The unit saw action during the advance on Kinston and Goldsboro, North Carolina, starting on March 6 and occupied Goldsboro after its capture on March 21.
Goldsboro is a community and former town Seminole County, Florida founded in 1891, and one of the oldest African-American-founded communities in the United States.
A short distance further up, at Goldsboro (spelled Goldsborough in the 19th century), the line crossed the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, noted for keeping the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia supplied throughout the war.
By 1950, NC 581 extended again on new primary routing south to US 70, then east replacing NC 111, ending at US 70 Bus/US 117 Bus, in downtown Goldsboro.
Land use in the area is mostly agriculture, although the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the city of Goldsboro, and the town of La Grange are located with 10 to 15 miles of the creek.