Battle of White Hall The Battle of White Hall , also called the Battle of White Hall Ferry , took place on December 16 , 1862 , in Wayne County , North Carolina , as part of the Union expedition to Goldsboro , North Carolina , during the American Civil War . Battle . On December 15 , Brig . Gen . John G . Foster ' s Union troops reached White Hall where Brig . Gen . Beverly Robertson had taken command of Confederate militia holding the north bank of the Neuse River . There was some skirmishing as the Federals set up several artillery units on a hill overlooking the town and Confederate defenses . According to the report of the Union commanders , the Federals demonstrated against the Confederates for much of the day on December 16 , attempting to fix the Confederates in position , while the main Union column continued toward the railroad . Local historians dispute this account , claiming that one of the Union objectives of the Goldsboro Campaign ( also known as Foster ' s Raid ) was to destroy an ironclad ramming boat that the Confederates were building on the north bank of the Neuse river at that location . This boat ( CSS Neuse ) was one of several identical boats that were being built in upriver locations throughout the South , their purpose being to break the Union naval blockade . Only one of these boats ( CSS Albermarle ) was completed in time to be useful , and succeeded in sinking several Union ships at New Bern , North Carolina , and opening that port to Confederate shipping . The Union plan was to take the bridge at Whitehall ( present - day Seven Springs ) , destroy the CSS Neuse , and proceed by shorter route to destroy the rail line at Goldsboro . The Confederates had superior defensive position , and they burned the bridge to prevent the Union forces from crossing . The Federals spent most of the day of December 16 bombarding the town with artillery fire to destroy the Confederate defenses and to attempt to destroy the boat . Meanwhile Union riflemen aimed sniping fire at the Confederate forces defending the boat . Local legend says that the Union riflemen were firing high all day , because the south bank of the river ( where the Federals were ) is actually higher than the north bank , but the river creates an optical illusion that the two banks are level . Local legend also has it that among the Confederate casualties were two black teenagers , fighting with the local militia . During the two days of the battle , Union artillery leveled the town and heavily damaged the CSS Neuse . Local legend maintains that several civilians took refuge in a stone jailhouse that was destroyed by cannon fire . Near the end of the day on December 16 — perhaps fearing , if they continued the engagement , that they would be caught between Confederate forces from Kinston and other Confederate forces from Goldsboro — the Federals abandoned their attempt to cross the river at Whitehall and withdrew to the west . They crossed the Neuse River between Whitehall and Mount Olive , and continued on to the engagement at Goldsboro . Aftermath . Both sides claimed victory . The " New York Herald " newspaper published banner headlines touting the victory , as several New York regiments were involved . The Federals felt that they had won because they inflicted substantial damage on the CSS Neuse . The Confederates felt that they won because they inflicted much heavier casualties upon the Union than were suffered by Confederate forces , stopped the Federals from crossing the river , and prevented the boat from being destroyed . The CSS Neuse was eventually completed near the end of the war , but got stuck on a sandbar before reaching the coast , and had to be scuttled .