On February 21, 1865, Union forces under Maj. Gen. Jacob D. Cox (U.S. Army, XXIII Corps, 3rd Division) crossed Eagle Island on their way into the town of Wilmington, NC. That same night, Maj. Gen. Robert F. Hoke (CSA, NC), about three (3) miles south of Wilmington, withdrew his troops from Forks Road, knowing well that he had to get north of Wilmington quickly or be captured by Union Maj. Gen. Alfred H. Terry (U.S. Army, Terry's Provisional Corps). The objective was to evacuate Wilmington via the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad at Northeast Station on the north side of town.

Just before daybreak on February 22nd, Lt. Col. James F. Randlett (3rd NH Infantry) left camp to scout the Confederate lines at Forks Road as his men were just beginning to stir, brewing coffee and preparing breakfast. He soon returned on horseback at a gallop, "They have gone!," announcing that the Confederates under Maj. Gen. Robert F. Hoke (CSA, NC) had abandoned their earthworks. Maj. Gen. Alfred H. Terry (U.S. Army, Terry's Provisional Corps) relayed this news to his superior, Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield (U.S. Army, Army of the Ohio), who was aboard the U.S.S. S.R. Spaulding on the Cape Fear River, then Maj. Gen. Terry ordered his troops toward Wilmington.

Maj. Gen. Jacob D. Cox (U.S. Army, XXIII Corps, 3rd Division) soon reported that the Confederates had evacuated Wilmington, then he too ordered his troops across the Cape Fear River to seize Wilmington. Part of his 16th KY Infantry entered just after 8:00 a.m., earning the distinction of being the first Union troops to enter Wilmington. The remainder of Maj. Gen. Cox's troops came across in small numbers all that morning.

As the 16th KY Infantry entered the town from the west, Maj. Gen. Terry's Provisional Corps approached from the south, with Bvt. Brig. Gen. Joseph C. Abbott's brigade leading the advance with their flags unfurled and bayonets at the ready. Moving to the edge of town they were met by Capt. John Griffith with a white flag and the mayor's authorization to surrender. Maj. Gen. Terry rode up and accepted the surrender, then pushed on. Mounted on a beautiful charger, Maj. Gen. Terry rode at the head of his army with tattered flags flapping and his bugle corps playing "Yankee Doodle," and marched up Front Street. In the rear were Brig. Gen. Charles J. Paine's two (2) brigades of U.S. Colored Infantry singing the famous 'John Brown' song.

About 10:00 a.m. that morning, Maj. Gen. Terry's scouts overtook General Braxton Bragg's (CSA, Department of North Carolina) rear guard, the 2nd SC Cavalry of Brig. Gen. Johnson Hagood's brigade, at Smith's Creek, a half mile north of town. The Confederates were hastily withdrawing north on the Duplin Road, heading for the Northeast Station on the Northeast Cape Fear River near present-day Castle Hayne. To impede the Union troops, the Confederats destroyed the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad trestle crossing Smith's Creek and set fire to an adjacent wagon bridge.

Sharpshooting erupted across the marshy stream for possession of the wooden span, and the last of the 2nd SC Cavalry dashed across the bridge just ahead of the Union advance. Bvt. Brig. Gen. Abbott's brigade was nearby and they were ordered to march towards the creek, where they found the remaining bridge aflame and well covered by enemy carbines on the other side. Capt. William Tickey (3rd NH Infantry) realized the importance of saving the bridge and ordered his men to seize it under a hail of bullets. Once the bridge was secured, his men jumped into Smith's Creek to draw water to fight the flames. Using only their canteens, kepis, hats, and tin cups, they extinguished the fire and saved the bridge.

Maj. Gen. Terry resumed his pursuit of Gen. Bragg as soon as the bridge was repaired. Although the main armies did not clash, the Union advance and the Confederate rear guard skirmished from Smith's Creek to Northeast Station, nine (9) miles distant. Throughout that afternoon, Col. Thomas J. Lipscomb's 2nd SC Cavalry harassed the Union vanguard with hit-and-run tactics. After crossing Smith's Creek, the 3rd NH Infantry was relieved from advance duty and was replaced by the 6th CT Infantry.

