Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield

The parking lot is located at 35.3396151, -78.0292073.

**Ten stop Walking Tour- one mile on level ground**

Stop #1- Battle Overview

The Civil War Trails sign below was badly weathered when I visited (it has since been replaced) but the text stated- Welcome to Goldsborough Battlefield Park. The fighting that occurred in the fields around you on December 17, 1862, was the last battle of what is known as Foster’s Raid. The raid lasted for six days during frigid weather that caused misery for soldiers on both sides. Union Gen. Foster’s goal was to burn the bridge for the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, and distract Confederate authorities from reinforcing Gen. Robert E. Lee’s army around Fredericksburg, Va. On December 11, Foster’s 10,000 infantrymen, 640 cavalrymen, and 40 cannons left New Bern, a Union stronghold and thorn in the side of Confederate authorities. The Union soldiers captured Kinston and 400 Southern troops on the 13th. Union soldier Pvt. Henry Clapp wrote that his comrades huddled together at night, “five inches from a blazing fire” to stay warm, and frozen canteens frustrated their efforts to make warming morning coffee. Two days later fighting occurred at Whitehall (now Seven Springs) making Foster’s objective clear. Foster was successful in driving off the Confederate resistance and burning the bridge here, but the span was rebuilt within a few weeks. Nonetheless, the Union raid damaged Southern morale in North Carolina, and Foster considered the raid a “perfect success.” The 32-acre park is operated by the Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield Association. The walking trail to the bridge site is 1 mile round trip, and interpretative signage tells the story of the fight. Please be respectful of the site and consider supporting the preservation efforts here.