Seven Springs) during operations along the Neuse River. In the fighting they damaged the Confederate ironclad ram 'Neuse,' then under construction along the river. The clash was part of Foster's broader expedition against Confederate supply lines in eastern North Carolina.
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