Four Oaks in Johnston County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Federal Line of March
“Poor North Carolina …”
| — | Carolinas Campaign | — |
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.
"The marks of bullet, shot and shell were thick on shrub and tree. At a certain height from the surface, there was scarcely a twig or bough that did not present a transverse groove, or its abrupt termination."
— Surgeon James Mowris, 117th New York Infantry, describing the landscape around Bentonville after the battle
This is the road on which elements of Union Gen. Alfred H. Terry's X Corps marched from Goldsboro to Smithfield. Gen. William T. Sherman's army left Goldsboro on April 10, 1865,
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At this time, Sherman commanded 88,948 officers and men, outnumbering Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army almost four to one. As the Union army approached Smithfield, light skirmishing broke out near Moccasin Creek, and the advancing Federals destroyed several homes and businesses along the line of march.
"Poor North Carolina will have a hard time, for we sweep the country like a swarm of locusts."
— Gen. William T. Sherman, regarding the advance to Smithfield
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
Location. 35° 28.101′ N, 78° 23.092′ W. Marker is in Four Oaks, North Carolina, in Johnston County. It is on South Lakeside Drive (U.S. 301) north of Carroll Drive, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 945 S Lakeside Dr, 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 least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sherman’s March (approx. 2.9 miles away); Hastings House (approx. 3.6 miles away); Town of Smithfield (approx. 3.6 miles away); Smithfield Four (approx. 3.6 miles away); a different marker also named The Town of Smithfield (approx. 3.6 miles away); Edward W. Pou (approx. 3.7 miles away); Johnston County War Memorial (approx. 3.7 miles away); Honor Roll (approx. 3.7 miles away).
Another marker is no longer nearby. Federal Line of March (has been replaced with this marker).
Credits. This page was last revised on May 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 24, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 19 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 24, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
