Neptune's Needle

Little is known of Burns's education or youth. Apparently he went to sea at an early age and became a skilled seaman. In 1806 the Onslow County Court apprenticed an orphan lad to Burns to learn navigation. Prior to the War of 1812, Burns was master of a merchantman engaged in the coastwise trade between North Carolina and New England. The War of 1812 provided Burns the opportunity to gain fame and fortune. His interest in privateering led him to New York, where he purchased the fast schooner Zephyr, which he armed and renamed the Snap Dragon. Backed by shareholders in New Bern and Tarboro, Burns took the Snap Dragon, six guns, and eighty crewmen to sea to harass British commerce. His exploits became legend; indeed it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. Burns commanded the Snap Dragon on three successful voyages raiding British shipping from Nova Scotia to Brazil. On the first voyage to the Spanish Main, Burns captured eight ships and returned a prize ship to New Bern with a cargo of hides, yams, and eighteen slaves. The second cruise proved to be the most profitable. Preying on British ships sailing to Canada, the Snap Dragon took cargo valued at about $.5 million. On Burns's third voyage, again to the Spanish Main, only one prize was taken. Rheumatism caused Burns to relinquish the Snap Dragon to another captain, and on its fourth voyage the ship was captured by the British...

Using wealth gained by privateering, Burns entered business with the same vigor and ability he had shown on the high seas. He built ships and engaged in various other pursuits, including a partnership in a saltworks and a brickkiln. In 1818 he built North Carolina's first steamship, the Prometheus, for use on the Cape Fear River. Other ships built by him were the Warrior in 1823 and the Henry in 1831. He also owned a store and operated both merchant and fishing ships. In time Burns lost most of his fortune but not his fame.

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Peter Richards