March 7 - 10, 1865 - Wyse Fork

March 7 - 10, 1865

Wyse Fork (AKA Wise Fork, or Second Kinston)

Southwest Creek just east of Kinston, Lenoir County, NC


Gen. John M. Schofield: Maj. Gen. Jacob D. Cox's XXIII Corps > Col. Charles L. Upham’s brigade, including the 15th Connecticut and 27th Massachusetts

vs.

Gen. Braxton Bragg; Gen. Robert F. Hoke's Division (mainly) plus D.H. Hill and others  


* Schofield sends troops out from New Bern towards Goldsboro, but they encounter (initially) stiff resistance here. Union reinforcements on the second day reverse the Confederate gains; Bragg gives up the initiative and withdraws.   

* Like the sign says, this was the "last mass capture of Union Troops" 

* OMG this is only a month before Appomattox - and just a little more than a month away from Johnston's surrender to Sherman. (On a personal note, I've been doing this blog for awhile now and encountering mostly Firsts; This may be my first Last. While I have no business exploring 1865 yet, I was in the neighborhood: actually it was 4am and I was sick and driving home from visiting Beaufort/New Bern/Fort Macon the previous day [Feb. 2026].) 



https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=23802

Battle of Wyse Fork
Last Mass Capture of Union Troops
— Carolinas Campaign —

The Carolinas Campaign began on February 1, 1865, when Union Gen. William T. Sherman led his army north from Savannah, Georgia, after the “March to the Sea.” Sherman’s objective was to join Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia to crush Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Scattered Confederate forces consolidated in North Carolina, the Confederacy’s logistical lifeline, where Sherman defeated Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s last-ditch attack at Bentonville. After Sherman was reinforced at Goldsboro late in March, Johnston saw the futility of further resistance and surrendered on April 26, essentially ending the Civil War.

Early in March 1865, Union Gen. John M. Schofield began moving from New Bern to Goldsboro, a vital rail junction. His mission was to open railroad communications between the two cities and accumulate supplies for Gen. William T. Sherman, who was marching north to Goldsboro. Schofield ordered Gen. Jacob D. Cox to lead the way. Along Southwest Creek near Kinston, Confederate Gen. Robert F. Hoke’s division blocked Cox’s route.

The Federals entrenched here after dark on March 7, facing west toward the position on the western bank of Southwest Creek occupied by the Confederates. Dover Road crossed Southwest Creek here at Jackson’s Mill Pond, and the Confederates had constructed a series of trenches on the west bank to protect the approaches to Kinston.

On the morning of March 8, Hoke assaulted the Union left flank, and later in the day Gen. D. H. Hill attached the Federal right in support. Hoke’s attack fell on Col. Charles L. Upham’s brigade, which included the 15th Connecticut and 27th Massachusetts Infantry regiments, and most of the brigade was killed, wounded, or captured. Between them, Hoke and Hill seized about a thousand prisoners, the last large capture of Union troops in the war. The remnants of Upham’s command fell back east to a position in front of Wyse Fork and entrenched.

Fighting continued for the next two days. The Confederates retreated to Kinston, fell back to Goldsboro, and then took part in the Battle of Bentonville. After repairing bridges, Schofield occupied Kinston on March 19 and reached Goldsboro two days later.

The Cobb House, to your front and right, served during the battle as the headquarters of Lt. Col. Samuel Tolles, commander of the first battalion of the 15th Connecticut Infantry. The house stood in the midst of Hoke’s attack on March 8, 1865. After the battle, the house served as a Confederate hospital, but treated the wounded of both sides. The names of at least six Union soldiers remain written on the attic walls.


I didn't see a house there TBH, but it was the middle of the night and I was wildly feverish - I barely saw the marker. The picture below, from 2009, shows an intriguing "Woodmen of the World" Lodge and tiny bushes; in 2026 the bushes are fully grown, additional markers have been added (though they don't look too new), and the building is now a daycare facility. Is that the Cobb House?! Or maybe it is across the street and I didn't even notice...

Photographed by Kevin W., October 20, 2009



Not a good enough picture to enter into the database--or really even to read--but I was there, man. 


OK, yes - This position is important since the Second Brigade is the one that was captured/slaughtered here. 








https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/wyse-fork


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