+ On the morning of February 22nd, after it was discovered that the Confederates had evacuated their earthworks in his front, Maj. Gen. Terry ordered him to lead the advance toward Wilmington. His brigade began marching at 7:00 a.m. and reached the suburbs of Wilmington at about 10:00 a.m. just as the rear guard of the enemy marched out.
+ After marching through the town, he overtook the Confederates at Smith's Creek Bridge and drove them off after a slight skirmish. He repaired the bridge and continued following the enemy northward.

General Braxton Bragg — Commanding Officer,

Hoke's Division — Maj. Gen. Robert F. Hoke,
Assistant Adjutant General (Maj.) T.B. Venable
Assistant Adjutant General (Maj.) A. Vanderhorst,

Clingman's Brigade — Col. William S. DeVane,

8th NC Regiment — Lt. Col. Rufus A. Barrier,
Company A — Capt. Daniel A. Sawyer,
Company B — "Shaw Guards" — Capt. Thomas J. Jarvis,
Company C — Sgt. Nathan D.D. May,
Company D — 2nd Lt. James C. Cooper,
Company E — "Manchester Guards" — 1st Lt. Benjamin R. Hargrove,
Company F — Capt. John E. Dugger,
Company G — "General Bragg Guards" — Capt. Amos J. Hines,
Company H — Capt. Jonas Cook,
Company I — Capt. Junius N. Ramsay,
Company K — Capt. Pinkney A. Kennerly,

31st NC Regiment — Lt. Col. Charles W. Knight,
Adjutant Edward K. Bryan,
Company A — 1st Lt. William W. Freeman,
Company B — "O.K. Boys" — 3rd Lt. Joseph W. Allison,
Company C — "Chalybeate Guards" — Capt. William J. Long,
Company D — Capt. Ruffin L. Bryant,
Company E — Capt. Julius F. Allison,
Company F — 2nd Lt. Arthur B. Knight,
Company G — Sgt. C.C. Furguson,
Company H — Capt. John W. Smith,
Company I — "Cape Fear Boys" — 1st Lt. Edmund J. Williams,
Company K — Capt. Joseph Whitty,

51st NC Regiment — Capt. James W. Lippitt,
Company A — Capt. Edward Southerland,
Company B — "Warsaw Sampsons" — Capt. Thomas J. Herring,
Company C — "Duplin Stars" — Capt. Edward Watson,
Company D — "Scotch Tigers" — 1st Lt. Hector McEachern,
Company E — "Clay Valley Rangers" — 3rd Lt. Hiram V. Houston,
Company F — "Ashpole True Boys" — Capt. William S. Norment,
Company G — 1st Lt. Jacob A. Evans,
Company H — "Columbus Light Infantry" — Capt. Samuel W. Maultsby,
Company I — 2nd Lt. Charles T. Guy,
Company K — "Confederate Stars" — 3rd Lt. Eli Dudley, Jr.,

61st NC Regiment — Lt. Col. Edward B. Mallett,
Adjutant John W. Mallett,
Company A — "DeVane's Company" — 3rd Lt. Francis M. Carroll,
Company B — "Harding's Company" — 2nd Lt. John T. Wilkinson,
Company C — "Neuse Guards" — Capt. Samuel S. Biddle, Jr.,
Company D — "Vance Guards" — Capt. Nathan A. Ramsey,
Company E — "Eastern Stars" — 3rd Lt. Henry H. Rasberry,
Company F — "Trio Guards" — 2nd Lt. John B. Belcher,
Company G — "Moore's Company" — Capt. Augustus D. Lippitt,
Company H — "Hill Guards" — Capt. John D. Biggs, Sr.,
Company I — "Alleghany Rangers" — Capt. George Grimsley,
Company K — "Koonce's State Guerrillas" — Capt. Stephen W. Noble,

Colquitt's Brigade — Brig. Gen. Alfred H. Colquitt,
Lt. Hugh H. Colquitt — Aide-de-Camp,
Lt. Harry Estill — Ordnance Officer,

6th GA Regiment — Col. John T. Lofton,
19th GA Regiment — Col. James H. Neal,
23rd GA Regiment — Col. Marcus R. Ballenger,
27th GA Regiment — Capt. Elisha D. Graham,
28th GA Regiment — Capt. John A. Johnson,

Kirkland's Brigade — Brig. Gen. William W. Kirkland (NC),
Acting Assistant Adjutant & Inspector General (Maj.) Lucius J. Johnson,
Assistant Adjutant General (Capt.) Charles G. Elliott,
Aide-de-Camp (Lt.) Albert Stoddard,

