The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-14
BRACES ARMY REPULSED
NEAR KINSTON, N. c.
March 10, 1865.

Fifty years ago today a Confederate
army. under Gen. BraXton Bragg. wa:
rcpulscd after three days of desultory
fighting near kinston. n. G. by Fed
cral army. under Gen. Jacob II. Cox
which was moving inland from New
bern to effect junction with Shcr'
a. mans army.
This Was the final attempt OF Tho
Confcdcratcs to call a halt 10 III" Fed
craI operations along III" Atlantic
coast. tho recent object of which had
hccn I" csta bliSh permanent base al
. supplies for Shcrman's use when. h'
should complete his march northw a I'd
| from Savannah through the two caro-
| Iinas. While the battle of Kinstor
wa. being fought Gen. Sherman was
marching upon the town of Fayette-
willie. on the Cape Fear River. aboI,
eighty-five miles southwest.
After Gen. Braeg's retirement from
| the field fifty years ago today. the
Confederates were to confine their ef-
forts TO attempts to check Sherman
AS a result. the Federals were TO
penetrate further into the interior
from Newborn. and when Sherman was
to finally open up the way northward
by defeating the Confederates at Ben
tonville. on March 81. were to be in
position to handily effect junction
with him.
With the establishment Of tho Fed
erals at Wilmington. February 20.
Shermans safety was practically m
sured. Yet Wilmington WAS rot the
hest point at which to concentrate
stores for Shermsn's use. Tn" harbor
at Morehcad City. on the coast below
New bern. was much better adapted to
heavy draft vessels than was the Cape
Fear River. and furthermore. the rail-
road running inland from Newborn
was in much better condition than
that from Wilmington. Their" was
rolling stock at Newborn and not any
at Wilmington.
Hence il was determined to maintain
tight hold upon Wilmington and at
the same time to make a determined
effort to push into the interior along
the railroads from Newborn. Con.
John NJ. Schofield. tho Federal depart
ment commander. ordered Gen. Cox to
proceed from Wilmington to N"wbcrn
TO direct the operations.
Cox Moves Inland.
At Newborn were gathered several
thousand convalcSccnts ON their way
to rejOin ShcrmanS army. and a diVi-
sion of now troops under Gen. Thos.
H. Kruger. assigned to IN" Twenty
third corps. which was at Wilmington.
The Convalcscents and members of tn"
Newborn garrison were at once formed
into two divisions. under Gems. /. n.
Palmer and 5. r. Carter.
Gen. Cox determined to waste no
time. On March l nc ordered the bulk
of his force to move out along the
railroad toward kinston. about twenty
miles inland from Newborn. y posi-
ton was taken up about sixteen miles
out of Newborn. and the engineers
proceeded to rebuild the road. which
had been wrecked by the Confedcr-
ates.
received in the Federals camps that
the Confederates were gathering
against them. Hence. on March :. in
order to gain the first advantage, Gen.
Cox seized a position within three
miles of kinston, at Wises Forks.
junction of the main roads in that sec
ton OF the country.
Carriers and Palmer's divisions in
trenched along the main front, facing
kinston. while Ruger's division re-
manned in the rear Two regiments of
Carter's division, the Fifteenth Con-
necticut and the Twenty-seventh Mas
sachusetts. under Col. Charles l.. Up
ham, of the Fifteenth. were placed
nearly a half mile in front OF the Fed
eral line to impede the first advance
OF the Confederates should they at
tack.
9th Massachusetts Captured.
Gen. Bragg. the Confederate com
mander. had. on March 6. been placed
under command Of Gen. Joseph L.
Johnston. The latter. at BraEg's So
granted permission to make
use of parts of the old Army OF Ten
nessee (Which had been almost shat
tered in the battle of Nashville. in De-
cember. 1860, which had come from
the west and then were near Smith
field, on the railroad. forty-five miles
from Einston.
When Bragg found his own small
force. som" 5000 men, under Gen. X.
+. Hoke. confronted by CoX's advance.
he hastily summoned the available
part of the Tennessee army. This
about 5000 men, now in
of Gen. u. II. Hill. Joined
Bragg at kinston. and in the morning
of March S the Confederates moved out
TO attack.
Tho first heavy assault fell upon the
regiments under Col. Upham.
The whole field of action was sw8mpy
and cut up by narrow roads. and in
the first sharp fight ell but seven men
Of the Twenty-seventh Massachusetts
regiment were captured. Col. Upham.
with his own regiment. managed to
make his way to the main line.
Being in doubt as to the extent of
his first success. yet probably believ-
ing that he had made an impression
upon the main Federal line. Bragg at
once adjusted his ranks and launched
another heavy blow at the Federals.
This time he ran into their main line
IF works-which had been further
by the arrival of Ruger's
division from the rear-and Bragg was
-epulsed.
Again on March there were other
minor attacks. Gen. Schofield came up
hat day and urged that a general Of
'ensive of the Federals be delayed
until the arrival of the Twenty-third
.orps, which was then marching over |
and from Wilmington. eighty-five !
niles distant to the southwest. Gen.
Bragg. receiving other small re-en- |
'orcements, prepared for a sudden |
blow the next day.
Bragg Falls Back.
On March 10 the Confederates hit
lard. But the Federals' works proved |
90 strong for them. and after a heavy |
light. with considerable losses on both |
ides, Gen. Bragg withdrew his troops. |
lie had received news of the approach |
II the Twenty-third corps from Will
and. fearing that his retreat |
night be cut off. fell back to Colds
,oro. twenty miles in the rear. that
light. Before retreating Gen. Bragg
destroyed a partly completed ironclad
hat lay moored at Kinston.
The Federal losses were s22 killed