Suggested Reading

Historical Preservation Group

Suggested Reading on Eastern North Carolina
Civil War Period

A Grandmother's Recollection of Dixie

by Mary Norcott Bryan
1841-1925
click here

KINSTON HANGINGS:
Justice or Atrocity
by
Gerard A. Patterson
Click here to learn more
about the author

AN ACCOUNT OF THE ASSASSINATION OF THE LOYAL CITIZENS OF NORTH CAROLINA

By Rush Hawkins 1887

THRESHOLD OF FREEDOM

Lenoir County, NC During the Civil War
By Cliff Tyndall
Lenoir County Historical Association 2002

LENOIR COUNTY
CIVIL WAR
CULTURAL RESOURCE
SURVEY
By Joe Brent:
Mudpuppy and Waterdog, Inc.
Historical Preservation Group 2005

LENOIR COUNTY-KINSTON SURVEY AND NATIONAL REGISTER PROJECT

By Joe Brent:
Mudpuppy and Waterdog, Inc.

Historical Preservation Group 2005

THE STORY OF KINSTON AND LENOIR COUNTY

by Charles Holloman and Tallmadge Johnson

Neuse Regional Library in KinstonHeritage Place at Lenoir Community College Library

200 YEARS OF PROGRESS

A report of the History and Achievements of the People of Lenoir County 1976

OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION:
A Compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies.
Prepared under the direction of the Sec. of War, by Bvt. Col. Robert N. Scott, Third US Artillery
Published pursuant to Act of Congress approved June 16, 1880. Washington Government Printing Office 1880

Executive Documents printed by Order of the House of Representative 1866-67

REMINENANCES OF MILITARY SERVICE IN THE FORTY THIRD REGIMENT MASSACHUSETTS FIFTH

By Edward H. Rogers Franklin Press: Rand, Avery and Company 1883

GENERAL
ROBERT F. HOKE
Lee’s Modest Warrior

By Daniel W. Barefoot – John F. Blair, Publisher 2001

A CIVIL WAR DIARY

by Henry S. Lee
Edited by John Dixon Davis
Craggy Mountain Press

IRONCLADS AND COLUMBIADS
The Civil War in North Carolina

By William R. Trotter

THE CIVIL WAR IN NORTH CAROLINA

by John G. Barrett

University of North Carolina Press

SHERMAN’S MARCH THROUGH
NORTH CAROLINA
A chronology

By Wilson Angley, Jerry L. Cross and Michael Hill NC Dept of Archives and History

BULL’S-EYES AND MISFIRES

by Clint Johnson

Ruthledge Hill Press 2002

CIVIL WAR BLUNDERS

by Clint Johnson

John F. Blair Publisher 1997

TOURING THE CAROLINAS’ CIVIL WAR SITES

by Clint Johnson
John F. Blair 1996

CIVIL WAR GHOST
STORIES & LEGENDS
by Nancy Roberts

University of South Carolina Press 1992

ANNALS OF PROGRESS the Story of Lenoir County and Kinston, NC
By William S. Powell
NC Dept. of Archives and History

THE HERITAGE OF
LENOIR COUNTY

The Lenoir County Historical Association 1981

CIVIL WAR TRAVELER

COASTAL PLAIN AND FANCY IN LENOIR COUNTY:
The Historic Architecture of
Lenoir County and Kinston, NC
Complied by M. Ruth Little, Robbie D. Jones, Pennie Smith and Scott Power
City of Kinston and the Lenoir County Historical Association 1998

CSS NEUSE:
A QUESTION OF IRON AND TIME

by William H. Rowland and James C. Bardon

"They Went Into the Fight Cheering! Confederate Conscription in NC"
By Walt Hilderman
Parkway Publishers

It is an in-depth study of the Confederate military draft in North Carolina. Chapter 4 is devoted exclusively to the Battle of Kinston Bridge and cites previously unpublished accounts of the the battle written by soldiers who fought there. The book was awarded the North Carolina Society of Historians' history book award in 2006 and the United Daughters of the Confederacy's literature award in 2007. It received favorable reviews in several national publications.

In the competitive American Civil War book market, it is difficult to imagine an aspect of the war that has not been adequately covered. However, one issue which is often overlooked is the South's reliance on compulsory military service after the first year of the war. In They Went Into the Fight Cheering! Walter Hilderman explores that neglected topic.

