Morrisville in Wake County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Morrisville Station

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 1, 2023

1. Morrisville Station Marker

Inscription. On April 13, 1865, Union cavalry, under the command of General William T. Sherman. captured Raleigh and pursued the retreating Confederate cavalry west along the railroad. Rearquard skirmishes erupted at points along the Hillsborough Road until the combatants reached Morrisville. Using cavalry and artillery. Union forces attacked a Confederate train loaded with supplies and wounded. Before withdrawing, the Confederate cavalry repelled the attack long enough to allow the railcars of wounded to escape while abandoning the supplies. This was the last major cavalry engagement in Sherman's campaign. The next night, a courier from the Confederate commander, General Joseph E. Johnston, rode into the Union camp at Morrisville with a truce proposal. Subsequent negotiations between Johnston and Sherman led to the largest Confederate surrender of the Civil War at the Bennett farm in Durham on April 26.
In memory of Commissioner Q.T. Moore

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is April 13, 1865.

Location. 35° 49.356′ N, 78° 49.61′ W. Marker is in Morrisville, North Carolina, in Wake County. It is at the intersection of Morrisville Carpenter Road and Church

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Street (North Carolina Road 1637), on the right when traveling west on Morrisville Carpenter Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 Church St, Morrisville NC 27560, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont

and in the Research Triangle.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

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 least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Trading Path (within shouting distance of this marker); Pugh House (within shouting distance of this marker); An Ancient Past (within shouting distance of this marker); Morrisville Engagement (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The New South (about 500 feet away); Keeping the Faith (about 700 feet away); Skirmish at Morrisville (approx. 0.2 miles away); William G. Clements (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Morrisville.

Also see . . . Save the Train: Remembering the Civil War Battle of Morrisville Station. Raleigh had fallen, and Union troops were headed this way. It was North versus South as new freedoms competed with a longstanding way of life – and four years into the conflict, Western Wake was about to land a front-row seat to the end of the Civil War. (Nancy Pardue, Cary Magazine, March 5, 2015) (Submitted on September 17, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 1, 2023

2. Morrisville Station Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 17, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 17, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,069 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 17, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.