Dec. 13-14, 1862 - Battle of Kinston

Dec. 13-14, 1862

Battle of Kinston

Kinston, NC

Gen. John G. Foster's Division of 10,000 infantry, 650 cavalry, and 40 cannons; Gen. Henry Wessells

vs.

General Nathan G. “Shanks” Evan’s Brigade: James D. Radcliffe’s 61st North Carolina Infantry, 17th South Carolina, and Holcombe’s Legion, another South Carolina unit, camped at or near Harriet’s Chapel

* I came here because it is where the Confederates retreated after New Bern. But the city had a later battle of its own too. 

* A word of explanation: why are these pictures in the pitch dark? The answer is because after my lovely day visiting New Bern and Fort Mason - I got really sick. I left my NC AirBnB in the middle of the night with a high fever and start driving home - but I wasn't going to miss those nearby sites. So maybe I didn't get out of the car for all of theses markers - but I saw them! Apologies for the dim lighting, and no- I'm not going back. 

I do love this creepy shot most of all:  

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=70408

Kinston Battlefield Park -

Harriet's Chapel 

and Starr's Battery Site

This site was the center of the Confederate’s final line of defense during the Dec. 13-14, 1862 Battle of Kinston. It occurred as Union General John G. Foster’s Division was enroute from New Bern to Goldsboro to destroy the Wilmington-Weldon Railroad Bridge which would cut a major supply route to General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Foster also planned to destroy the CSS Neuse gunboat under construction at White Hall (Seven Springs).

The Union advance through Lenoir County was stubbornly contested by Confederate General Nathan G. “Shanks” Evan’s Brigade; first at Southwest Creek, about four miles south on Dec. 13th and then here along the line defending Kinston on Dec. 14th. Although greatly outnumbered (~2,000 vs. ~12,000), the Confederates put a much stronger resistance than expected, but were overrun and withdrew north of the Neuse River in the direction of Goldsboro on Dec. 14th. Foster occupied Kinston overnight on the 14th but continued his movement toward Goldsboro on Dec. 15th, taking the River Road, south of the Neuse River.

Battle operational reports and diaries mentions that “small, unpainted wooden church”, known as “Harriet’s Chapel”, sat in this area. It was a focal point for both the Union and Confederate forces and was used as part of the defensive position by Confederates.

It received much damage during the fight but was used as a field hospital after the battle.

A section of the Confederate earth works are near here and lead to the site of Starr’s Battery, a Confederate artillery position. The church sitting on the site today is the New Beaverdam Primitive Baptist Church. It was built about 8 miles south in the 1860s. It was moved to this site in 2010, stabilized, restored and preserved by the Historical Preservation Group for use as an interpretive tool representing Harriet’s Chapel.

The site is being preserved with the help of a federal grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Administered by the National Park Service. The Grounds are open to the general public. The site is owned by the Historical Preservation Group and managed by the Lenoir County Battlefields Commission — Kinston/Southwest Creek/Wyse Fork

Erected by Historical Preservation Group.

Fighting at Harriet's Chapel

Harriet's Chapel Battlefield Park

— Battle of Kinston Military Park —

 On December 14, Union troops overwhelmed the Confederate line at Harriet’s Chapel. After making a determined stand, the outnumbered Confederates withdrew, fighting as they pulled back toward Jones Bridge.

Union Gen. Henry Wessells spent hours maneuvering his regiments into the swamp. Artillery pounded the Union soldiers as they formed in line of battle. Wessells planned to flank the Confederates and force them out of their fortifications. It was the same strategy employed successfully at Southwest Creek the day before.

As the Union troops advanced, the Confederates hit them with volley after volley of shot and canister. Unable to stop the Federal forces, the Confederates withdrew. The infantry pulled back in fighting retreat, protecting the artillery as it made for Jones Bridge.

After the battle, Harriet’s Chapel was “perforated with holes of all sizes, from that of the Minie-ball to the one caused by the thirty-two-pound shell.” Shells had stripped the bark from the trees. Dead and wounded lay around the church.

