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Battle of
White Hall Ferry
Other Names: Whitehall, White Hall Ferry
Location: Wayne County
Campaign: Goldsboro Expedition, aka Goldsborough Expedition (December 1862)
Date(s): December
16, 1862
Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. John G. Foster [US]; Brig. Gen.
Beverly Robertson [CS]
Forces Engaged: Amory’s and Stevenson’s Brigades
[US]; Robertson’s Brigade [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 150 total
Description: On December 16, Foster’s Union troops
reached White Hall where Beverly Robertson’s brigade was holding the north bank of the Neuse River. The Federals demonstrated against the Confederates for much of the day,
attempting to fix them in position, while the main Union column continued toward the railroad.
Engagement at White Hall, North Carolina
| Battle of White Hall Historical Marker |
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| (Civil War Battle of Whitehall Historical Marker) |
After departing Kinston on the 15th, the Confederates were engaged at White Hall (now Seven Springs),
North Carolina, on the following day. The Confederates were situated on the north side of the Neuse River with the Union
forces mounting their guns on a high hill on the south side. The battle was mainly an artillery duel, or cannon duel, with
very little infantry involvement (American Civil War Artillery Organization). The Confederate ram Neuse was also under construction at White Hall.
During the battle, Union forces thought that they had destroyed it, however, very little damage was inflicted on
the Neuse. After the engagement, Foster's troops headed for Goldsboro, still traveling on the south side of the Neuse River and encamped that night
just 8 miles from Goldsboro. (See Battle of White Hall: The Neuse.)
Battle of White Hall: A History
In addition to damaging the town and its river fortifications, the Confederate ironclad ram, the CSS
Neuse, under construction on the north bank of the river, was damaged during the raid
| Confederate Ironclad Neuse |
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| Civil War Ironclad |
On arriving at White Hall, eighteen miles from Goldsboro, General Foster found
the bridge burned and General B. H. Robertson of General Evans' command, posted on the opposite bank of the river ready for
battle. General Robertson, having under his command the Eleventh North Carolina (aka Bethel Regiment), Colonel Leventhorpe; the Thirty-first, Colonel Jordan; 600 dismounted cavalry from Ferrebee's and
Evans' regiments; and a section of Moore's Battery, under Lieut. N. McClees, had been sent to burn the bridge and dispute
Foster's crossing should he attempt to rebuild the bridge. General Foster sent forward the Ninth New Jersey Regiment, followed
by Amory's brigade, and eight batteries took position on the river bank. A heavy artillery and infantry fired commence at
9:30 on the 16th. General Robertson says in his report:
"Owing to a range of hills on the White Hall side, the enemy had the advantage
of position. The point occupied by his troops being narrow; not more than one regiment at a time could engage him. I therefore
held Leventhorpe, Ferrebee and Evans in reserve, leaving the artillery [two pieces], Thirty-first regiment, and two picked
companies in front. The cannonading from the enemy's batteries became so terrific that the Thirty-first regiment withdrew
from their position without instruction, but in good order. I immediately ordered Colonel Leventhorpe forward. The alacrity
of with which the order was obeyed by his men gave ample proof their gallant bearing, which they so nobly sustained during
the entire fight....The conduct of his regiment reflects the greatest credit upon its accomplished and dauntless commander."
| CSS Neuse and the Battle of White Hall |
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| (Historical Marker) |
The two guns of McClees were no match for the many batteries across the
Neuse River, but he served them with coolness and gallantry. Captain Taylor, of Foster's signal service, reported that the
fire from the Eleventh was "one of the severest musketry fires I have ever seen." Colonel W. J. Martin, historian of the Eleventh
regiment, says of the conduct of his regiment:
| Civil War North Carolina Coast |
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| Civil War Battle of White Hall Memorial |
"Posted along the river bank, from which another regiment had just been
driven back, it was pounded for several hours at short range by a terrific storm of grape and canister, as well as musketry;
but it never flinched, and gained a reputation for endurance and courage which it proudly maintained to the fateful end."
The Eleventh regiment that thus distinguished itself was the first regiment
organized in North Carolina, and it was well known as the "First North Carolina." It was also known as the "Bethel Regiment,"
because it had fought at the first land battle of the Civil War. (The first engagement was known as the Battle of Big Bethel
and also the Battle of Bethel Church, and it witnessed the first Confederate soldier killed.) General Robertson reported his
loss at 10 killed, 42 wounded. The Federal loss was 8 killed and 73 wounded.
Result(s): Inconclusive (Federals withdrew)
Sources: D. H. Hill, Jr., Confederate Military History Of North Carolina: North Carolina In The Civil War, 1861-1865; National Park Service; Official Records of the Union and Confederate
Armies; The Civil War Battlefield Guide History: North Carolina Civil War Trails.
