Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War. Volume 3.

[183] about two thousand Confederates, with three pieces of artillery, under General Evans, posted on the opposite bank, disputed his passage. These were soon routed by a charge of the Ninth New Jersey, assisted by a flank movement by the Eighty-fifth Pennsylvania. Foster then pressed on toward Kinston, skirmishing heavily on the way, and when within a mile of that village,

December 14, 1863.

he encountered a larger force (about six thousand), under Evans, well posted between the Neuse River and an impassable swamp. After a sharp fight the Confederates were driven across the river. They fired the bridge behind them, but the flames were put out, and about four hundred of the fugitives were made prisoners, with eleven guns and a large amount of commissary stores. Evans fled through the town, re-formed his forces two miles beyond it, and commenced a retreat toward Goldsboroa, before Foster could bring up artillery to attack him. The latter pressed on toward Goldsboroa, the objective of the expedition, driving the Confederates from Whitehall, and distracting them by feints, until, near his goal, he was checked

Dec. 17.

by a heavy force under General G. W. Smith. He succeeded, however, in destroying the bridge of the Weldon and Wilmington railway,¹ over the Neuse, at that place; also several other bridges, about six miles of the railway, and a half-finished iron-clad gun-boat. Then he retreated rapidly to New Berne, having lost during his eight days absence with his troops, five hundred and seven men, of whom ninety were killed. The Confederate loss was near nine hundred, about five hundred of whom were prisoners.

The failure of Burnside at Fredericksburg prevented any further attempts of Foster to establish communication with the National forces at Norfolk and Suffolk, and he was compelled to content himself with sending out raiding expeditions to keep the Confederate troops in that region so well employed in watching the railway communications between Virginia and the Carolinas, that they could not well be spared to re-enforce Lee or others. At the middle of January,

1863.

he sent out Colonel Mix, with his Third New York Cavalry, to raid through the counties of Onslow, Trent, and Jones. For five days those troops swept over that region, driving Confederate detachments before them, capturing prisoners, mules, and arms, and liberating many slaves.

At about this time Foster's forces were greatly diminished by the withdrawal of a large number of his troops to assist in a meditated siege of Charleston. Yet he was not inactive. During the first ten days of March he sent out four raiding expeditions, but they effected no other important result than the arousing of the Confederates of North Carolina, and the concentration of a considerable force under General D. H. Hill. That leader was directed to make a diversion in favor of Longstreet, before Suffolk,² when he marched in force upon New Berne, and with twenty guns attacked an unfinished earth-work on the north side of the Neuse, then held by the Ninety-second New York. Hill was repulsed, when he turned northward, and marched on Little Washington. Foster hastened to the threatened post