17th NC Regiment (State Troops) — Col. William F. Martin,
Lt. Col. Thomas H. Sharp,
Maj. Lucius J. Johnson,
Company A — "Roanoke Guards" — Capt. William Biggs,
Company B — "Stonewall Rifles" — 1st Lt. James H. Wahab,
Company C — "Hertford Light Infantry" — Capt. Lewis F. Everett,
Company D — Capt. Norman L. Shaw,
Company E — Capt. John L. Swain,
Company F — Capt. George B. Daniel,
Company G — "Morris Guards" — Capt. Thomas J. Norman,
Company H — "Liberty Guards" — Capt. Stuart L. Johnston,
Company I — Capt. William H. Powell,
Company K — "Tar River Boys" — Capt. Howard Wiswall, Jr.,
Company L — "John Harvey Guards" — Capt. Thomas H. Gilliam,

42nd NC Regiment (State Troops) — Col. John E. Brown,
Lt. Col. Charles W. Bradshaw,
Maj. Thomas J. Brown,
Company A — 2nd Lt. Alpheus E. Siceliff,
2nd Company B — Capt. James R. Crawford,
Company C — Capt. Robert A. Carter,
Company D — 3rd Lt. A.M. Foster,
Company E — Capt. Spencer J. Hanes,
Company F — Capt. Wiley A. Clement,
Company G — Capt. James A. Blackwelder,
Company H — Capt. Jackson M. Hartsell,
Company I — Capt. Thomas W. Redwine,
Company K — Capt. Sydenham B. Alexander,

66th NC Regiment (State Troops) — Lt. Col. Clement G. Wright,
Maj. David S. Davis,
Adjutant George M. Rose,
Company A — "The Orange Boys" — 2nd Lt. George B. Pearce,
Company B — Capt. Winfield S. Mitchell,
Company C — 2nd Lt. James Wilkins,
Company D — Capt. Windal T. Robinson,
Company E — "Cockade Rifles" — 3rd Lt. John Hall,
Company F — 1st Lt. Samuel S. Carter,
Company G — "The Rough & Readys" — 1st Lt. William C. Brandon,
Company H — 1st Lt. Willis W. Cherry,
Company I — Capt. Jesse P. Williams,
Company K — 1st Lt. Alvin Bagley,

10th NC Regiment (1st Artillery) Detachment:
2nd Company I — "Wilmington Horse Artillery" — Capt. Thomas J. Southerland.

Hagood's Brigade — Brig. Gen. Johnson Hagood (SC),

7th SC Battalion — Lt. Col. James H. Rion,
11th SC Regiment — Col. F. Hay Gantt,
21st SC Regiment — Col. Robert F. Graham,
25th SC Regiment —
27th SC Regiment — Capt. Thomas B. Allston,

2nd SC Cavalry Detachment — Col. Thomas J. Lipscomb,
Unidentified Companies led by Unknowns,

Independent Company — Capt. John W. Galloway, Jr.'s (absent) Company;
2nd Lt. Washington Holden,

Independent Company — Capt. William J. McDugald's Company (Infantry),
Capt. William J. McDugald,

Artillery Detachments — Col. John J. Hedrick,

36th NC Regiment (2nd Artillery) Detachment: — Lt. Col. John D. Taylor,
2nd Company F — "Pamlico Artillery" — Capt. Samuel B. Hunter,
Company K — "Brunswick Artillery" — Capt. William F. Brooks,

40th NC Regiment (3rd Artillery) Detachment — Col. John J. Hedrick,
Maj. William A. Holland,
Adjutant James B. Hancock,
Company A — "Lenoir Braves" — Capt. Ancram W. Ezzell,
Company B — "McMillan Artillery" — 1st Lt. Selby Hardenberg,
Company C — "Bridger's Artillery" — Capt. John E. Leggett,
Company F — "Robertson's Battery" — Capt. John C. Robertson,
2nd Company H — "Barnes' Battery" — Capt. Calvin Barnes,
Company I — "Whitehurst's Artillery" — Capt. Charles C. Whitehurst,

1st NC Battalion-Heavy Artillery Detachment: — Maj. Alexander McRae,
Company A — "Clark Artillery" — Capt. Robert G. Rankin,
Company B — "River Guards" — Capt. John W. Taylor,
Company C — "Brown's Battery" — Capt. William H. Brown,
Company D Remnants — Cpl. James W. Allen,

3rd NC Battalion-Light Artillery Detachment:
Company A — "Northampton Artillery" — Capt. Andrew J. Ellis,
Company B — "Albemarle Artillery" or "Edenton Bell Battery" — Capt. William Badham, Jr.,

Independent Company — Capt. Abner A. Moseley's Company (aka Sampson Artillery) — Capt. Abner A. Moseley. 

