Sampson County, NC - Military - Ten Days of Hell ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TEN DAYS OF HELL Introduction "There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but boys, it is all hell". - William T. Sherman The Ohio State Journal reported General Sherman's "War is Hell" speech on August 12, 1880. By that date he surely could have described war and it touched the lives of nearly every American. There were, however, thousands of southern families who were introduced to the subject of war by Sherman on his march to the sea and subsequent march through the Carolinas. (32:637) Much has been written about Sherman's march and one of the best books is "The Civil War in North Carolina" by John G. Barrett. Only bits and pieces however have been published about events in Sampson County. The full force of Sherman with his forty Yankee generals and 60,000 troops passed through Sampson in March of l865. There were five skirmishes in the county between the northern and southern forces. Most homes in the path of Sherman were sacked, but perhaps a few homes in south Sampson escaped the torment. There are hundreds of tragic events lost to history and the incidents recounted in these articles are only a fraction of the complete story. To understand what happened in Sampson we must first look at Fayetteville and introduce you to the army Sherman commanded. There are two primary sources for this story. First the official records of the war are published in about 130 volumes. They are poorly indexed but a mass of information. All of Sampson's rivers and creeks are listed by name in these records: Newton Grove, McLamb, Draughon, and Beaman's cross-roads are also included as well as some which now bear other names. For instance, Spivey's Corner was then Jackson's Cross-roads. There are also several citizens of Sampson listed by name. Clinton and Owensville (Roseboro) are also listed, as well as four churches. Volume XLVII (47) of those records have mainly correspondence and field reports from the Carolina operations. (40) The next good primary source is journals or diaries which have since been published. These also list several local citizens, places, and events which happened on the soil of Sampson. One good thing about the Yankees was that most could read and write. One of the best of these with details about the people of Sampson is the journal of Colonel Oscar Jackson, 63rd Ohio Infantry. Some of these publications are now rare and are only available in a few libraries. (30) The fame of Sherman's Army in Georgia and South Carolina preceded his arrival in North Carolina by some time. Their acts of destruction in South Carolina were justified by Sgt. David Floyd of the 75th Indiana, "The march through South Carolina had left a track of desolation more than forty miles wide. That states special guilt in taking the initiative in secession was assumed by officers and men as justification of its devastation. The responsibility does not rest upon us". (25:372) Columbia had been sacked and burned and North Carolina braced itself for the hell to come. At that time nearly all men from sixteen to fifty years of age were away in the army and that left mainly women and children to face the terror of the invading army. Confederate Generals William J. Hardee (infantry) and Wade Hampton (cavalry) were a little more than a thorn in the side of Sherman as he pushed into North Carolina on March 6, l865. On that date General Joseph E. Johnson was placed over all Confederate forces in the Carolinas. That was not good news for Sherman, since burned bridges, a few minor skirmishes, and the weather were about all Sherman had as obstacles since Atlanta. At times about ten percent of Sherman's army of several thousand were sent out as foragers to sack every farm, home, or store in their forty mile path. If allowed, the foragers would move out far in front of the main columns as they were eager to get the first pickings. Soon after crossing the North Carolina border James C. Bennett of Anson County met "Sherman's Bummers" (foragers) when they took his money, watch, and other valuables. Later in the day, another group came by and shot Bennett because he had nothing left to steal. (51:33) Confederate General Matthew C. Butler (cavalry) was part of the force keeping check on the foragers. They were having almost daily conflicts with the fringes of Sherman's army who were plundering the helpless inhabitants. (8:474) On the 8th of March, the vanguard of Hardee's men arrived in Fayetteville. First to come were the "galvanized" Yankees, armed with axes, picks, and spades to repair the roads. Those were northern prisoners of war who preferred that work to life in a prison camp. Finally the artillery and infantry arrived. (31:264) The stories they brought with them of the Yankees foraging, burnings, and acts of violence did little to ease the fears of the local citizens. Some decided to pack and run into Sampson as Raleigh was the expected route of Sherman, but most were forced to stay and try to hide their valuables and food. Little children gathered early daffodils and flung them to the troops in gray and many of the Fayetteville ladies prepared bread and meals for the ragged soldiers as they passed through. A cheer went up from the crowd as they watched with watery eyes as the soldiers in gray passed their way. (51:38) Early on the morning of March the 