Dudley, NC | Dec 17, 1862
Union forces under Maj. Gen. John G. Foster successfully destroyed the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad bridge in Goldsborough, North Carolina, and temporarily cut off Confederate supply lines into the state of Virginia from the Deep South.
How It Ended
Union victory. While Union forces successfully cut off Confederate supply lines in Goldsborough, NC, the Confederates withstood this temporary loss in supplies and rebuilt the railroad bridge in Goldsborough within weeks.
In Context
After replacing Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, as commander of the Army of the Potomac, Union Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside developed a plan to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. Hoping to weaken Confederate forces in the area, Maj. Gen. John G. Foster made his way toward the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad junction near Goldsborough, North Carolina, to destroy the bridge and cut off Confederate supply lines. Coupled with a potential victory in Virginia, Union forces hoped this destruction would leave Richmond vulnerable to attack.
On the morning of December 11, 1862, Foster and his Union forces marched from New Bern, North Carolina, toward Goldsborough, defeating smaller Confederate forces at Southwest Creek, Kinston, and Whitehall along the way. They arrived in Goldsborough on December 17.
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On the morning of December 17, 1862, Foster and his forces attacked Brig. Gen. Thomas Clingman and his force of 2,000 at the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad bridge. After two hours of fighting, Union forces successfully set fire to and destroyed the bridge and nearby rail line. With his objective complete Foster pulled back from the town back toward New Bern, successfully fending off a Confederate attack as he withdrew.
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While the supply lines at Goldsborough were successfully destroyed, this success had little effect on the overall war. As Foster and his men marched to Goldsborough, Burnside suffered a defeat at the hands of Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Fredericksburg from December 11-15, 1862. The victorious Confederate forces were able to withstand a temporary loss of supplies and send engineers to fix the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad bridge within weeks of its destruction. The town and the supply lines remained in Confederate hands until March 21, 1865, when Union forces moving inland from the coast occupied the area.
Goldsborough Bridge: Featured Resources
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