Four Oaks in Johnston County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Union Artillery at the Morris Farm
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2006
1. Union Artillery at the Morris Farm Marker
Inscription.
Union Artillery at the Morris Farm. . A point approximately 400 yards in front of you marks the center of a line of Union cannons positioned on the Morris Farm on March 19, 1865. These massed guns played a significant role in blunting the final Confederate attacks on the first day of fighting at Bentonville. Four batteries (of four guns each) were arrayed on both sides of a ravine, north of the Goldsboro Road. These sixteen guns held commanding angles of fire across the open fields to your right and behind you. An additional four-gun battery in position south of the road was joined by one gun of the 19th Indiana Battery. The 19th Indiana saw dramatic action earlier in the day at Cole’s plantation, where three of its guns were captured during the main Confederate attack. In the most intense artillery barrage of the three-day engagement at Bentonville, Union batteries on the Morris farm punished Confederate troops with spherical case shot and canister rounds at close range., “The Rebs…undertook to carry a new line I established, in the angle of which I left a marshy interval commanded at canister distance by twelve pieces of [XX Corps] artillery….They were terribly punished….They left lots of dead officers and men, especially when the canister swept them on the left front.” , Bvt. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams, commanding XX Corps., “The enemy’s…artillery…concealed in the woods was very deadly….About half of our regiments….had come out into the open, in a field where these was nothing to conceal or protect them….Our men fell rapidly….under what seemed a tremendous concentrated firing upon us.” , Pvt. Robert W. Sanders, 2nd South Carolina Artillery (fighting infantry, Elliot’s Brigade), “The five batteries were opened at a distance less than seven hundred yards, throwing canister and spherical case into the wavering mass of rebels, the discharges being as rapid for a time as the ticks of a lever watch. Smoke settled down over the guns as it grew dark…and the flashes seen through it seemed like a steady, burning fire, and powder and peach blossoms perfumed the air….Captain Winegar…who ‘drew a good bow’ at Gettysburg and Chancellorsville, says ne never witnessed such artillery fire.” , E.D. Westfall, New York Herald correspondent present with the Union XX Corps during the battle for the Morris farm., “[The artillery was] so loud that we had to yell to make our nearest neighbors understand us…while the ground trembled under our feet.” , William Grunert, Illinois soldier in Case’s brigade.
A point approximately 400 yards in front of you marks the center of a line of Union cannons positioned on the Morris Farm on March 19, 1865. These massed guns played a significant role in blunting the final Confederate attacks on the first day of fighting at Bentonville. Four batteries (of four guns each) were arrayed on both sides of a ravine, north of the Goldsboro Road. These sixteen guns held commanding angles of fire across the open fields to your right and behind you. An additional four-gun battery in position south of the road was joined by one gun of the 19th Indiana Battery. The 19th Indiana saw dramatic action earlier in the day at Cole’s plantation, where three of its guns were captured during the main Confederate attack. In the most intense artillery barrage of the three-day engagement at Bentonville, Union batteries on the Morris farm punished Confederate troops with spherical case shot and canister rounds at close range.
“The Rebs…undertook to carry a new line I established, in the angle of which I left a marshy interval commanded at canister distance by twelve pieces of [XX Corps] artillery….They were terribly punished….They left lots of dead officers and men, especially when the canister swept them on the left front.” Bvt. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams, commanding XX Corps.
“The enemy’s…artillery…concealed
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in the woods was very deadly….About half of our regiments….had come out into the open, in a field where these was nothing to conceal or protect them….Our men fell rapidly….under what seemed a tremendous concentrated firing upon us.” Pvt. Robert W. Sanders, 2nd South Carolina Artillery (fighting infantry, Elliot’s Brigade)
“The five batteries were opened at a distance less than seven hundred yards, throwing canister and spherical case into the wavering mass of rebels, the discharges being as rapid for a time as the ticks of a lever watch. Smoke settled down over the guns as it grew dark…and the flashes seen through it seemed like a steady, burning fire, and powder and peach blossoms perfumed the air….Captain Winegar…who ‘drew a good bow’ at Gettysburg and Chancellorsville, says ne never witnessed such artillery fire.” E.D. Westfall, New York Herald correspondent present with the Union XX Corps during the battle for the Morris farm.
“[The artillery was] so loud that we had to yell to make our nearest neighbors understand us…while the ground trembled under our feet.” William Grunert, Illinois soldier in Case’s brigade.
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 19, 1865.
Location.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2010
2. Marker on the Bentonville Battlefield
35° 18.502′ N, 78° 18.565′ W. Marker is in Four Oaks, North Carolina, in Johnston County. Marker is on Harper House Road (County Route 1008), on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4671 Harper House Rd, Four Oaks NC 27524, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. The top section of the marker contains two photographs from the National Archives of Civil War artillery, with the caption “The Federal artillery units at Bentonville looked similar to those in these two images.” The bottom section of the marker contains a battle map, an illustration of a Canister and spherical case shot.
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
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2006
3. Morris Farm Site
Confederate troops charged across this field on March 19, 1865, but were cut down by the Union artillery positioned here.
the 140th anniversary of the battle, on March 14, 2005.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2006
4. Confederate High Tide Tour Stop
The Union Artillery at the Morris Farm marker is one of two at this tour stop.
Photographed By Duane Hall, October 10, 2012
5. Union Artillery at the Morris Farm Marker
View to the west towards the Union artillery positions
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 2,047 times since then and 29 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. submitted on August 13, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 3, 4. submitted on March 1, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 5. submitted on January 20, 2014, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.