“As I lay there and listened to the Yankee bullets rattling upon the walls of that church and saw the weatherboarding perforated like a pepper box, I felt and thought…’remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”. Those Yankee scamps were making the building mighty wholly (holey).” Capt. William H. Edwards, 17th South Carolina

Erected by Battle of Kinston Military Park.

The Night of December 13, 1862

Harriet's Chapel Battlefield Park

—Battle of Kinston Military Park—

After the fighting near Southwest Creek, the Confederates withdrew toward Kinston. Marching north, they crossed a creek and waded through the frigid swamp. Many cold, wet soldiers spent a miserable night at Harriet’s Chapel.

The Confederate officers forbade the men to build fires. This prohibition only made the cold night even worse. Capt. William Edwards of 17th South Carolina went to his colonel and asked if his men could build fires. Col. Fitz William McMaster explained that fires would attract Union artillery. Edwards replied, “A death by a shell would be much easier than to slowly freeze to death.” The colonel relented, allowing his men to build “small fires.” The next morning the 17th South Carolina manned the line near the church.

The records indicate that the 61st North Carolina, 17th South Carolina and Holcombe’s Legion, another South Carolina unit, camped at or near Harriet’s Chapel on the cold night of December 13, 1862. The next day, some Confederate soldiers sought the protection offered by the church building. One Union account recalled, “In front of part of their lines stood a wooden church, and from its widows came many a shot…”

"Imagine our feeling lying upon the cold ground on a bitter cold December night knowing it would be a battleground on the morrow…” David Jackson Logan, 17 South Carolina

 

Erected by Battle of Kinston Military Park.

First Battle of Kinston

Harriet's Chapel

— Foster's Raid —

Late in 1862, Union Gen. John G. Foster’s garrison was well entrenched in New Bern and made several incursions into the countryside. On December 11, Foster led a raid from New Bern to burn the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Bridge over the Neuse River at Goldsboro and to demonstrate in support of Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside’s attack at Fredericksburg, Virginia. Foster’s force consisted of 10,000 infantry, 650 cavalry, and 40 cannons.

As Foster approached Kinston on December 13, he encountered Confederate defensive forces under Gen. Nathan G. Evans six miles southwest of here at Woodington on the Wilmington Road (present-day U.S. Route 258). After a fierce fight, Evans strategically withdrew to earthworks here and prepared for Foster’s second attack, which came about 9 a.m. on December 14.

Evans entrenched about 2,000 North Carolinians and South Carolinians here in a semi-circle extending about a mile from the river on your right to a swamp across Wilmington Road to your left. About 800 feet of the earthworks survive nearby. You are standing near the site of Harriet’s Chapel in the center of the Confederate line, where a section of Starr’s Battery and Col. James D. Radcliffe’s 61st North Carolina Infantry stood. Because Harriet’s Chapel was a prominent feature on the landscape, it became “the principal point of attack” for Foster’s troops as they advanced across the ground behind you. Supported by heavy artillery fire, the Federals broke through the Confederate left flank. Evans ordered a retreat to Kinston across the Jones bridge (which stood just downstream from the modern one) and fired the span. After a brief stand on the north side of Kinston, Evans withdrew his troops. Foster and his men spent the night of December 14 in Kinston and left for Goldsboro the next morning, destroying the remains of the bridge.

“At about 8 o’clock that night [December 13] we quietly stole away through swamp, mud, and water to Harriet’s Chapel. It was a bitter cold night and all the boys were half frozen, hungry, and worn out, and yet no word of complaint was murmured through the lines of these splendid Tar Heel heroes. When we bivouacked we were in hearing of the enemy, and we had no campfires till past midnight.” – Col. Peter Mallett, N.C. Battalion, postwar reminiscence

Erected by North Carolina Civil War Trails.

Caring for the Wounded

Harriet's Chapel Battlefield Park

—Battle of Kinston Military Park—

As the fighting surged past the church and the battle moves into Kinston, surgeons of both armies began the task of caring for the wounded. Harriet’s Chapel became a refuge and men from both sides found care at the church.

