Foster’s Raid- First Battle of Kinston Driving Tour

The text from this post is from the excellent First Battle of Kinston Driving Tour brochure available at the Visitor Center.

Stop #1- Before you begin, we recommend that you see the twelve-minute film on the Battle of Kinston and look at the exhibits on the Civil War in Lenoir County. See separate post on the Visitors Center at the link (coming soon).

Stop #2- Foster Turns North– 35.1538822, -77.6369848. On December 13, 1862, Union General John G. Foster began his assault on Kinston, turning his column north onto the Wilmington Road (US 258). He sent cavalry to Southwest Creek at Woodington, where they found the bridge destroyed and the Confederates waiting behind earthworks. Foster put his army in motion. The Battle of Kinston had begun.

**The intersection of Lightwood Knot Road and Highway 258**

Stop #3- The Terrain Becomes the Enemy– 35.1822783, -77.6240833. Foster stopped on this high ground to deploy for battle. A swamp almost one-quarter mile wide stood between him and the Confederates. Only the fortuitous discovery of a milldam upstream and the African American Pioneer Corps, who built a bridge of felled trees downstream, helped Foster overcome the strong defensive position held by the Confederates.

Stop #4- Union Encampment– 35.18041944, – 77.6195947. Darkness ended the fighting. Thousands of men, horses, mules, wagons and artillery were scattered from here to the main road. East of the intersection, near the cemetery, stood Woodington Meeting House; a simple frame church used by several congregations. About 8,000 of Foster’s men spent the night on this side of Southwest Creek. The soldiers, ordered to sleep without fires, spent a cold, miserable night.

Stop #5- Union Assault on the Confederate Line– 35.1846384, -77.6181341. At Southwest Creek, Foster deployed 30 guns against the Confederates. Two guns of Battery B, 3rd NY Artillery accompanied the cavalry and fired on the Confederates throughout the battle. The battery’s remaining four guns deployed near here, firing 40 rounds on the Confederate position. Twenty-four more guns of 3rd NY Artillery Battery deployed on the center and left of the Union line.

Stop #6- Hines Mill Dam– 35.1863649, -77.6219212. The driveway in front of you follows the old road that led to Hines Mill Dam, where the 9th NJ attacked the Confederate right flank. Foster also ordered the 23rd MA to cross here and support the 9th NJ. The Old Wilmington Road ran behind the homes on the west side of US 258. The bridge that crossed Southwest Creek during the Civil War was just west of the current bridge. I did not see a numbered sign at this stop.

Stop #7- The Confederate Defense at Southwest Creek– 35.1940893, -77.626591. The Confederates built earthworks on both sides of the Wilmington Road; about 1,000 feet remain here. Engineers constructed earthworks on all of the roads leading into Kinston. They took advantage of the terrain, building earthworks with swamps in front of them and, where possible, anchored on swamps. Attackers were forced to cross the wetlands under fire or to find another way across, as part of the Union force did here. The earthwork shown below is a long continuous line that is easily seen from the road on the right when heading away from Highway 258. These images were taken in June and there was a heavy mosquito population here.

**Foster would be attacking at the far right end of the Confederate line**

Stop #8- Confederate Bivouac– 35.223898, -77.6143406. On December 13, Confederate troops encamped here, with the lead elements of Foster’s army within sight. The rest of the Union army was south of Southwest Creek and part of the Confederate army was near Kinston. All spent a cold, miserable night knowing that they would fight the battle for Kinston the next day.

Stop #9- Battle at the Upper Trent Road– 35.220818, -77.5744907. On December 13, while the battle raged along the Wilmington Road, General Evans sent a detachment of South Carolina troops to man the fortifications on the Upper Trent Road (NC 58). They destroyed the bridge and waited. The next day, Union forces attacked, forcing the Confederates to pull back toward Kinston. After rebuilding the bridge, the Union soldiers joined their comrades at Kinston.

**Bridge over Southwest Creek** **near the center of the image**

Stop #10- Harriet’s Chapel– 35.2422128, -77.5883701. Harriet’s Chapel stood about where the relocated church building now stands- in the center of the Confederate line. A trail and boardwalk explore the chapel’s role in the battle and take you along the earthwork and to the gun emplacement manned by Starr’s Battery. Harriet’s Chapel and the Star Battery are interpreted at the Kinston Battlefield Park the subject of a separate post at the link.

Stop #11- The Union Left– 35.2441314, -77.5921447. Mallett did not receive Evans’ order to retreat across Jones Bridge. He and his men were trapped on this side of the river. Believing his men had retreated, Evans ordered his artillery to fire on Mallett’s position! The Federals later captured Mallett and about 400 of his men.

**The field on the same side of Measley** **Road as the sign is heavily wooded**

The opposite side of the road is an open field.

Stop #12- The Confederate Left– 35.2396779, -77.5812211. You are now on the far end of the Confederate line, defended by 17th and 23rd South Carolina on December 14. They bore the brunt of the assault as Union troops surged from the woods in front of you, crushing the Confederate left. General Evans ordered a general retreat, and the South Carolinians joined the mass of men, horses and vehicles rushing toward the escape route- Jones Bridge. This portion of the battle is interpreted at the First Battle of Kinston Site. The subject of a separate post at the link (coming soon).

Stop #13- Jones Bridge– 35.2453795, -77. 5835707. Chaos reigned at Jones Bridge. As Union forces closed in the Confederates desperately fought to hold the bridge until their comrades were across. Foster’s artillery converged at the river, firing canister at the Confederates on the bridge. The Confederates retreated and Union soldiers doused the fire on the bridge. The Battle of Kinston was over.

Stop #14- Confederate Burials– 35.2560158, -77.5795628. After the battle, Union soldiers buried the Confederate dead where they lay, placing them side-by-side in shallow trenches. They remained in those unmarked graves until 1881, when the City of Kinston donated this lot and moved the remains of 44 men to this site. Ten years later, the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected this monument.