10th, Confederate General Wade Hampton caught Yankee cavalry General Hugh Kilpatrick off guard and each side lost about 200 men. The union troopers dubbed it "Kilpatrick's shirt-tail skedaddle" and the event was of considerable embarrassment to Kilpatrick as he was nearly captured. The captured horses and prisoners were paraded through Fayetteville later that day. (43:232) For over a week the "bummers" had been happily anticipating the spoils of Fayetteville. Five men traveling some fifteen miles in front of the main column entered Fayetteville before dark on the 10th and sadly discovered that Hampton's men were still in town. One Yankee was killed and the others "gobbled" up. (3:143) Sherman however was closing in, he could hardly wait to take Fayetteville for two reasons: first, the arsenal there had been taken early in the war from the union forces; second, he disliked the Fayetteville Observer because of the editor’s strong support for the south. (3:142)(18:220) II - The Fall of Fayetteville - March 11, 1865 "The City of Fayetteville was offensively rebellious" - George W. Nichols - Major, Union Army Early on March 11, 1865, Sherman’s Right Wing Commander, General 0.0. Howard, sent seventy eight horsemen ahead of the Infantry as scouts. They were led by Captain William Duncan, who encountered no pickers, and instead of returning to their units, continued on into Fayetteville from the south. (28:201) Confederate General Hampton, however, was still in town and was calmly eating breakfast at the hotel, and warned of approaching enemy troops, quickly organized a "welcoming committee" and rushed to meet Duncan. The surprised Federals were unprepared for this sudden show of resistance and in their confusion they were not able to put up much of a fight. About a dozen were killed and Duncan and a few others were captured. Hampton lost about six of his men. (28:201) As the fight went on through town, the main streets were strewn with dead and wounded men and horses. A most gruesome sound, the scream of mortally wounded horses, could be heard in the streets. The men, dead and wounded, were cared for, but the horses were left where they fell. During the skirmish, a Yankee captain, in the advance of his men, crept in a citizen’s coat near a fence in order to get a better look at the retreating rebels. Suddenly he was confronted by a ragged and barefoot fellow, whom he instantly recognized as one of Sherman's "bummers". The recognition, however, was not reciprocal, for the "bummer" excited in the thought that he had caught a rebel, shouted: "Hallo! Just stop right thar", surveying his extremities, "I say come up out of them boots". "I couldn't think of it". was the reply; "They are a fine pair of boots, and they are mine". "You needn't say another d___d word, come out o' them boots. P'haps you got a watch about your breeches pocket, just pull her out. No nonsense now. I'm in a hurry to get after them rebs". "Perhaps you would like a horse?" teased the Yankee captain. "A hoss" (the bummer's eyes sparkled). "A hoss, well you come on out of them boots and we'll discuss the hoss question, where is the hoss?" "Oh, he is right nearby, with my orderly". "Thunder! Are you an officer of our army? I thought you were a reb". And then the "bummer" went to the rear under arrest, disgusted beyond measure. (36:243-244) Meanwhile Hampton took his prisoners and moved across the river and set fire to the Clarendon Bridge in the process. Some Confederate troopers did not make it in time and had to travel north and crossed the river north of Fayetteville. Howard's scouts soon returned with re-enforcements and some of the XIV Army Corps charged through town to save the bridge, but they were too late. Mayor Archibald McLean met Lt. Colonel William Strong of Howard's staff and formally surrendered the town. (28:202) One of the first "soldiers of blue" who entered the town accosted a most distinguished and venerable clergyman, Rev. William Hooper, D.D., L.L.D., then more than seventy years old. His grandfather had signed the Declaration of Independence. The captain called him a "dammed rebel" and putting a pistol to his head, demanded and carried off his watch and purse. (51:56) Alice Campbell, a local citizen, tells her own story, "Sherman, with his hordes of depraved and lawless men, came upon us like a swarm of bees, bringing sorrow and desolation in their pathway. For days we had been expecting them and our loved boys in grey had been passing in squads, looking ragged and hungry. We gave them food and clothing, especially shoes and socks, for many were barefoot. The enemy seemed to be pouring in by every road that led to our doomed little town. Our cavalry were contending every step, firing and falling back, covering the retreat of our gallant little band, Hardee's forces, with Wade Hampton, Butler, and other - the scene in our town baffled description, all was consternation and dismay. In less time than I can write this, Sherman's army was in possession of our once peaceful, quiet homes. Every yard and house was teeming with bummers, who went into our homes - no place was sacred; they even went into our trunks and bureau drawers, stealing everything they could find; our entire premises were ransacked and plundered, so there was nothing left to eat, but perhaps a little meal and peas, chickens, and all poultry was shot and taken. We all knew that our silver, jewelry, and