Historical Preservation Group
Wyse Fork Battlefield Property Acquisition Press Conference

PRESS RELEASE                                          HISTORICAL PRESERVATION GROUP

September 23, 2004                                        Contact: Jane Phillips, (252) 522-0540

                                                                                        Lyle Holland, (252) 361-2434

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Acquisition of battlefield brings major heritage tourism a step closer

            Fifty-seven acres of land that marks the spot of the last mass captured of Union troops in the Civil War will be preserved in its pristine condition thanks to the efforts of the Historical Preservation Group (HPG).

            The closing on the approximately 56 acres of the Wyse Fork Civil War battlefield’s defensive line along Southwest Creek took place on September 22. The land transaction culminated more than 18 months of effort to negotiate with the landowners and obtain funding to buy the land.

            The HPG acquisition was made possible through a grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund from the National Park Service, with matching funds from the Center for Civil War Living History.

The Center for Civil War Living History was created to distribute $500,000 earned by reenactors who donated their time in the filming of “Gods and Generals.”  All these funds have gone towards historic preservation. 

“What is especially gratifying is that a portion of these funds were distributed here in eastern North Carolina,” said HPG President Jane Phillips. “Many of the reenactors who volunteered their time are from Lenoir, Wayne, Onslow, Craven and Pitt Counties.”

The Historical Preservation Group is a non-profit organization devoted preserving Lenoir County’s endangered historic landmarks and the history they represent by developing an industry of heritage tourism.  HPG also promotes educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives to inform the public of the rich history of Kinston and Lenoir County. 

The Historical Preservation Group is the umbrella for two preservation groups: the Lenoir County Battlefields Commission and the Heritage Genealogical Society.  

“For the past year and a half HPG has been working with many to make this acquisition a reality,” Phillips said. “All the efforts came to fruition September 22 when the closing took place.

According to Phillips, many of Lenoir County's Historic Landmarks have already been destroyed. A few sites that have suffered destruction or compromise include Civil War battlefields that have major highway running through the middle of them and Colonial graveyards dug up to make room for parking lots.

“Beautiful historic homes that once stood along tree-lined street have been destroyed to make room for new buildings and parking lots,” Phillips said. “Historic homes and buildings are deteriorating. Ancient Native American village sites have disappeared, and legal records containing genealogical information are no longer available. Lenoir County's rich African American history and culture has faded with time.”

The 56 acres involved in the acquisition are the site where the 15^th Connecticut was disarmed.  This incident was the last mass capture of Union troops during the war, and the Battle of Wyse Fork was the second largest in North Carolina during the Civil War.

On March 14, 1862, New Bern fell to the Union forces under the command of General A. E. Burnside.  From then until March 10, 1865, Confederate forces manned a vital defensive line east of Kinston along Southwest Creek.  These defensive works protected the Wilmington to Weldon Railroad, the main supply line for Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.    The acquisition is a part of these defensive works.

On March 8-10, 1865, the Confederate forces under the command of Gen. Braxton Bragg left the defensive position along Southwest Creek and attacked the 12,500 Union troops under the command of Gen. Jacob Cox.  The Confederates were defeated and retreated to the Smithfield area.

“The same land, upon which our ancestors lived and died, is being lost to shopping malls, housing tracts, and industrial sites,” said Battlefield Commission chairman Lyle Holland. “The same land upon which our county was formed is being consumed by fast food restaurants and other forms of urban sprawl.

“With the acquisition of the battlefield property, the HPG has taken a giant step towards preserving some of the past,” Holland added. “This land will forever be preserved so that current and future generations can better understand the connection between military conflicts and the important social and political changes in our American history.  It will help ensure that both tragedies of war and our nation’s hard-won advances are never forgotten.”

The Historic Preservation Group is working on a program to make this property accessible to the public for educational tours and living history programs. However, because of the sensitive and fragile nature of the property, the land is posted until this program is in place.