In the forests and fields around the North Carolina village of Bentonville, the armies of Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and Union Gen. William T. Sherman fought their last major engagement of the Civil War on March 19-21, 1865. Sherman was . . . — — Map (db m222865) HM
“Time may teach us to forgive, but it can never make us forget.” - Confederate Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton, memorial address at Bentonville, March 20, 1895. By the evening of March 22, 1865 both the Union and Confederate armies had vacated . . . — — Map (db m222883) HM
The depression in front of you is the remnant of trenches dug by the 1st Regiment Michigan Engineers and Mechanics. In addition to field works such as trenches, the members of the regiment built bridges, warehouses, and blockhouses. Perhaps most . . . — — Map (db m222874) HM
God Bless the Tar Heel Boys - Quote attributed to Gen. R. E. Lee in R. B. Creecy’s Grandfather Tales of North Carolina History, 1901. Many people know that North Carolina is nicknamed the “Tar Heel State,” but not everyone may . . . — — Map (db m222913) HM
You are standing at the Morris farm, where part of the Union XX Corps arrived late in the afternoon on March 19,1865, to stop the main Confederate assault, which had crushed Carlin’s division of the XIV Corps at the Cole plantation. In the morning . . . — — Map (db m222903) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m222911) HM
You are looking north of the Goldsboro Road at the site of the former William Cole plantation. Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton chose this ground (a mixture of dense vegetation and open fields) as an ideal location for Confederate forces to block the advance . . . — — Map (db m222904) HM
Directly in front and to your left, Confederate Maj. Gen. Robert F. Hoke’s division, on loan from the Army of Northern Virginia, blocked the old Goldsboro Road (now Harper House Road) to deflect the oncoming Union advance. The division was a mixed . . . — — Map (db m222908) HM
You are looking south of the Goldsboro Road at the area where Union Brig. Gen. James D. Morgan’s division began a defensive position facing Gen. Robert F. Hoke’s division after being deflected by the main Confederate line. These battle-hardened . . . — — Map (db m222906) HM
In front of you is where the North Carolina Junior Reserves stood as the Army of Tennessee made its last grand charge against Carlin’s division at the Cole plantation on March 19, 1865. Three regiments and one battalion of Junior Reserves were . . . — — Map (db m222920) HM
In the field in front of you skirmishers from the 64th Illinois, armed with Henry repeating rifles, overran Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s headquarters, forcing the general and his staff to flee on foot toward Bentonville (to your left). Maj. Gen. Joseph . . . — — Map (db m222957) HM
To your front and left, Confederate forces counterattacked Union forces under Maj. Gen. Joseph Mower on three sides. Leading a counterattack to protect the vital Mill Creek bridge – the only avenue of retreat for Johnston’s army – Gen. William . . . — — Map (db m222953) HM
You are looking at the village of Bentonville. This small hamlet bore the name of the largest battle ever fought in North Carolina. Named after local resident John Benton, the hamlet had a post office as early as 1849. In the 1860s Bentonville was a . . . — — Map (db m222958) HM