ARMY OPERATIONS. 



171 



ing year will be no less fruitful of events that will 

 insure the safety, peace, and happiness of our beloved 

 country, and add new lustre to the already imperish- 

 able name of the Army of Northern Virginia. 



B. E. LEE, General. 



As a part of the campaign against Rich- 

 mond undertaken when Gen. Burnside took 

 command of the army in Virginia, the efforts 

 , which were made to cut the Confederate line of 

 communication between Richmond and the 

 southwestern States, should be stated. There 

 are three lines of railroad running south and 

 southwest. The one running southwest passes 

 through southwestern Virginia, eastern Ten- 

 nessee, northern Alabama, and connects with 

 roads to western Tennessee and to New Orleans. 

 One line running south connects Richmond 

 with Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah, and 

 parts of Alabama. A southern line from Rich- 

 mond, recently completed, passes through cen- 

 tral North Carolina and South Carolina. By 

 cutting the former of these roads at Cumber- 

 land Gap, reinforcements and supplies could 

 not be brought from the southwest to the Con- 

 federate army under Gen. Lee. Neither could 

 reinforcements be taken from Gen. Lee's 

 army to Gen. Bragg at Murfreesborough. By 

 cutting the second line the most direct com- 

 munication between Richmond and the prin- 

 cipal cities of the Confederate States was de- 

 troyed. 



At the time when Gen. Rosecrans was pre- 

 pared to move from Nashville to attack the Con- 

 federate army near Murfreesborough, an expe- 

 dition was sent into east Tennessee to destroy 

 the railroad, in order to prevent any reenforce- 

 ments to Gen. Bragg from Richmond. Gen. 

 Carter, with a force of cavalry numbering one 

 thousand men, left London, in Kentucky, on 

 Dec. 21. They entered Virginia between Cum- 

 berland Gap and Pound Gap, and advanced 

 within six miles of Bristol, burned the bridges 

 across the Halston and Watauga rivers, and 

 tore up portions of the track, destroying the 

 rails for a distance of nearly one hundred 

 miles, almost to Jonesborough. They captured 

 nearly five hundred prisoners, seven hundred 

 stand of arms, and a large amount of stores. 

 They reached Manchester, Ky., on the 6th of 

 January, having lost only ten men. The enter- 

 prise was a most hazardous one. 



The expedition against the second line of 

 railroads was undertaken in North Carolina. 

 It forms the only subsequent military move- 

 ment of importance, in addition to those hereto- 

 fore described, which was made in that depart- 

 ment during the year. It was a march upon 

 Goldsborough, and the destruction of the rail- 

 road at that place. This is the line connecting 

 Charleston and Savannah with Richmond. 

 Gen. J. G. Foster, who commanded the depart- 

 ment after the departure of Gen. Burnside, 

 took charge of the expedition. The force con- 

 sisted of four brigades under Cols. Wessels, 

 Amory, Stevenson, and Lee ; the 3d New 

 York and 1st Rhode Island batteries; also sec- 



tions of the 23d and 24th New York Independ- 

 ent batteries, and the 3d New York cavalry. 

 It left Newbern on the morning of Dec. 11, 

 and moved on the Kinston road fourteen 

 miles. Some parts of the road were obstructed 

 by felled trees. On the next morning it ad- 

 vanced to the Vine Swamp road, having some 

 sharp skirmishing with a small Confederate 

 force. At this point three companies of cav- 

 alry were sent up the Kinston road as a de- 

 monstration, and the main force took the Vine 

 Swamp road, thereby avoiding the obstruc- 

 tions and the Confederate forces. It was de- 

 layed to build the bridge over Beaver Creek, 

 where the 51st Massachusetts and a section of 

 artillery were left to hold it, and support the 

 cavalry on the main road, and halted at a dis- 

 tance of four miles. The next morning the 

 main column advanced, turning to the left and 

 leaving the road it was upon to the right. At 

 the intersection the 46th Massachusetts and a 

 section of a battery were left as a feint and to 

 hold the position. On reaching Southwest 

 Creek a Confederate force was found posted on 

 the opposite bank, about four hundred strong, 

 and with three pieces of artillery. The creek 

 was not fordable, and ran at the foot of a deep 

 ravine. Under the protection of a battery the 

 9th New Jersey effected a passage and formed 

 on the opposite bank, where it was afterward 

 supported by the 85th Pennsylvania. This 

 caused the Confederate force to retire with 

 some skirmishing. On the next day an ad- 

 vance upon Kinston was made, and the Con- 

 federate force found posted in a strong posi- 

 tion about one mile from the place. An attack 

 was at once made with the 9th New Jer- 

 sey in advance, and the position taken. The 

 Confederate force retired across the Neuse 

 river, with a loss of four hundred prisoners, 

 On crossing, the bridge was set on fire, but 

 soon extinguished by the advance of Gen. Fos- 

 ter. The bridge was immediately repaired, 

 and the column crossed, and occupied the 

 town of Kinston. With constant skirmishing 

 the force of Gen. Foster continued to advance 

 until the 17th, when it reached Goldsborough. 

 Here it burned two trestle-work culverts, de- 

 stroyed a train of four railroad cars, water 

 station, depot, &c., and some small arms, 

 which it was unable to carry off. After de- 

 stroying other bridges, and capturing some 

 small positions that had been occupied by a 

 Confederate force, the expedition successfully 

 returned to Newbern. This enterprise was 

 very skilfully executed. In connection with 

 movements upon Richmond it would have pos- 

 sessed considerable importance, but in the ab- 

 sence of such movements it only served to in- 

 terfere for a few days with one line of the Con- 

 federate internal communication. 



These expeditions, although successful in 

 themselves, secured no important advantages 

 as the great movement upon Richmond had, 

 in the mean time, been suspended. They were 

 useful reconnoissances, and the former may have 



