[3] Lt. Gen. Longstreet took charge of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina on February 25 and initiated his Tidewater Operations.

He directed Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill, commander of the North Carolina District, to advance on the Union stronghold of New Bern with about 12,000 men.

Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew against the well-entrenched Federals at Fort Anderson on March 14–15, the opposite side of the river from New Bern.

After Gen. Pettigrew’s withdrawal, General Hill was forced to remove his troops from New Bern and head to Washington, NC.

The mission was not a complete failure; General Hill was able to fill wagons with food supplies for the troops from areas that were not guarded by Union forces.