Maj. Gen. Alfred H. Terry — Commanding Officer,

Terry's Provisional Corps — Maj. Gen. Alfred H. Terry,
Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Hawley — Chief of Staff,
Lt. Col. Cyrus B. Comstock — Engineering Advisor,
Assistant Adjutant General (Maj.) Adrian Terry,
Col. George S. Dodge — Chief Quartermaster,

2nd Division (XXIV Corps) — Bvt. Maj. Gen. Adelbert Ames,
Assistant Adjutant General (Capt.) Charles A. Carleton,
Acting Aide-de-Camp (Capt.) A.G. Lawrence,
Aide-de-Camp (Capt.) H.C. Lockwood,
Acting Assistant Inspector General (Capt.) R.W. Dawson,
Provost Marshal (Capt.) J.S. Mathews,
Mustering Officer (Capt.) B.B. Keeler,

1st Brigade — Col. Rufus Daggett,
3rd NY Infantry —
112th NY Infantry —
117th NY Infantry —
142nd NY Infantry — Lt. Col. Albert M. Barney,

2nd Brigade — Maj. Oliver P. Harding,
47th NY Infantry — Capt. Joseph M. McDonald,
48th NY Infantry —
76th PA Infantry —
97th PA Infantry —
203rd PA Infantry —

3rd Brigade — Lt. Col. Nathan J. Johnson,
13th IN Infantry — Lt. Col. Samuel M. Zent,
9th ME Infantry —
4th NH Infantry — Capt. John H. Roberts,
115th NY Infantry —
169th NY Infantry — Col. Alonzo Alden,

Artillery: — Bvt. Brig. Gen. Henry L. Abbott,

1st CT Heavy Artillery Detachment — Capt. William G. Pride,
Company B —
Company G —
Company L —

16th Independent Battery, NY Light Artillery — Capt. Richard H. Lee,

2nd PA Heavy Artillery Detachment —
Company A —

Engineers:

15th NY Engineers Detachment — Lt. Keefe Samuel O'Keefe,
Company A —
Company I —

3rd Division (XXV Corps) — Brig. Gen. Charles J. Paine,

1st Brigade — Col. Delevan Bates,
107th U.S. Colored Infantry —
Other Regiments Dispersed Throughout this Division,

2nd Brigade — Col. John W. Ames,
4th U.S. Colored Infantry — Lt. Col. George Rogers,
6th U.S. Colored Infantry — Maj. Augustus S. Boernstein,
30th U.S. Colored Infantry — Lt. Col. Hiram A. Oakman,
39th U.S. Colored Infantry — Col. Ozora P. Stearns,

3rd Brigade — Col. Elias Wright (wounded),
1st U.S. Colored Infantry — Lt. Col. Giles H. Rich,
5th U.S. Colored Infantry — Maj. William R. Brazie,
10th U.S. Colored Infantry — Lt. Col. Edward H. Powell,
27th U.S. Colored Infantry — Bvt. Brig. Gen. Albert M. Blackman,
37th U.S. Colored Infantry — Col. Nathan Goff, Jr.,
Battery E, 3rd U.S. Artillery — Lt. John Myrick,

1st Division (XXIV Corps), 2nd Brigade — Bvt. BG Joseph C. Abbott,
Assistant Adjutant General (Capt.) E. Lewis Moore,
6th CT Infantry — Col. Alfred P. Rockwell,
7th CT Infantry —
3rd NH Infantry — Capt. William H. Trickey,
7th NH Infantry — Lt. Col. Augustus W. Rollins,
16th NY Heavy Artillery Detachment — Maj. Frederick W. Prince.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

The Wilmington Campaign—Last Rays of Departing Hope, Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr., P.427-432.

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume XLVII, Part I, PP.921-922.

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume XLVII, Part II, Section II, P.1242.