Bennett Place in Durham in Durham County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Unity
One hundred feet east of this spot in the Bennett House General Joseph E. Johnston and Major General William T. Sherman met at noon, April 17, 1865, to discuss terms of a proposed surrender. They met in this house again on April 18 and wrote and signed a “Basis of Agreement,” under the terms of which General Johnston agreed to surrender all the Confederate armies then in the field. President Andrew Johnson rejected the terms agreed upon, sent orders to General Sherman on April 24 “to give forty-eight hours’ notice and resume hostilities at the end of that time,” and ordered General Grant to go to Raleigh to “direct military movements.” General Grant arrived in Raleigh on April 24, but out of consideration for General Sherman he did not assume command.
On the evening of April 25, General Johnston “asked another interview” with General Sherman “to renew negotiations,” and on the twenty-sixth at 2 P. M. the generals met a third time in the Bennett House and signed the terms of “a military convention," under which 36,817 Confederate soldiers in North Carolina and 52,453 in Georgia and Florida laid down their arms.
This monument thus marks the spot where the military force of the United States of America finally triumphed and established as inviolate the principle of an indissoluble Union. It marks also the spot of the last stand of the Confederacy in maintaining its ideal of indestructible states – an ideal which preserved to the American Union by virtue of the heroic fight grows in strength from year to year.
[ Back of Monument : ]
In fulfillment of the wishes of Samuel Tate Morgan, and in his memory, this monument and grounds are given to the state of North Carolina by his family.
Sarah Thompson Morgan
Blanche Morgan Reynolds
Maude Morgan Cabell
Samuel Tate Morgan, Jr.
The gift was accepted on behalf of
the state by
Bennehan Cameron, Julian S. Carr,
R. D. W. Connor, Frank C. Brown,
W. T. Bost, R. O. Everett,
D. H. Hill
Members of the Bennett Place
Memorial Commission created by the
General Assembly of North Carolina
1923, and the formal Act of Presentation
and acceptance took place
October 12, 1923
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #17 Andrew Johnson, and the Former U.S. Presidents: #18 Ulysses S. Grant series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1858.
Location. 36° 1.763′ N, 78° 58.457′ W. Marker is in Durham, North Carolina, in Durham County. It is in Bennett Place. Marker is on Bennett Memorial Road, on the right when traveling east. Marker is on the ground of the Bennett House State Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4409 Bennett Memorial Road, Durham NC 27705, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Bennett Place (within shouting distance of this marker); The Original Chimney of the Bennett House (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Bennett Place (within shouting distance of this marker); Meeting of the Generals (within shouting distance of this marker); Rotary Bandstand (within shouting distance of this marker); Dorothy Kitchen: Durham Musician and Educator Extraordinaire (approx. 2.7 miles away); North Carolina (approx. 3 miles away); Duke Homestead (approx. 3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Durham.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 592 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on August 13, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.