Four Oaks in Johnston County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Hardee’s Counterattack
Expecting another attack, the Confederates extended their lines from the Cole plantation to Mill Creek, and General Johnston continued to brace the Confederate left flank (here) with every available man. Surrounded by Union forces on three sides and no longer holding the advantage of surprise, Johnston led his army on a retreat to Smithfield, thus ending the Battle of Bentonville. Under sporadic artillery and small arms fire, the Confederates began crossing Mill Creek bridge on the rainy night of March 21. At dawn, Wheeler’s troopers ripped the flooring from the bridge, but Union forces pursued the retreating Confederates as far as Hannah’s Creek (two miles north) before giving up the chase. Content to let Johnston’s army escape, Sherman continued his march to Goldsboro on March 22.
Only sixteen years old, Willie Hardee had joined Terry’s Rangers despite his father’s reluctance. General Hardee directed that his wounded son be transported to Hillsborough. There his wife and daughter were staying with his niece, Susannah Hardee Kirkland, the wife of Brig. Gen. William W. Kirkland. Willie died on March 24 and was buried at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Hillsborough. Before the war, O.O. Howard had tutored Willie Hardee; at Bentonville, Howard was the Federal Right Wing commander.
“We fell back to the edge of a field, where we met General Johnston…We gave him three cheers. He raised his hat and spoke some words that I failed to catch, but some that were nearer him said he told Col. Henderson to compliment the brigade for him; that they had saved the army. That set us on fire again, and we would have charged Old Nick himself if Joe Johnston as ordered us to.”
M.J. Davis, Cumming’s Brigade.
“I think I made a mistake there, and should rapidly have followed Mower’s lead with the whole of the right wing, which would have brought on a general battle, and it could not have resulted other than successfully to us, by reason of our vastly superior numbers.”
- Gen. William T. Sherman
Mill Creek near the village of Bentonville was described by a Confederate private during the battle as “a deep creek which runs close to the little town of Bentonville, and owing to the recent rains, is very much swollen, and not fordable any where; therefore it is very important for us to hold the bridge.”
Erected 2005 by North Carolina Civil War Trails.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is March 21, 1865.
Location. 35° 20.791′ N, 78° 17.632′ W. Marker is in Four Oaks, North Carolina, in Johnston County. Marker is at the intersection of Westbrook Lowgrounds Road (County Route 1198) and Bentonville Road (County Route 1197), on the right when traveling east on Westbrook Lowgrounds Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 121 Westbrook Lowgrounds Rd, Four Oaks NC 27524, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mower’s Charge Reaches Johnston’s Headquarters (a few steps from this marker); Village of Bentonville (a few steps from this marker); Johnston’s Headquarters (a few steps from this marker); Johnston Establishes His Headquarters (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Village of Bentonville (approx. ¼ mile away); Bentonville (approx. ¼ mile away); Confederate Works (approx. half a mile away); Mill Creek (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Four Oaks.
More about this marker. The top section of the marker contains a photo of “Confederate Col. Richard Saffell, 26th Tennessee, killed during the counterattack and buried in the mass grave near the visitor center” (from University of Tennessee), and of “Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler, commander of Wheeler’s Corps, Army of Tennessee” (from National Archives). The bottom section of the marker contains Hardee’s Attack Battle map, a photo of “Members of Terry’s Texas Rangers” (from Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and another of “Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee, commander of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida” (from Library of Congress).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Take a tour of the Roadside Exhibits erected on the Battle of Bentonville for the 140th anniversary of the battle, on March 14, 2005.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 1, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,011 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on May 9, 2023, by Michael Buckner of Durham, North Carolina. Photos: 1. submitted on March 1, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 2, 3. submitted on August 12, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4. submitted on March 1, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.