About the Battle:
On March 7, 1865, the Battle of Wyse Fork began near Kinston, as the vanguard of Maj. Gen. Jacob D. Cox’s 13,000-man force originating from New Bern approached the Confederate defensive line along Southwest Creek. Cox was unaware that Confederate General Braxton Bragg had concentrated a sizeable force of almost 10,000 in the area to either defeat or turn back the Federal advance. Unaware of this Rebel force near Kinston, Cox let his guard down as he focused on ensuring that the Atlantic & N.C. Railroad operated from the coastal port at Morehead City to the key rail center at Goldsboro, where Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman sought to resupply his formations before continuing the march toward Virginia.
The following day, March 8, would prove to be the high point for Confederate forces, with the
capture of almost an entire infantry brigade of approximately 1,000 soldiers. Forced to transition to a defensive posture and await the arrival of additional Federals approaching Kinston from the direction of Wilmington, Cox’s infantry and artillery clashed with the Confederates during the next two days. Unable to defeat Cox’s well-entrenched line near the modern community of Wyse Fork, Bragg, withdrew from the battlefield on the evening of March 10 in the direction of Goldsboro. Almost all the Confederate formations that participated at Wyse Fork would once again find themselves in a bloodier battle, Bentonville, a little more than a week later.
The Battle of Wyse Fork involved one of the largest concentrations of troops ever on North Carolina soil, exceeded only by the battles of Averasboro and Bentonville, which occurred later that same month. During the four-day battle more than 325 Confederates were taken prisoner and another 336 wounded, with an unknown number left dead or dying on the field. Total U.S. Army casualties were fewer, with 57 killed and 265 wounded. As a delaying maneuver, the battle was a success for the Confederates, as it allowed time for the continued flow of additional Southern troops into North Carolina.
Source: Wade Sokolosky and Mark A. Smith, “To Prepare for Sherman’s Coming” (Savas Beatie LLC, El Dorado Hills, CA), 2015.