America’s first nationwide compulsory military service law was enacted by the Confederacy in 1862. The process, known as conscription, quickly became the most hated law in North Carolina and the rest of the South. Until now, little was known about the day-to-day operation of conscription, the activities of those charged with its enforcement, or its impact on the civilian population and the course of the war. Hilderman’s work fills this gap in Civil War history.

In making the award, North Carolina Society of Historians judges agreed unanimously that "This book is extremely interesting, contains the results of impeccable research, is gripping at times, and is incredibly well documented. The full-name, location index will prove extremely helpful to researchers and readers of this work. Every aspect of conscription seems to have been covered... not just from a military standpoint, but from a human standpoint as well. This is what makes this book so unique and so special."

In this, his first book-length work, Hilderman skillfully intertwines the lives and letters of North Carolinians and other Southerners with the Confederacy’s progressively desperate measures intended to sustain its armies. Conscription generated intense political and social conflict throughout the South. Historic figures such as Robert E. Lee, Zebulon Baird Vance, and Braxton Bragg were drawn into the controversy, often on opposite sides. The issue of conscription forced Southerners to re-examine their dedication to states rights, slavery, segregation and Confederate nationalism.

They Went Into the Fight Cheering! fills a void in North Carolina and Confederate history with well documented yet sympathetic treatment of men and women who were caught-up in the great American tragedy.

They Went Into the Fight Cheering! (ISBN 1-933251-25-5) is published by Parkway Publishers for a retail price of $24.95. It is available in local bookstores or can be ordered directly from John F. Blair, Publisher at (Ph: 1-800-222-9796). It is also available online through Amazon.com, Books-A-Million and Barnes and Noble.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Mr. Rao Aluri, Ph. D.: (828) 265-3993 or Toll Free: (800) 821-9155, e-mail: parkwaypub@hotmail.com URL: http://parkwaypublishers.com

North Carolina Society of Historians: www.ncsocietyofhistorians.org

The Battle of Wyse Fork:
North Carolina's Neglected Civil War Engagement
By Tim Austen

Federal forces had successfully occupied the seacoast of North Carolina since early 1862. In early 1865, the Confederacy's fate was almost sealed as the port city of Wilmington had fallen to Union forces. The Union’s next task was to establish a supply depot at Goldsboro for Sherman’s forces coming up from Georgia and South Carolina.

In March 1865, Federal General Jacob D. Cox marched a 13,000 man Provisional Corps from New Bern inland toward Goldsboro. To delay these Federals, and give precious time for scattered rebel units to gather together into an army, Confederate General Braxton Bragg moved approximately 8,500 troops to Southwest Creek east of Kinston. This move provided unexpected resistance and effectively blocked the path to Goldsboro.

The resulting 3-day battle was the 2nd largest engagement on Tar Heel soil, providing for the last mass capture of Union forces during the civil war. Despite its large size and having the second largest casualties of any Tar Heel Civil War battle, this engagement has been neglected by many and considered nothing more than a skirmish; a footnote in North Carolina’s civil war heritage and only one of the many engagements of the 1865 Campaign of the Carolinas. This lack of attention has created a noticeable gap in information on the Carolinas Campaign of 1865.

Although it took place only a month before the end of the American Civil War, this battle demonstrated the aggressive spirit with which some Confederates still fought and the determination to win with which the Federals clung to.

With the approach of the 145th anniversary of this engagement and its regional significance, this book seeks to analyze and summarize the 3-day conflict near Kinston, North Carolina. It provides a day-by-day account of the battle, noting the significance of this engagement and its role in eastern North Carolina civil war history. The author gives the battle a much-needed comprehensive analysis and summary, while providing a welcome addition to the heritage of the civil war in eastern North Carolina.

It is 305 pages in length and the sources used include regimental histories, battle reports, eyewitness accounts from ordinary soldiers, and the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion. Subjects within this hardbound volume include:

Strategy and tactics employed
the last mass capture of Union troops by the Confederates
biographies of the main commanders
viewpoints from the ordinary infantryman and high-ranking officers
Casualty figures for each force
Field hospitals & civil war medicine
Prisoner-of-war facilities
The role of the Confederate ironclad CSS Neuse in this battle

While it would make a great addition for any civil war buff, those individuals who wish to know more about this battle, and its role in eastern N. C. history, will also enjoy it. This book may be purchased from the Kinston-Lenoir County Visitors and information Center located on Hwy 70 East.