Battle of Kinston

Battle of Kinston. Foster's Position on Southwest Creek. The yellow sidebar in the upper left provides a brief background: 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 13, 1862 as Foster and his command approached Kinston on the Wilmington Road (present-day U.S. Route 258), he first encountered Confederate Gen. Nathan G. Evans’s defensive forces at Woodington near Southwest Creek. After 3rd New York Cavalray scouts informed Foster that the Confederates (Col. James D. Radcliffe’s 61st North Carolina Infantry) were entrenched on the north side of Southwest Creek and the bridge here had been destroyed, he ordered his brigade commander to place their units in battle formation. Foster’s artillerists posted their guns on the right of the road here and opened fire. The 9th New Jersey Infantry pressed forward on your left and the 85th Pennsylvania on your right, under intense fire. They crossed the creek, which was not fordable here, using felled trees, bridge fragments, and a mill dam, as well as by swimming. About 400 of the 61st North Carolina Infantry, strongly positioned across the creek in front of you with two artillery pieces, contested the Union troops for every foot gained. After fierce fighting, Evans realized that his men were outnumbered and ordered them to fall back toward Kinston. About two miles from town, he halted them in a strong wooded and swampy position, and the troops “rested on their arms” overnight to await the next attack.