Lenoir County, NC - Foster's March Through Resolution Branch, 1862

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                      Incidents in Connection With
               General J.G. Foster's Raid from Newbern to
                       Goldsboro in December, 1862

Foster and his forces left Newbern December 11, 1862, on an expedition to 
destroy the railroad bridge at Goldsboro.

They camped the first night a few miles from Newbern, near Deep Gully, on the 
Trent road to Kinston. The next day, December 12, they resumed the march.

My grandfather, Enoch Noble, knowing that they were headed for Kinston, 
decided to detain them, Foster's Army, in order to give the Confederates 
protecting Kinston more time for preparations.

So he assembled as many old men and young boys as he could with such guns and 
ammunition as they could find and, knowing the terrain around Resolution 
Branch, which Foster had to cross (about one and one-half miles from 
grandfather's home), he stationed his band of men and boys in a gorge just 
below the crossing - a short distance from Trent River - and awaited Foster's 
arrival.

He told his men not to shoot until they, Foster's men, were in range of their 
guns and when ordered or directed to take aim at the officers who were riding 
in front.

This they did.

Foster's officers were so much surprised (they thought they had been ambushed 
by Confederate soldiers) they halted and opened fire on the section to no 
avail.

In the meantime grandfather had withdrawn his men to the river swamp where 
they scattered and hurried away.

When he returned to his home, about one and one-half miles toward Kinston, he 
found that the Yankees were using his home for a hospital to patch up their 
wounded. My grandmother was assisting in aiding the wounded.

In the meantime Foster's soldiers were setting fire to the cotton bales, 
ginhouse, etc., and stealing everything which looked like it could be eaten.

One officer remarked that there was more damage done in a few minutes at 
Resolution Branch than he had ever seen in such a short time.

Grandfather had already taken precaution to hide all his hogs, cows, sheep, 
horses and mules. He drove some of them into the Trent River swamp and some 
two to three miles back into the edge of Mussel Shell Pocosin.

Foster's men camped the night of the twelfth on parts of my grandfather's, 
the Huggins and the Pollock families' land.

On the thirteenth, they resumed their march toward Kinston. About four miles 
from Kinston, they encountered Confederate resistance in the vicinity of Wise 
Fork and South West Creek, where a fierce battle was fought.

Farther west they were opposed on another road, at South West Creek by 
Southern Forces who had thrown up earthworks. Some of Foster's soldiers 
camped in the old Washington Churchyard the night of the thirteenth. Foster 
himself was with that group.

The next day, the fourteenth, they shelled the area around, some of the 
shells piercing the roof of my grandmother Williams' home and damaging her 
mill.

They ransacked my grandmother Williams' house, destroying what they couldn't 
take with them. They took all the provisions, even the dinner which was on 
the table, all the livestock and some of the Negroes. General Foster told my 
grandmother that he had heard that she had sons in the Southern Army and that 
he was going to make it hard for her. She told him that she had four sons and 
two grandsons in the Army and was proud of it.

Her home was taken for a hospital and her daughter Ann was very sick with 
typhoid fever. Foster ordered her to remove her daughter. She told him that 
her doctor had told her not to disturb her. Foster insisted and the daughter 
was moved to a neighbor's home where she died in a few hours.

Since everything in her home had been destroyed - even the thirteen feather 
beds were taken out, cut open and let the wind blow the feathers away. Burial 
clothes for the daughter had to be obtained from the neighbor. Even the 
family Bible was destroyed.

The four sons were John, Edward, Lott and James (my father); the grandsons 
were Dr. J.A. Pollock and Dr. Andrew J. Pollock who were the children of my 
grandmother's daughter, Olive Branch, by a former marriage to Lott Humphrey. 

Note: Uncle Edward was mortally wounded at Wise Fork in the second battle
of Wise Fork March 8, 1865, under General (N.D. Evans written in) R.F. Hoke.
The Union commander was General J.D. Cox.

                                                John E. Williams
                                                Fayetteville, NC

NC Archives
Personal Collections
John E. Williams Papers
Call # PC.1433

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This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by
Guy Potts <gpotts1@nc.rr.com>
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