Battle of Washington The Battle of Washington took place from March 30 to April 19 , 1863 , in Beaufort County , North Carolina , as part of Confederate Lt . Gen . James Longstreet ' s Tidewater operations during the American Civil War . This battle is sometimes referred to as the Siege of Little Washington . Background . After the culmination of Burnside ' s North Carolina Expedition little attention had been given to North Carolina by the Confederate Army . In December 1862 a Union expedition from New Berne destroyed the railroad bridge at Goldsboro , N . C . along the vital Wilmington and Weldon Railroad . This expedition caused only temporary damage to the railroad , but did prompt Confederate authorities to devote more attention to the situation along the coast of Virginia and North Carolina . Following the Confederate victory at Fredericksburg , General Robert E . Lee felt confident enough to dispatch a large portion of his army to deal with Union occupation forces along the coast . The whole force was put under the command of Lt . Gen . James Longstreet . While Longstreet personally operated against Suffolk , Maj . Gen . D . H . Hill led a column which moved against Federal garrisons at New Berne and Washington , North Carolina . Maj . Gen . John G . Foster , commanding the Department of North Carolina , was responsible for the overall defense of the Union garrisons along the North Carolina coast . After Hill ' s attack against New Berne failed , Foster arrived in Washington to take personal command of the garrison . Siege . Foster , a West Point trained Army engineer , put his skills to good use improving the town ' s defenses as well as employing the use of three gunboats in the defense . By March 30 , the town was ringed with fortifications , and Brig . Gen . Richard B . Garnett ' s brigade began the investment of Washington . Meanwhile , Hill established batteries as well as river obstructions along the Tar River to impede reinforcements . He also posted two brigades south of Washington to guard for any relief efforts coming overland from New Bern . The Confederates sent a reply to Foster demanding surrender . Foster replied saying " If the Confederates want Washington , come and get it . " Despite this defiance , Foster lacked the strength to dislodge the besiegers , and Hill was under orders to avoid an assault at the risk of sustaining heavy casualties . Thus , the engagement devolved into one of artillery , and even so the Confederates limited their bombings to conserve their ammunition . In time both sides were running low on supplies , and conditions grew miserable in the rain and mud . Despite the lack of progress against Washington , Hill was accomplishing a vital objective in the form of foraging parties so long as the Federals were pinned down . Relief Efforts . A Federal relief column under Brig . Gen . Henry Prince sailed up the Tar River . Once Prince saw the Rebel batteries , he simply turned the transports around . A second effort under Brig . Gen . Francis Barretto Spinola moved overland from New Bern . Spinola was defeated along Blount ' s Creek and returned to New Bern . Foster decided that he would escape Washington and personally lead the relief effort leaving his chief - of - staff , Brig . Gen . Edward E . Potter in command at Washington . On April 13 , the USS " Escort " braved the Confederate batteries and made its way into Washington . The " Escort " delivered supplies and reinforcements in the form of a Rhode Island regiment . It was aboard this ship on April 15 that Foster made his escape . The ship was badly damaged and the pilot mortally wounded , but Foster made it out . Raising the Siege . About the same time Foster made an escape , Hill was faced with numerous reasons that ultimately led to his withdrawal : the completion of his foraging efforts , Union supplies reaching the Federal garrison , and finally a message arrived from Longstreet requesting reinforcements for an assault on Suffolk . Hill broke off the siege on April 15 and began to withdraw Garnett ' s brigade fronting Washington ' s defenses . Meanwhile , Foster had made it back to New Bern and immediately began organizing a relief effort . He ordered General Prince to march along the railroad towards Kinston to hold off Confederates in the vicinity of Goldsboro , while Foster personally led a second column north from New Bern towards Blount ' s Creek where General Spinola had earlier been turned back . On April 18 , Foster ordered Spinola to drive the Confederates from their road block at Swift Creek guarding the direct road from Washington to New Bern . At the same time , General Henry M . Naglee attacked the Confederate rear guard near Washington capturing several prisoners and a regimental battle flag . On April 19 Foster returned to the Washington defenses and by April 20 the Confederates had completely withdrawn from the area . Aftermath . Apart from raids conducted by Foster and Potter , North Carolina remained relatively quiet until 1864 when Robert E . Lee was able to spare troops for another operation against Federal control posts on along the coast .