Hello Group... More of the same.... interesting bits of our Southern History! Enjoy! Jewelle Kinston FreePress 13 Dec 04 http://www.kinston.com/ Union, Confederates clash at Kinston December 13, 2004 Lonnie Blizzard Special to The Free Press Editor's note: Lonnie Blizzard, former president of Lenoir Community College and a member of the Historical Preservation Group's Battle Commission, presents Part 4 in a five-part series focused on the first battle of Kinston during the Civil War. On the morning of Dec. 13, 1862, Union Gen. John G. Foster's troops encountered Confederates along the Wilmington Road near Woodington. Foster ordered his units into battlefield formations about three quarters of a mile from the creek. The following is taken from General Foster's official report: "On Saturday, the 13th - We reached Southwest Creek, the bridge over which was destroyed, and the enemy posted on the opposite bank, some 400 strong, with three pieces of artillery. The creek was not fordable, and ran at the foot of a deep ravine, making a very bad position for us. I ordered a battery in as good a position as could be obtained, and under their fire the Ninth New Jersey, which had the advance, pushed gallantly across the creek by swimming, by fragments of the bridge and by a mill-dam, and formed on the opposite bank. At the same time the Eighty-fifth Pennsylvania, of General Wessells' brigade, forced a passage by the felling of trees and fording about half a mile below bridge, and engaged the enemy's left, who thereupon retired and deserted his breastworks." The destroyed bridge referred to in Foster's report was just upstream from the present bridge. About 4,000 feet of the earthworks on the north side of the creek are still well defined. About 600 feet were destroyed by a bulldozer in 2002. The mill dam is still in place, with the millhouse pilings clearly visible. It is about one-fourth mile upstream from the bridge. The following is taken from Confederate Gen. Nathan Evan's official report: "On Saturday, the 13th instant, the enemy approached Kinston in considerable force and attacked the line of our forces under the immediate command of Col. James D. Radcliffe, North Carolina Troops, who had taken position on the west side of Southwest Creek. At 10 o'clock, I arrived on the ground and assumed command, and ordered Colonel Radcliffe to take command of the left wing at the crossing of the upper Trent Road. The enemy then was attacked at Hines' Mill while he attempted to cross the creek. After a sharp engagement of an hour, I fell back toward the Neuse River, keeping line of battle and arresting his approach about 2 miles from Kinston Bridge. He then attacked in considerable force, but retired after an engagement of ten hours. I rested on my arms that night in this position, the enemy ceasing fire after nightfall." Hines' Mill referred to in Evan's report was sold to Waller Brothers about 1900 and became known as the Waller Mill. It is estimated that 2,000 Union troops crossed Southwest Creek on Dec. 13. The remaining 10,000 made camp for the night on the south side of the creek. One Massachusetts soldier wrote that they spent the night in a pleasant grove around a little church called Woodington; actually it was the Woodington Meeting House built in 1829. It was used for community meetings and by several denominations for periodic church services. It has been moved from its original site and is now being used as a storage building on the Rigsbee Farm in the Woodington community. © 2004 by Freedom ENC Communications. All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced without written permission from FENC Communications. For questions or comments about this site please email [email protected] ************************************************************************** [email protected] [email protected] Researching: (Main Capitalized) BAKER, Barrow, BEAMAN, BLOUNT, Bonner, Bours, Braxton, CANNON, Carraway, COX, Chester, Dail, ELLIS, Faircloth, Gardner, HANCOCK, HARDEE, Hardison, Harris, Harper, Harrington, Heath, Hollyman (all sp), JACKSON, Johnson, Jones, Letchworth, Manning, McGLOHON (all sp), McGOWAN, McKeel, Mills, Mitchell, Mumford, PHILLIPS, Price, Shaw, Smith, Sumrell, Stocks, Stokes, Tyson, Vandiford, Walls, Walston, Weeks, Wilkerson, WINGATE, Wetherington, Worthington, plus ++++ GenealogyPITT Co NC Friends In Research (Serving all Eastern/Coastal NC Counties) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/genpcncfir http://groups.yahoo.com/group/genpcncfir/messages eMail scan by NAV & certified Virus Free