Four Oaks in Johnston County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Merging of the Armies

Sherman’s Right Wing Arrives

— Carolinas Campaign —

Merging of the Armies Civil War Trails Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2006

1. Merging of the Armies Civil War Trails Marker

Inscription. (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. * * *Hoping to deflect Union Gen. William T. Sherman's army from Goldsboro, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston attacked Sherman's Left Wing here on March 19, 1865, after finding it separated from the Right Wing, located several miles southeast. As the fighting intensified, Sherman led the Right Wing here in support. Johnston's forces, vastly outnumbered, withdrew to Smithfield on Marcy 21, and Sherman's army marched to Goldsboro.

(Main Text):You are standing near the position held by the North

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Carolina Junior Reserve on March 19, 1865, looking east down Old Goldsboro Road. Behind you and to your right, elements of Confederate Gen. Robert F. Hoke’s division engaged Union Gen. James D. Morgan’s division. The last grand charge of the Army of Tennessee, against Union positions on the Cole Plantation north of the road, took place in the open field directly behind you.

On March 20, when Gen. William T. Sherman appeared from the east with the Union Right Wing (directly in front of you), The Confederates changed position to meet the new threat. The Junior Reserves fell back to your left and formed a new line parallel to Old Goldsboro Road on Sam Howell Branch. The remainder of Hoke’s division occupied ground to the left of the Junior Reserves, who skirmished with the 14th Michigan and 16th Illinois Infantry. While the Confederate lines were shifting, an action ensued near the Green Flowers House crossroads one-half mile east, with the near capture of Union generals Oliver O. Howard, John A. Logan, and Charles R. Woods thwarted by the arrival of the 100th Indiana Infantry. During the next two days, the Confederate dug in and held firm

Marker at N.C. Junior Reserve Tour Stop image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2010

2. Marker at N.C. Junior Reserve Tour Stop

against constant pressure from Union forces.

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 20, 1865.

Location. 35° 18.975′ N, 78° 17.841′ W. Marker is in Four Oaks, North Carolina, in Johnston County. It is at the intersection of Bass Road (County Route 1008) and Bass Road (County Route 1194), on the left when traveling east on Bass Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 846 Bass Rd, Four Oaks NC 27524, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

Marker on the Bentonville Battlefield image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2010

3. Marker on the Bentonville Battlefield

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Confederate North Carolina Junior Reserve Line (here, next to this marker); Bentonville (a few steps from this marker); Main Confederate Line (within shouting distance of this marker); N.C. Junior Reserves (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Confederate Line Crossing the Goldsboro Road (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Union Attack (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fighting at the Cole Plantation: The “Battle of Acorn Run” (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fighting South of the Goldsboro Road: The “Bull Pen” (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Four Oaks.

More about this marker. On the lower left is a photo of "Gen. Robert F. Hoke
Courtesy U.S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle, Pa." On the lower right is an engraving “Action on March 20, 1865,” Harpers’s Weekly, April 15, 1865. On the right is an operational level map of the action described in the text.

N.C. Junior Reserve Tour Stop image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2006

4. N.C. Junior Reserve Tour Stop

The Merging of the Armies is located on the Bentonville Battlefiled at this Tour Stop. It is in the background, to the left.

Bentonville Battle Map image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2006

5. Bentonville Battle Map

Site of the Cole Plantation image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2006

6. Site of the Cole Plantation

Across this field, the site of the Cole Plantation at the time of the Battle of Bentonville, the Confederate Army of Tennessee charged Union Troops. It would be their last major charge against the North.

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 1,955 times since then and 40 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, 5, 6. submitted on March 1, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.