The fighting around Harriet’s Chapel was some of the fiercest of the battle. The building served as a defensive position while the battle raged. When Union forces arrived at the church, “Dead bodies lay scattered about the floor and our surgeons immediately appropriated it for a hospital.” Soldiers brought the wounded to the church for treatment. Surgeons using bone saws went about the gruesome task of amputation. Others did their best to treat and comfort the men who lay on the floor or on the pews.

The Union troops carried most of their wounded back to New Bern but the wounded Confederates remained in Kinston. The land around Harriet’s Chapel became a burial ground for both the Union and Confederate dead. The Federal government removed the Union remains to New Bern National Cemetery in the 1860s. The Confederate dead remained here until 1881, when they were reinterred in Maplewood Cemetery.

Erected by Battle of Kinston Military Park.

The Confederate Defenses of Kinston

Harriet's Chapel Battlefield Park

—Battle of Kinston Military Park—

 Confederate engineers built fortifications around Kinston and along the approaches from New Bern. You can see a portion of these earthworks from the boardwalk. This line of earthworks originally straddled the road to Jones Bridge, which was near the site of the current US 258/Queen Street bridge. The earthworks on this side of the road ended at the Neuse River. Those on the other side ended at a deep swamp.

Confederate engineers used Southwest Creek as a natural barrier, fortifying three bridges across the creek. They constructed earthworks on both sides of roads just north of the bridges, anchoring the works on swamps. The engineers believed that the Union troops could not or would not try to cross the swamps. They would have to assault the works head on.

North of Kinston, a ring of earthworks stretched from the river to the railroad on the city’s west edge. Camp Pool, a large fortified encampment east of the city, mounted heavy artillery protecting the Neuse River approach to Kinston. Obstructions placed in the river forced boats to pass through a narrow channel, making them easy targets.

Erected by Battle of Kinston Military Park.

*    *    *

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=30526

Battle of Kinston

Confederates Retreat Across Jones Bridge

— Foster's Raid —

Late in 1862, Union Gen. John G. Foster's garrison was well entrenched in New Bern and made several incursions into the countryside. On December 11, Foster led a raid from New Bern to burn the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Bridge over the Neuse River at Goldsboro and to demonstrate in support of Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside's attack at Fredericksburg, Virginia. Foster's force consisted of 10,000 infantry, 650 cavalry, and 40 cannons.

On December 12, 1862, Foster encountered Confederate forces under Gen. Nathan G. Evans six miles southwest of here at Woodington on the Wilmington Road (present-day U.S. Route 258). After a fierce fight, Evans withdrew to earthworks just south of here and prepared for Foster's second attack, which came about 9 a.m. on December 14. Foster soon turned Evans's left flank, and the Confederates retreated across Jones Bridge over the Neuse River, just downstream from the modern bridge. In the smoke and confusion of battle, Evans mistakenly thought all of his men had crossed the bridge and set it afire in several places, isolating part of his command and burning several of the wounded. The Federals were in such close pursuit that they captured more than 400 of Evans's men.

Some of the retreating Confederates had dropped their loaded muskets on the bridge, where they exploded as the flames reached them. As Evans's men re-formed in earthworks across the river, Federal batteries opened fire on them. Union soldiers rushed onto the burning bridge despite the exploding muskets and extinguished the flames. The Confederates retreated through town, abandoning their artillery, and the battle ended. After a brief stand on the north side of Kinston, Evans withdrew his troops. Foster and his men spent the night of December 14 in Kinston and departed for Goldsboro the next morning. They re-crossed the bridge to the south side of the river, burned the bridge behind them, and marched down the road to Whitehall.

