battle of whitehall: december 15-16, 1862
Battle Summary
In the summer of 1861 during the early months of the War of Northern Aggression, Yankee troops occupied parts of eastern North Carolina and General Ambrose Burnside was appointed their commander. Burnside and most of his forces were withdrawn in July 1862 and sent to Virginia to support General George McClellan's army after their humiliating defeat and subsequent retreat from the victorious Confederate Army of North Virginia under the command of General Robert E. Lee. However, Burnside left a small force of 8,000 men in New Bern under the command of General John Foster.
On December11, 1862, Foster led a large force out of New Bern and headed west with his eventual purpose being to destroy the Wilmington and Weldon railroad bridge at Goldsboro to prevent Confederate forces from sending supplies north to General Lee. Foster captured Kinston on December 14 after a brief battle. On December 15 Foster continued his march in the direction of Whitehall where he engaged a strong Confederate force under the command of General Beverly Robertson entrenched along the northern bank of the Neuse River.
Confederate General Collett Leventhorpe was a participant in the Battle of Whitehall, and he wrote a brief description of the engagement 16 years later:
Genl Evans ordered Gen. Robertson to take his dismounted men, my regt, & the 31st N.C. with a half section of a battery to White Hall, situated o the Neuse, perhaps 16 miles from Kinston and prevent crossing at that point. We reached Whitehall on the evening of Dec. 15th. Genl Robertson had made preparations to destroy the bridge, & to prevent the enemy from placing his pontoons. When the enemy came up, and at night, the bridge was fired. Genl Robertson, posted pickets in the swamp, & held his troops in reserve. The enemy passed the night in preparations for the crossing on the morrow, occasionally shelling the pickets & the camps, when a light was shown. In the morning they had 19 guns in position and advanced their infantry in successive regiments to the high banks on the right bank of the Neuse. The elevation of these banks proved highly disastrous to Genl Foster. At 9 A.M. General Robertson rode up, & ordered me to take my men into the swamp. I took my position, & sheltering my men behind the logs with which the swamp was strewed, ordered them to fire at will. The Union troops fired by regiments & in volleys. Both the artillery and infantry overshot us; whilst the enemy's men, exposed in line on the high banks; fared very badly. Toward evening Genl Foster withdrew. He left 126 dead, & 19 horses, in front of the 11th Regt. The 11th N.C. lost 7 killed, & about 40 wounded. The disproportionate loss was entirely owing to the difference in position. General Robertson was out-numbered 15 or 20 to one....
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The Battle of Whitehall was a resounding Confederate victory. Not only did the Confederates suffer far fewer casualties, they also prevented the Yankees from destroying a gunboat, the CSS Ram Neuse, which was being built at the time at Whitehall. Additionally, they blocked Foster from crossing the Neuse via a shorter route to his ultimate destination of Goldsboro, thus giving Confederate troops more time to assemble to prevent the destruction of the Wilmington and Weldon railroad bridge there. Although Foster ultimately reached Goldsboro via a longer route and succeeded in setting fire to the bridge before withdrawing, the damage was superficial and the railroad was back in operation within two weeks. Writing in the Encyclopedia of North Carolina, edited by the imminent North Carolina historian, William S. Powell, Dan Blair wrote that "the most significant damage from the raid was to personal property, crops, and livestock," a modus operandi regularly employed by Yankee troops throughout the war.
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William Garrison Reed of the 44th Massachusetts Volunteer militia participated in the battle of Whitehall. In 1884, he returned to North Carolina to retrace the steps of his unit. He kept a journal along with photographs that he took, eventually donating both to the New Bern Public Library. Reed was an amateur photographer and some of the pictures he took are included in those reproduced below.
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Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Batttle of Whitehall: Drawing from Harpers Weekly
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
The Whitfield cemetery that contains the graves of William II, William III, Needham Whitfield and their wives has been expanded into a memorial park dedicated to veterans of various wars.
Map of Forces Deployed
Batttle of Whitehall: Drawing from Harpers Weekly
Whitfield Cemetery: Seven Springs
Map showing the troop deployment for both Confederate and Yankee forces at the battle of Whitehall.
Batttle of Whitehall: Drawing from Harpers Weekly
Batttle of Whitehall: Drawing from Harpers Weekly
Batttle of Whitehall: Drawing from Harpers Weekly
This drawing was made by an artist accompanying the Yankee troops. It shows Yankee troop deployment in the town of Whitehall. The view appears to be looking west into the town, although some local townsfolk have long insisted it is a view looking south from the other side of the Whitehall Bridge over Neuse River. The drawing was published in Harper's Weekly, January 10, 1863 edition, page 20.
