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From March 19-21, 1865, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston and what remained of the Confederate army attacked and were defeated by Union General William T. Sherman’s army in the Battle of Bentonville, the last large-scale battle of the Civil War.
- Averasboro
Around 8:30 p.m., Hardee withdrew from the battlefield and...
- Bentonville | American Battlefield Trust
The Battle of Bentonville. Following his March to the Sea,...
- Visit Bentonville Battlefield
The Battle of Bentonville was the last full-scale action of...
- Alfred H. Terry
Alfred Howe Terry did not receive any formal military...
- March to The Sea
Sherman had his favorite regimental band present a concert...
- North Carolina in The Civil War
VIDEO | Kirk Bradley details the significant contributions...
- Henry W. Slocum
On September 2, 1864, Slocum and his corps were the first to...
- Oliver O. Howard
Howard, however, with his penchant for strict military and...
- Averasboro
The Battle of Bentonville (March 19–21, 1865) was fought in Johnston County, North Carolina, near the village of Bentonville, as part of the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was the last battle between the western field armies of William T. Sherman and Joseph E. Johnston.
American Battlefield Trust: The Battle of Bentonville (March 19-21, 1865) would pit two of the Civil War’s most celebrated generals – William Tecumseh Sherman and Joseph E. Johnston – against one another. What were the strategic aims of these two generals at this time?
Preserve History at Five Critical Battlefield Tracts. Partner with us to save five threatened battlefield tracts representing four crucial campaigns in three states. Historian and author Mark Moore describes the Battle of Bentonville which was fought between March 19-21, 1865.
- Prelude to The Battle
- Confederate Resistance
- Fighting at Bentonville
- Johnston Surrenders
- Aftermath of The Battle
Sherman Plans to March Through the Carolinas
Union forces under the command of William T. Sherman captured Savannah, Georgia in December 1864 at the end of Sherman’s March to the Sea. Soon after, Sherman began making plans to proceed through the Carolinas to join George G. Meade and his Army of the Potomacin Virginia. Three days after the fall of Savannah, Sherman received the following instructions from Union General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant:
Change in Confederate Leadership
The prospect of Sherman marching his armies north from Savannah and punishing the Carolinas as he had Georgia, prompted many Southerners to question the competency of President Jefferson Davisas commander-in-chief of Confederate forces. Opposition to the leadership of Davis reached a crescendo on January 23, 1865, when the Confederation Congress enacted legislation creating the post of General-in-Chief of Confederate forces. The same bill contained a resolution stating: With no recourse avail...
Sherman Moves North
Meanwhile, Sherman had departed from Savannah with nearly 60,000 battle-hardened veterans on February 1, 1865. He divided his forces into two wings. The Army of the Tennessee, commanded by Major General Oliver O. Howard, was on the right and the Army of Georgia, commanded by Major General Henry W. Slocum, was on the left. Their first goal was Columbia, South Carolina. Inclement weather and flooded tidewater swamps hindered Sherman’s progress more than the few Rebel troops in the area. It took...
Battle of Monroe’s Crossroads
As Sherman’s army moved north, Lieutenant General Wade Hampton’s Confederate cavalry surprised Brigadier-General Judson Kilpatrick’s cavalry division at Cumberland (now Hoke) County, North Carolina, on March 10. The startled Federals fled in panic, abandoning their supplies and artillery, but a counterattack later in the day forced the Rebels to concede their gains and to withdraw. Kilpatrick’s men won the Battle of Monroe’s Crossroads, and the inexorable march north continued.
Battle of Averasboro
Sherman met stiffer resistance near Averasboro on March 16, when he ordered General Slocum’s wing to attack entrenched Rebels north of town. Slocum’s men flanked the Confederates, forcing them to withdraw to a second defensive line. The Rebels made a brief stand at the second line before falling back to their third and final line of defense. Despite several Union assaults during the Battle of Averasboro, the Confederates held their position until nightfall and then withdrew to Bentonville und...
Outnumbered nearly three-to-one, Johnston determined that his best chance to stop the Federal onslaught was to attack one wing of Sherman’s divided forces before the planned merger at Goldsboro could take place. On March 19, 1865, Johnston entrenched his army on the Goldsboro Road, blocking the path of Major General Henry W. Slocum’s advancing left...
On the following day, Sherman pursued only briefly, preferring instead to delay a confrontation with Johnston until unifying his forces with Schofield at Goldsboro. The showdown never took place. After receiving news of General Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Johnston contacted Sherman on April 16 to discuss capitulation. The ge...
The Battle of Bentonville was the largest Civil War engagement fought in North Carolina and resulted in a Union victory. Estimated total casualties during the battle range from 4,100 to 4,700 men. Union forces suffered 1,527 casualties (194 killed, 1,112 wounded, and 221 missing/captured) and Confederate forces suffered 2,606 casualties (239 killed...
- Harry Searles
Sep 30, 2024 · The Battle of Bentonville, fought March 19-21, 1865, was the last full-scale action of the Civil War in which a Confederate army was able to mount a tactical offensive.
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A Brief Synopsis of the Battle of Bentonville: March 19-21, 1865. On March 19, 1865, Joseph E. Johnston organized his forces into a hook-shaped line at Cole’s Plantation, blocking the Goldsboro Road. That morning William T. Sherman’s Federal Left Wing stumbled into the Confederate trap, just as it was being set.
