Battle of Whitehall
Seven Springs, Wayne County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Battle Of Whitehall. On December 15-16, 1862, on a raid at Whitehall, Union troops led by Gen. J. G. Foster damaged the Confederate Ram "Neuse."
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
On December 15–16, 1862, Union troops under General J. G. Foster raided the village of Whitehall (now Seven Springs) during operations along the Neuse River. In the fighting they damaged the Confederate ironclad ram 'Neuse,' then under construction along the river. The clash was part of Foster's broader expedition against Confederate supply lines in eastern North Carolina.
Why it matters
The action shows how the Civil War's naval arms race reached even inland river towns, where Confederate hopes rode on ironclads that Union raids sought to destroy before they could be launched.
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Related people
- · J. G. Foster
Related events
- · Battle of White Hall
- · CSS Neuse
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Wm. T. Dortch
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Foster's Raid
Goldsboro, NC
On December 17, 1862, Union troops under General John G. Foster struck Goldsboro during a raid from their base at New Bern, aiming to cut the vital Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. The attack was part of the wider Union effort to control eastern North Carolina's rivers and rail lines. The raiders damaged the railroad bridge before withdrawing.
CSS Neuse
Kinston, NC
The Confederate ironclad CSS Neuse was built upriver at Whitehall and floated down the Neuse River to Kinston during the Civil War. Plagued by low water and shifting fortunes, she was grounded and burned by her own crew in 1865 to keep her from Union hands. Her recovered remains lie one block north of this marker.