Recommended
Reading: Ironclads and Columbiads:
The Coast (The Civil War in North Carolina)
(456 pages). Description: Ironclads
and Columbiads covers some of the most important battles and campaigns in the state. In January 1862, Union forces
began in earnest to occupy crucial points on the North Carolina
coast. Within six months, Union army and naval forces effectively controlled coastal North Carolina
from the Virginia line south to present-day Morehead
City. Union setbacks in Virginia, however, led to the withdrawal of many
federal soldiers from North Carolina, leaving only enough Union troops to hold a few coastal strongholds—the vital ports
and railroad junctions. The South during the Civil War, moreover, hotly contested the North’s ability to maintain its
grip on these key coastal strongholds.
Recommended
Reading: Storm over Carolina: The Confederate Navy's Struggle for Eastern
North Carolina. Description: The struggle for control of the eastern waters of North Carolina
during the War Between the States was a bitter, painful, and sometimes humiliating one for the Confederate navy. No better
example exists of the classic adage, "Too little, too late." Burdened by the lack of adequate warships, construction
facilities, and even ammunition, the South's naval arm fought bravely and even recklessly to stem the tide of the Federal
invasion of North Carolina from the raging Atlantic. Storm Over Carolina is the account of the Southern navy's struggle in North Carolina waters and it is a saga of crushing defeats interspersed with moments of
brilliant and even spectacular victories. It is also the story of dogged Southern determination and incredible perseverance
in the face of overwhelming odds. Continued below...
For most of
the Civil War, the navigable portions of the Roanoke, Tar, Neuse, Chowan, and Pasquotank rivers were
occupied by Federal forces. The Albemarle and Pamlico sounds, as well as most of the coastal towns and counties, were also
under Union control. With the building of the river ironclads, the Confederate navy at last could strike a telling blow against
the invaders, but they were slowly overtaken by events elsewhere. With the war grinding to a close, the last Confederate vessel
in North Carolina waters was destroyed. William T. Sherman
was approaching from the south, Wilmington was lost, and the
Confederacy reeled as if from a mortal blow. For the Confederate navy, and even more so for the besieged citizens of eastern
North Carolina, these were stormy days indeed. Storm Over Carolina describes their story, their struggle, their history.
Recommended
Reading: The Civil War in the Carolinas (Hardcover). Description: Dan Morrill relates the
experience of two quite different states bound together in the defense of the Confederacy, using letters, diaries, memoirs,
and reports. He shows how the innovative operations of the Union army and navy
along the coast and in the bays and rivers of the Carolinas affected the general course of
the war as well as the daily lives of all Carolinians. He demonstrates the "total war" for North Carolina's vital coastal railroads and ports. In the latter
part of the war, he describes how Sherman's operation cut
out the heart of the last stronghold of the South. Continued below...
The author
offers fascinating sketches of major and minor personalities, including the new president and state governors, Generals Lee,
Beauregard, Pickett, Sherman, D.H. Hill, and Joseph E. Johnston. Rebels and abolitionists, pacifists and unionists, slaves
and freed men and women, all influential, all placed in their context with clear-eyed precision. If he were wielding a needle
instead of a pen, his tapestry would offer us a complete picture of a people at war. Midwest Book Review: The Civil War in the Carolinas by civil war expert and historian
Dan Morrill (History Department, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Director of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historical
Society) is a dramatically presented and extensively researched survey and analysis of the impact the American Civil War had
upon the states of North Carolina and South Carolina, and the people who called these states their home. A meticulous, scholarly,
and thoroughly engaging examination of the details of history and the sweeping change that the war wrought for everyone, The
Civil War In The Carolinas is a welcome and informative addition to American Civil War Studies reference collections.
Recommended
Reading: A History of Ironclads: The Power of Iron over Wood. Description: This
landmark book documents the dramatic history of Civil War ironclads and reveals how ironclad warships revolutionized naval
warfare. Author John V. Quarstein explores in depth the impact of ironclads during the Civil War and their colossal effect
on naval history. The Battle of Hampton Roads was one of history's greatest naval engagements. Over the course of two days
in March 1862, this Civil War conflict decided the fate of all the world's navies. It was the first battle between ironclad
warships, and the 25,000 sailors, soldiers and civilians who witnessed the battle vividly understood what history would soon
confirm: wars waged on the seas would never be the same. Continued below…
About the Author: John V. Quarstein is an award-winning author and historian. He is director
of the Virginia
War Museum in Newport News and chief historical advisor for The Mariners' Museum's new USS Monitor Center
(opened March 2007). Quarstein has authored eleven books and dozens of articles on American, military and Civil War history,
and has appeared in documentaries for PBS, BBC, The History Channel and Discovery Channel.
Recommended
Reading: The
Civil War in Coastal North Carolina (175 pages) (North Carolina Division of Archives and History). Description: From the drama of blockade-running to graphic descriptions of battles on the state's islands and sounds,
this book portrays the explosive events that took place in North Carolina's coastal region during the Civil War.
Topics discussed include the strategic importance of coastal North Carolina,
Federal occupation of coastal areas, blockade-running, and the impact of war on civilians along the Tar Heel coast.
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