Near Four Oaks in Johnston County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Confederate Line of March
“ … on this wretched road … ”
— Carolinas Campaign —
(Preface): The Carolinas Campaign began on February 1, 1865, when Union Gen. William T. Sherman led his army north from Savannah, Georgia, after the “March to the Sea.” Sherman's objective was to join Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia to crush Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Scattered Confederate forces consolidated in North Carolina, the Confederacy's logistical lifeline, where Sherman defeated Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's last-ditch attack at Bentonville. After Sherman was reinforced at Goldsboro late in March, Johnston saw the futility of further resistance and surrendered on April 26, essentially ending the Civil War.
“I am so weather beaten in the face, shabby in clothing and … begrimed with smoke. On the march we often do not get a chance to wash our faces and for two days together, and the smoky atmosphere of the camp, when we halt at night, makes us look like the Yankee prisoners in the ‘bullpen.’” - William Johnson, 1st South Carolina Artillery
This is the Bentonville-Smithfield Road, the main corridor that Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s army followed as it deployed south to Bentonville to strike Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s Left Wing on March 19, 1865. Confederate reinforcements from Cheatham’s Corp in Smithfield also used the road to march to Bentonville on March 21, 1865. During the Confederate retreat to Smithfield on March 22, Gen. William J. Hardee reported to Johnston a tedious march “on this wretched road, which I have been working on and pulling wagons through all the morning …. The road I am on is the road you traveled from Smithfield to Bentonville …. The wagons on this road must go forward, as they can’t be turned back.” Johnston’s army, exhausted from the three-day Battle of Bentonville, took a much-needed rest along the road on the evening of March 22 before it arrived in Smithfield.
“It was a real treat that we were permitted to-day to wash up and put on clean clothes.” - Capt. Bromfield Ridley, Gen. A.P. Stewart’s staff
Erected by North Carolina Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 22, 1865.
Location. 35° 24.708′ N, 78° 21.678′ W. Marker is near Four Oaks, North Carolina, in Johnston County. Marker is at the intersection of Stewart Road (State Highway 1009) and Stewart Road (Highway 1179), on the left when traveling north on Stewart Road. Marker is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Devil's Racetrack Road and Stewart Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 20 Stewart Rd, Four Oaks NC 27524, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Federal Line of March (approx. 4.1 miles away); Hannah’s Creek Bridge (approx. 4.2 miles away); Mill Creek (approx. 5.3 miles away); Confederate Works (approx. 5.4 miles away); Bentonville (approx. 5.7 miles away); Village of Bentonville (approx. 5.7 miles away); a different marker also named Village of Bentonville (approx. 5.9 miles away); Mower’s Charge Reaches Johnston’s Headquarters (approx. 5.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Four Oaks.
More about this marker. The upper right of the marker features photographs of Generals William J. Hardee and Joseph E. Johnston, both courtesy of the Library of Congress. A map showing troop movements from Bentonville to Smithfield and indicating the location of the marker appears on the lower right of the marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 26, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,824 times since then and 37 times this year. Last updated on May 9, 2023, by Michael Buckner of Durham, North Carolina. Photos: 1. submitted on December 26, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 2, 3. submitted on August 3, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4. submitted on December 26, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.