Saving History Saturday: Preservation Victory at Wyse Fork

The American Battlefield Trust (ABT) recently announced that they have been able to preserve 86 acres at Wyse Fork, the site of the second largest battle in North Carolina. Between March 8 and 10, 1865, Confederates under Gen. Braxton Bragg blocked the federal advance of XXIII Corps troops under Maj. Gen. Jacob D. Cox, just east of Kinston, N.C. at Southwest Creek. Bragg attacked the Federal flank, and initially had some success, but his attack quickly stalled. Union reinforcements arrived on the 9th, just in time to repulse renewed attacks by Bragg. Bragg eventually withdrew across the Neuse River. The Union victory led to over 2,600 combine casualties.

Recently, a new bypass for U.S. Highway 70 was proposed for the area (read more here). The proposed bypass would have been on the core battlefield, which would have threatened future preservation.

American Battlefield Trust and its preservation partners were instrumental in raising concerns about how the bypass would destroy history, and shifting the project to the east would be a viable alternative.

Grants from the North Carolina State Capital Infrastructure Fund and the American Battlefield Protection Program helped contribute to this victory.

You can find out more about this, and all of ABT’s work by visiting their website.