Qualla: Battle of Washington https://qualla.com/battle-of-washington en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:15 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/d/q/3/4/battle-of-washington-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Washington https://qualla.com/battle-of-washington Battle of Washington: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-washington/ Photo credit American Battlefield Protection Program, Public domain. "If the Confederates want Washington, come and get it." Major General John G. Foster's reply to the surrender demand was pure bravado. His garrison at Washington, North Carolina -- a town so modest it was often called Little Washington -- was outnumbered and encircled. Confederate batteries blocked the Tar River, earthworks ringed the town, and two rebel brigades guarded the overland routes from New Bern. For twenty-one days in the spring of 1863, Foster and his soldiers held on, enduring artillery barrages, dwindling supplies, and miserable rain while waiting for help that kept failing to arrive.

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]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/q/3/4/battle-of-washington-wp/dq34-battle-of-washington-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Washington: Lee Turns His Attention South https://qualla.com/battle-of-washington/ Photo credit American Battlefield Protection Program, Public domain. The siege grew from a shift in Confederate strategy. After Burnside's North Carolina Expedition in 1862, the state's coastal garrisons had been a secondary concern for the South. But in December 1862, a Union raid from New Bern destroyed the railroad bridge at Goldsborough along ...

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]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/q/3/4/battle-of-washington-wp/dq34-battle-of-washington-lee-turns-his-attention-south.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Washington: A West Point Engineer Digs In https://qualla.com/battle-of-washington/ Photo credit American Battlefield Protection Program, Public domain. Foster was no ordinary garrison commander. A West Point-trained Army engineer, he put his skills to work reinforcing Washington's defenses and deploying three gunboats along the waterfront. By March 30, 1863, when Brigadier General Richard B. Garnett's brigade began the investmen...

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]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/q/3/4/battle-of-washington-wp/dq34-battle-of-washington-a-west-point-engineer-digs-in.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Washington: Relief That Never Came https://qualla.com/battle-of-washington/ Photo credit American Battlefield Protection Program, Public domain. Two Federal attempts to break the siege failed spectacularly. Brigadier General Henry Prince sailed a relief column up the Tar River, took one look at the Confederate batteries lining the banks, and turned his transports around without firing a shot. A second effort under Brigadi...

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]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/q/3/4/battle-of-washington-wp/dq34-battle-of-washington-relief-that-never-came.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Washington: The Siege Dissolves https://qualla.com/battle-of-washington/ Photo credit American Battlefield Protection Program, Public domain. Hill's withdrawal began even before Foster's escape bore fruit. By mid-April, the Confederate general faced converging pressures: his foraging mission was complete, Union supplies had reached the garrison aboard the Escort, and Longstreet urgently requested reinforcements for his...

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]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/q/3/4/battle-of-washington-wp/dq34-battle-of-washington-the-siege-dissolves.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Washington: A Quiet Aftermath https://qualla.com/battle-of-washington/ Photo credit American Battlefield Protection Program, Public domain. The Battle of Washington ended without a decisive victor. The Confederates failed to take the town, but Hill's foraging parties had gathered supplies critical to sustaining Southern forces in the region. The Union held Little Washington, but its garrison had been pinned down for ...

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]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/q/3/4/battle-of-washington-wp/dq34-battle-of-washington-a-quiet-aftermath.mp3 0:06 6 full