Battle of Whitehall-- Part 2: Foster's Raid

The battle continued for several hours until the Union cavalry burned the village and returned to camp.

Foster arrived at Whitehall the next day and engaged the Confederates, trying to make them believe he intended to cross the country, thinking he could then slip his army past Whitehall to attack a railroad trestle bridge four miles south of Goldsboro.

The Comfederates were not fooled amd the battle lasted into sunset. By nightfall on December 16th most of Foster's army had marched on, leaving just a small force at Whitehall (also spelled White Hall) to remove the wounded and bury the dead.

On December 18th, Foster withdrew back through Whitehall on his return to New Bern. A Confederate patrol afterwards found a hundred Union bodies left unburied.

Many northern newspapers figured the expedition had been a failure because of losses and failure to capture the bridge at Goldsboro.

--Old Secesh