Harriet's Chapel Battlefield Park

— Battle of Kinston Military Park —

Twenty-four guns of the 3rd New York Artillery supported Gen. Wessells' infantry as they advanced through the swamp toward the Confederate line. The overwhelming firepower of Union infantry and artillery eventually forced the Confederates to abandon the line and fall back to Jones Bridge.

When Wessells gave the order to attack, two guns of Battery B came forward and opened fire. The battery's remaining four guns soon joined them, all firing at the Confederate line near Harriet's Chapel.

Col. James H. Ledie, chief of the Union artillery, then brought batteries E, F and I—eighteen guns—into action, Lt. H.F. Scaife wrote: "?the battery we were supporting was ripping up the woods in fine style—at every discharge cracking off pine trees as it they had been pipe stems."

As the battle progressed, Col. Ledie moved Battery F to the extreme right of the Union line in support of infantry near the Confederate earthworks. A South Carolina officer described the Union assault: "Already the firing in the front was incessant, and balls and shells from the Federal guns were falling about the bridge." The Confederates abandoned their position.

(captions)
(upper left) Guidon attributed to the 3rd Light Artillery, New York Volunteers
(upper right) Lt. Manning Livingston, Battery F, 3rd New York Artillery

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Show me all markers in:  Kinston, NC  |  Lenoir County  |  28504  |  North Carolina  |  United States of America

Starr's Battery
Wessells' Advance—December 14, 1862
The Center of the Confederate Line
The Action in the Swamp
The Confederate Defenses of Kinston
Caring for the Wounded
The Site of Harriet's Chapel
The Night of December 13, 1862
Fighting at Harriet's Chapel
Kinston Battlefield Park

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