Enclosure of Whitfield Graves
Whitehall Bridge Over the Neuse
Batttle of Whitehall: Drawing from Harpers Weekly
Photo taken in 1884 by William Garrison Reed of the cemetery in Seven Springs where William II, William III, and Needham Whitfield are buried, along with their wives. Reed's caption reads: "Whitehall the graveyard." Some accounts say the Confederates poured a withering fire here on the Yankee position.
Whitehall Bridge Over the Neuse
Whitehall Bridge Over the Neuse
Whitehall Bridge Over the Neuse
Photo taken in 1884 by William Garrison Reed of the bridge at Whitehall rebuilt after its predecessor was burned in the 1862 battle. Reed's caption reads: "Whitehall bridge"
Location of the CSS Ram Neuse
Whitehall Bridge Over the Neuse
Whitehall Bridge Over the Neuse
Photo taken in 1884 by William Garrison Reed on the Whitehall bridge showing the location of the CSS Ram Neuse. Reed's caption reads: "Where the Confederate gunboat lay"
Village of Whitehall
Village of Whitehall
Village of Whitehall
Photo taken in 1884 by William Garrison Reed of the town of Whitehall. Reed's caption reads: "Whitehall Main Street looking toward the bridge"
Village of Whitehall
Village of Whitehall
Village of Whitehall
Photo taken in 1884 by William Garrison Reed of the town of Whitehall. Reed's caption reads: "Whitehall Main Street looking from the bridge"
Battle Memorial
Village of Whitehall
Battle Memorial
This marker was erected in 1994 by a special commission of citizens of Seven Springs. It is located in front of a white wooden building at the boat landing on the corner of E. River Street and Main Street at the Neuse River Bridge.
CSS Ram Neuse
CSS Ram Neuse
Battle Memorial
An artist's conception of the CSS Ram Neuse as it was being built at Whitehall
CSS Ram Neuse
CSS Ram Neuse
CSS Ram Neuse
An artist's interpretation of the CSS Ram Neuse covering the Confederate evacuation at Kinston
CSS Ram Neuse
CSS Ram Neuse
CSS Ram Neuse
This photo shows the remains of the hull of the CSS Ram Neuse, which were recovered in 1963. They are on public display at the CSS Neuse Interpretive Center in Kinston, North Carolina.
William garrison reed
Journal of Reed's 1884 Trip to North Carolina
IN January, 1884, Colonel C.G. Attwood, formerly of the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts, issued a circular inviting all who had served in North Carolina to join a party on a trip to the old North State. Like many others, I had always intended to revisit the places connected with the history of the Forty-fourth, and at this time the first opportunity was presented. Comrade Charles J. McIntire, of Company G, and I decided to join; but when we called on Colonel Attwood we were informed that owing to various causes the proposed expedition had been abandoned. We had talked about the trip so much that it was a great disappointment, and as it would be very inconvenient for us to be away in March,--the time named in Colonel Attwood's circular,--we decided to wait until the fall and go, with or without others. In August, after consulting with Colonel Attwood, eight hundred circulars were issued in his name, reviving the project suggested the January previous. A few favorable answers were received, but an equal number of resignations followed, and the party was finally composed of McIntire and myself.
I left home Tuesday evening, Sept. 30, 1884, with feelings hard to describe. It seemed almost as though I was again "going to war." The old barracks, the river, camps, troops, drilling, and [p. 224] various scenes of a wholly warlike nature were in my mind. I could not picture New Berne without plenty of soldiers moving about, the old forts bristling with cannon, war vessels in the river. I could hardly realize that I was to travel about without a "pass," unmolested, in covered railway cars, or ride over the country roads instead of marching. However, I was on my way to the never-to-be-forgotten places, and must expect great changes.
For many years I had had a strong desire to visit Gettysburg. I started a little in advance of Comrade McIntire, whom I was to join at Baltimore. Having had quite an experience in photography (as an amateur), I decided to take my camera and a supply of dry plates, so as to secure views of the most interesting points; and in this sketch of the trip the number enclosed in parentheses following the mention of any place indicates that I succeeded in getting a picture of that locality, and is the number of the negative.
Space will not permit giving an account of the Gettysburg visit. It will be sufficient to say that I made some most pleasant acquaintances, who were engaged in and thoroughly familiar with the action of the battle, and I felt well repaid for the time spent.
On Friday morning, October 3, I boarded the south-bound train at Baltimore, where I joined McIntire. Passing through Washington, Fredericksburg, Petersburg, and Weldon, we reached Goldsboro' at 7.30 P. M. Selecting the nearest hotel, we told the landlord the object of our visit, expressing a desire to meet some of our late opponents. He soon found some, with whom we passed a very pleasant evening.
