| Summary |
The purpose of this study is to examine Lenoir County during the Civil War. This work will better define and clarity the homefront situation in that county during the four-year conflict. The great majority of Lenoir County residents never left their homes during the Civil War. These people attempted to continue their normal lifestyles while the war raged onward throughout the land. These citizens on the homefront were the backbone of the Confederacy. These people at home supported the soldiers and in many ways bore the brunt of the Civil War. This work is written primarily to emphasize the viewpoint of the common man at the homefront level. Little has been written about this majority who never put on a uniform or fought in a single skirmish. An attempt has been made to document and illustrate conditions and changes that occurred in Lenoir County during the Civil War. The work is primarily limited to the geographic boundaries of Lenoir County. The thesis has been divided into topical areas which will be developed chronologically. These expanded topics will constitute chapters in the thesis. The initial chapter will basically provide a physical description of Lenoir County during the Civil War. This description will include industry and agriculture, both in rural areas as well as in Kinston. Businesses, churches and homes will be described and located in the town of Kinston. The second chapter will provide a social and economic study of wartime Kinston and Lenoir County. This section will depict rapid changes that took place in the homefront social system. Economically, the county was severely strained during the Civil War. Every citizen from child to elderly adult was affected by the conflict. The third chapter will expound on the first battle of Kinston, often called "Foster's Raid." This "raid" by Union troops from New Bern resulted in two hotly fought contests in Lenoir County as Confederate soldiers sought to stop the enemy advance. Beyond the obvious casualties, these battles greatly affected the lives of many Lenoir County residents. |
| Summary |
Kinston was occupied overnight by Federal troops immediately after the battle. Lenoir County residents experienced their first direct contact with war in this violent December of 1862. The fourth chapter will discuss the psychology of war on the local homefront. Loyalties and allegiances changed among the local people as the Civil War progressed. This chapter will also discuss the controversial hanging of Union soldiers captured by Confederate General George E. Pickett in February, 1861;. The Confederate leaders argued that the men were Confederate deserters, as indeed these men were North Carolina residents. Several of these convicted deserters were from Lenoir County. As the tide of war turned against the South, many local people lost interest and wanted out. This work will examine this and other psychological phenomena. The second battle of Kinston in 1865 constitutes the bulk of the fifth topical chapter. Like the first battle, this larger engagement strongly affected the Lenoir County homefront. Immediately following the March, 1865, battle, Kinston was again occupied by Federal forces. Months prior to the second battle of Kinston, General William T. Sherman had decided on Goldsboro as his North Carolina target. The sixth chapter deals with General Sherman's use of Kinston as a supply base for his Union forces at Goldsboro. This period of Federal occupancy and supply base use has never been adequately researched in the past. The final chapter of this study will deal with a short period from Union occupation on March 26, 1865, to the surrender of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston on April 26, 1865. As of March 14, the Civil War ended for Kinston and Lenoir County. The people began to rebuild, receive soldiers back home and look to a future of peace. This thesis will fill a gap in scholarly works dealing with this violent period of American history. The work will bring to light new facts about the entire Civil War era and will be as enlightening about North Carolina history as it will be about the history of Lenoir County. A better understanding of the local homefront and the common man will allow us to better understand the Civil War. |
| General note | "Presented to the faculty of the Department of History ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History." |
| General note | Advisor: Charles L. Price |
| Dissertation note | M.A. East Carolina University 1981 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-133). |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | History. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
