The first battle of Kinston was part of a general
troop movement by Union forces which extended as far west as Goldsboro, as far north as Fredericksburg, Va., and as far south as Wilmington, North Carolina. Union troops under the command
of Brigadier General John G. Foster of New Hampshire had already captured the town of New Bern. Foster's troops were estimated at 15,000 to 30,000 supported
by nine small gun boats on the Neuse River.
The Confederate forces, under the command of General George Evans of South Carolina,
were estimated by contemporary newspaper accounts “3,000 to more than 6,000 men.” Evans, like Foster, was a West Point Military Academy graduate. On Dec. 10, 1862, the advance of Union troops on Kinston had begun.
Newspaper accounts of the day
present a vivid picture of the battle that ensued:
Raleigh State Journal Dec.
12: "A courier just arrived from the
picket lines brings a dispatch from Major Nethercutt, saying that he is pressed by the enemy and is falling back towards Kinston. The abolitionists are advancing in large force. Report says the number is 17,000. It is reported Major Nethercutt lost 8 men
on yesterday evening, killed and captured. A dispatch received in this, city this morning states that the abolitionists have
attacked General Evans in force somewhere below Kinston."
The Raleigh Progress Dec. 13:
"The enemy are advancing on the South side of the Neuse
River. Fight progressing at half past 11. The enemy are within four miles
of Kinston. The cannonading is distinctly heard here and is
very rapid. The result is unknown."
The cannonading reported in this
newspaper account was probably the result of a hurriedly laid trap to halt the advance of Union gunboats up the river.
The Confederates had constructed a series of obstructions in the river using stone and other materials to form jetties blocking
the shallow river from passage by the gunboats. Trapped, the gunboats were shelled by the Confederates as they tried to blast
their way through the obstructions. Unfortunately for the Confederates, the only cannonballs they possessed were of the “round
solid type” which bounced off the heavy armor of the Union ships. However, the diversion can be called a success as
the Union boats were unable to advance up the river and shell the town as was intended in their battle plan.
The State Journal Dec. 15: "On Sunday, December 14, the Union gunboats continued to batter away at the obstructions
in the river as Union troops advanced along the South Shore
of the Neuse. Gallantly the confederates were very hard fighting; we numbered less than 3,000
in the fight-the enemy at the lowest estimate 20,000. The battle commenced about nine o'clock and ended about 5 p.m. Our men
fought with great spirit and not until they were flanked on both sides did they retreat. The only open road left was over
the bridge and after a portion had passed, an attempt was made to fire the bridge, but it failed, and the enemy succeeded
in crossing under heavy fire of our artillery. We had 20 guns bearing down on the enemy, of which we lost three. Several of
our men were burned and drowned in the attempts to destroy the bridge. A number of our men were cut off from crossing, and
it is thought were taken prisoners supposed to be some hundreds, but it is doubtful as to the numbers. Evans forces retreated
to Falling Creek, six miles north of Kinston as the Union
Army marched into town. The remaining forces consisted of six regiments and six pieces of artillery. Evans hoped to receive
reinforcements at Falling Creek and soon drive Foster's raiders from the town. Fortunately, for Kinston
at least, the Union Forces pushed on to Goldsboro, and Kinston
was spared an attack by its own troops.”