Having arranged to send our baggage to New Berne by train, on Saturday morning we took a carriage and drove to the Goldsboro' battlefield. To our surprise it was nearly five miles from the village. As we approached. the field (568 [Note: This is the photograph number used by Reed]) by a different road from the one we had followed twenty-two years before, it was difficult to locate the various points.
The railroad bridge was unmistakable; but we at last concluded that the trees had grown so that now we could not see the bridge from the memorable turnip-field in which we had rested Dec. 17, 1862. Time [p. 225] was precious; as one view of the field was sufficient, we were soon in motion for Whitehall. Our driver professed to know the route, but by noon he acknowledged he had not been over it for many years and had lost his way. We were disappointed, as we had hoped to ride over the same road that we marched over in 1862.
Stopping at a farm-house for directions, the woman replied in the familiar North Carolina phraseology, "It 's a right smart distance further this way, but I've heared my husband say this road is a heap better than the other;" and so we kept on. About 2 P.M. we turned into the main street (574) of Whitehall, [Note that the following was originally included as a footnote: The map shows Whitehall Bridge. The village of Seven Springs, formerly Whitehall, or, as maps say, "Jericho," is on the south bank of the river.] at the point where Newcomb and Slocum, of Company A, were killed, Dec. 16, 1862.
Driving immediately to the Seawell House and ordering luncheon, we proceeded to view the position occupied by the Forty-fourth at the time of the action. Fortunately we found a Mr. Whitfield, who owned most of the land about there and was a resident of the place during the war. We found the little buriallot (570) on the river-bank near Company G's position.
We were shown the places where many of the killed had been buried, and were told that since the war all the bodies had been removed,--he supposed to the Federal Cemetery at New Berne,-with the exception of one whose name or regiment was unknown, and a house having been built over the soldier's last resting-place, the body could not be disinterred. Walking out on the bridge (569) we took a view of the bank opposite our position and then of the spot where the Confederate gunboat was built (571).
The place had changed greatly. The south bank is now thickly studded with young trees, so that it is difficult to find a place from which the river can be seen. The half-dozen buildings which formed the town of Whitehall, and in 1862 were burned when we left, have been replaced by some twenty or thirty, among them a church, hotel, and saw-mill. About half a mile west of the main street is a hotel for summer guests near some springs which have been found to possess medicinal properties. There are seven of them, and the name "Whitehall" has [p. 226] been discarded, the place now being known as "Seven Springs." The main street of the town extends to about where Newcomb and Slocum were killed (573), which at the time of our first visit was an open field. A gentleman pointed out a tree in his garden under which they had been buried.
After luncheon we drove over the bridge on our way to La Grange, where we were to take the train for New Berne. Four miles an hour appears to be the maximum rate of driving in North Carolina, and it was 5.30 P.M. when we stepped on the platform of the railway station at that place. At half-past six the train from Goldsboro' arrived, and glad enough we were to get on board. We frankly stated to those we met the object of our trip, and the greatest cordiality was shown us. On this train we had the pleasure of meeting Captain Carroway. He had been in the Confederate cavalry, and while the Forty-fourth was in the department, commanded the pickets on the north side of the Neuse, with headquarters at or near Street's Ferry.
McIntire remembered, when detailed on a flag-of-truce boat to carry some refugees up the river, having seen him near that place. Captain Carroway stated that for a long time he belonged to the "unreconciled," but at last realized that it was no use "kicking against the pricks." Now, he says, he can see that the war had its good results; that the people of both sections are becoming better acquainted, are discovering good points in each other that they knew not of before, and that their minds are being gradually cleared of prejudices. For his part he "was right glad to see us." He got off at Kinston, expressing a wish that he might be able to be of service.
William Garrison Reed and probably Charles McIntire on their North Carolina trip.
other
Interesting Tidbits About the Battle
***The battle that occurred within the town limits of what is now Seven Springs took place entirely on land owned by our ancestor, William Whitfield II, until his death in 1795. William's descendants had retained portions of that land but had sold others and, as a result, by the early 1800s the little town of Whitehall had been established on the southern bank of the Neuse River. The Yankees used William's home as a hospital for their wounded troops.
*** The Yankees used the home built by William Whitfield II as a hospital for their wounded troops during the battle. An elderly Whitfield matron, while attending the annual reunion about 1989, stated that she clearly remembered visiting this house as a girl and seeing bloodstains on the floor from the Yankee soldiers.
*** Major George William wrote an interesting account of the battle of Whitehall entitled, "A Place for Theodore." In his book, Major Williams postulated that the large number of Yankee casualties were due to friendly fire.
An artist's conception of the Yankees bombarding the CSS Ram Neuse at Whitehall