Kinston NC007

supportedunresolved Foster says the gunboat Allison's attack mystified Evans about where the attack would come and kept regiments on the Kinston side of the Neuse; Smith reports his telegraph to Evans was cut off and Evans sent no estimate of losses.

Foster's claim about Evans's thinking is an attributed inference; no Confederate message log was inspected.

supportedinherited Foster says bad roads delayed his trains, the road was obstructed by felled trees for half a mile, and a destroyed Beaver Creek bridge had to be rebuilt during the approach.

Approach conditions before December 14, from the Union commander's report; inherited for the Kinston boundary.

supportedunresolved NPS says the expedition aimed to disrupt the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad at Goldsborough; Foster says that by taking Kinston his object there was accomplished.

Stated objectives; Foster's claim of accomplishment is self-reported.

supportedpost_outcome The frozen and live results read Union victory. Foster reports taking Kinston, eleven guns and 400 or 500 prisoners; Smith says Evans withdrew with small loss to the left bank of the Neuse.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit. Captures are Foster's claims, not inspected inventories.

supportedpost_outcome The frozen casualty text reads 685 total; the live NPS field reads 685 total (US 160; CS 525;). Foster's December 14 report estimated his loss at not over 200 killed and wounded; Smith says most of the Confederate missing in his expedition-wide loss statement (recorded in NC009) were taken prisoners at Kinston Bridge.

Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap. Foster's figure is an early estimate; Smith's missing figure is expedition-wide.

supportedunresolved Foster says he sent Evans a flag of truce asking whether he would surrender, Evans declined, and Foster waited for his artillery before Evans withdrew. The frozen and live records rank Foster Brigadier General; he signs his December 27 OR report 'Major-General, Commanding Department'.

Command roles from interested reports; rank conflict retained without adopting either. No listed commander receives automatic sole credit.

unknownunresolved

No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. The frozen side-specific numerical strength bounds are blank (missing_numeric_strength). No figure in this pass is adopted as a simultaneous opening force.

disputedunresolved The frozen force field names Foster's 1st Division and Evans's Brigade without counts; the live field reads zero. Foster reports leaving New Berne with about 10,000 infantry, 40 guns and about 640 cavalry, and put the Kinston enemy at about 6,000 with twenty guns. Smith reports Evans had 2,000 men, and on December 15 relayed an estimate of 30,000 for Foster.

Each commander's estimate of the other differs sharply from the other's own figure; none is adopted. Foster's total is the whole expedition at departure, not Kinston's engaged force. The OCR reads 'G40' for the cavalry figure; 640 is a reading not checked against print.

supportedunresolved Foster says Evans held a strong wooded position forming a natural breastwork, secured by a deep swamp on the right and partly by the river on the left, at a defile through a marsh where little Union artillery could be used.

Attacking commander's description; no map verification or numerical terrain effect.