"At the bridge I intended to make another stand, but on approaching it found it on fire and crowded with men endeavoring to cross. A panic ensued. The enemy pressed upon us from two directions at double quick in large force and the bridge the only means of escape. The greater portion of my command succeeded in crossing while the others were driven back by the flames." - Confederate Col. Peter Mallett

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https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=30518

North Carolina

Civil War Trails

North Carolina's Civil War stories are as diverse as its landscape. The Outer Banks and coastal rivers saw action early in the war, as Union forces occupied the region. Stories abound of naval battles, blockade running, Federal raids, and the Confederacy's struggle to supply its armies. Other tales are told in the western mountains, a sometimes-lawless region where Unionists and Confederates fought a war within a war. In the rolling central piedmont, memories linger of Union Gen. William T. Sherman's relentless march north early in the spring of 1865, when his army defeated the Confederates under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Finally, on April 26, Johnston surrendered, essentially ending the Civil War.

Experience these and many more stories as you tour the North Carolina Civil War Trails. Please drive carefully as you visit the sites where ironclads and wooden ships, spies and smugglers, heroes and villains, slaves and soldiers engaged in the greatest conflict in American history.

Erected by North Carolina Civil War Trails.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=226246

Richard Caswell Gatlin

Jan. 18, 1809 - Sep. 8, 1896

Kinston Native, West Point Graduate, US Army Officer, Confederate General

Born at Red House Plantation two miles west of Kinston. Grandson of North Carolina's first State governor. Richard Caswell. Served In the Black Hawk War 1832, Indian Territory 1832-1839. 2nd Seminole War 1839-1842 and Mexican War 1845-1848 where he was wounded and decorated for meritorious service at the Battle of Monterrey. Commanded US Army posts in Florida. Arkansas. Nebraska. Utah and New Mexico before resigning to serve his home state during the Civil War. Commanded Confederate Department of North Carolina 1861-1862 and was NC State Adjutant General 1863-1865. Kinston/Lenoir County's first West Point graduate and only Confederate General. Buried in Smith National Cemetery, Arkansas.

*

And wow did I get lucky with this battlefield park/memorial being very well lit at night! 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=153662

Lenoir County Confederate Memorial

1861 - 1865

Not for wages

Not for gory,

'twas for home and

Right they fell.

Reverse:

To Perpetuate the

valor of the men

from Lenoir County

who wore the grey.

Erected May 10th 1924

by

A.M. Waddell Chapter

U.D.C.

Lenoir County Battlefields Commission - Resolution of Appreciation

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=30529

Battle of Kinston

Federals Turn the Confederate Flank

— Foster's Raid —

Late in 1862, Union Gen. John G. Foster's garrison was well entrenched in New Bern and made several incursions into the countryside. On December 11, Foster led a raid from New Bern to burn the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Bridge over the Neuse River at Goldsboro and to demonstrate in support of Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside's attack at Fredericksburg, Virginia. Foster's force consisted of 10,000 infantry, 650 cavalry, and 40 cannons.

As Foster approached Kinston on December 13, he encountered Confederate defensive forces under Gen. Nathan G. Evans six miles southwest of here at Woodington on the Wilmington Road (present-day U.S. Route 258). After a fierce fight, Evans withdrew to earthworks here near the Neuse River and prepared for Foster's second attack, which came about 9 a.m. on December 14.

Evans stationed about 2,000 troops from the Carolinas here in a semicircular position extending from the river on your left about a mile to a swamp across Wilmington Road to your right. You are standing where the South Carolinians stood. Foster positioned his men for the attack in front of you. Gen. Henry W. Wessells, commanding one of Foster's brigades, divided his unit to attack Evans' left flank here. The Federals encountered thick woods, brambles, and a determined resistance. Eventually, however, with superior numbers and heavy artillery fire, they succeeded in breaking through the Confederate left flank. The South Carolinians gave way, crossing the Jones bridge (which stood just downstream from the modern one) into Kinston. Evans ordered the bridge set afire before the North Carolinians, on the right flank, had a chance to cross over, and many of them were captured as they fled in panic. After a brief stand on the north side of Kinston, Evans withdrew his troops. Foster and his men spent the night of December 14 in Kinston and departed for Goldsboro the next morning.

I made the executive decision to head to Goldsboro from Whitehall, missing Mount Olive, but otherwise - yea, you know I got all those red stars.