all valuables would fall into their hands, so many women hid them in such places as they thought would never be found, but alas, for their miscalculations; one of my friends had a hen setting, and she took her watch and other valued jewels and hid them in the nest, under the hen; they did not remain long concealed, for they soon found them and enjoyed the joke. They went into homes that were beautiful, rolled elegant pianos into the yard with valuable furniture, china, cut glass, and everything that was dear to the heart, even old family portraits, and chopped them up with axes. They rolled barrels of flour and molasses into parlors, and poured out their contents on beautiful velvet carpets, in many cases set fire to lovely homes and burned them to the ground and even took some of our old citizens and hanged them until life was nearly extinct, to force them to tell where their money was hidden when alas, they had none to hide". (31:274) R.K. Bryan, a lad of twelve, and his father loaded a wagon with bacon, corn, and other supplies and tried to make it across the Cape Fear, but were turned back by Kilpatrick's men and sent home under pass. Meanwhile their barn had been burned and home plundered, but Mrs. Bryan, still at home, was miraculously unharmed. (3:145) The main body of Sherman's XVII and XIV Army Corps now began to pass by in martial array. Flags flew, the field officers on horseback pranced at the head of the column and the soldiers proudly kept step to the music of the band. The very first band that went by played "Dixie", which caused many of the ladies to sit down and have a good cry. (31:267) Sherman's army was composed of a Right Wing (Army of the Tennessee) which had about 100 regiments in the XVII Army Corps or the XV Army Corps. The XV Corps was last to arrive at Fayetteville, getting there on Sunday the 12th. The Left Wing (Army of Georgia) also had about 100 Regiments and they were in the XIV Army Corps or the XX Corps. The XX Corps arrived at Fayetteville about 10:00 P.M. on March 11. Sherman's army had two wings and each wing had two corps and each corps was made up of three or four divisions and each division was made up of two or three brigades and each brigade was made up of four or five regiments and regiments were made up of several companies and they were made up of about thirty men, for a total of 60,000 men. Each division was given the opportunity to occupy a town in its path. The XIV Army Corps, Third Division, as luck would have it, was chosen for Fayetteville. Col. Jackson wrote of this event, "General Baird's Division of the XIV Corps is doing duty in the city and they are rather more respectful of private property than either our Corps, the XVII, or the XV Corps would be". (30:196) Also, as luck would have it, the XVII Corps was later to take the Clinton road and the XV Corps was to take the Clement road and at Elizabeth Chapel cross over to the Goldsboro road (now US 13) and move through Newton Grove. The Left Wing was to move up the Raleigh road (now RT 82) and crossed over the northern part of Sampson County and then up to Bentonville. III - A Sunday in Purgatory "A good many of us went to church in Fayetteville. We heard, a pretty good sermon, all about loving ones enemies". - Theodore Upson - 100th Indiana Sunday March 12, 1865 dawned with frost. Many of Sherman's troops were without shoes as the march and rain filled swamps had taken their toll. Breakfast mostly consisted of corn cakes without salt and for some, bacon and ham, which had just the day before hung in Fayetteville smoke-houses. (45:412)(30:196) Arriving with Sherman's army were some 25,000 refugees. Most were blacks from South Carolina where burnings were far more common than in North Carolina. Within two hours after the fall of Fayetteville, the Third Division of the XIV Corps was posted as guards in the town proper. As a result there were no homes deliberately burned, and there were no civilian deaths. That was not the case outside the town limits. The Third Division had about 5,500 men. Sherman, his staff, his guards, and various others would mean a total of about 7,000 Yankees camped inside Fayetteville and over 75,000 (including refugees) camped outside. (40:551) Before noon, the XV Corps began to arrive at Fayetteville with 15,000 tired and hungry troops. Tagging along were a few more thousand refugees and a few CSA deserters and their families. Theodore Upson records in his diary about that Sunday, "A good many of us went to church. There are a number of churches in Fayetteville and we heard a pretty good sermon, all about loving ones enemies which I think the Southerners will have hard work to do. But they would have no enemies if they had not tried to bread-up the Union. If they will give up that crazy notion and stop fighting us, we will be their best friends. While we were at church we heard a boat whistle and here came a steamer up the river with papers from the North". (56:156) The tug Davidson had left Wilmington late Saturday afternoon and signaled that Wilmington had fallen to the Yankee General Terry. Sherman had sent a message cross country from Laurel Hill. The NY Tribune for March 6 was brought up the river on the tug and it was quite a prize as one Yankee tried to buy the newspaper from another for $l,000 in Confederate money. You can be sure that he was not paid in Confederate notes. (47:207)(12:162) Sherman wrote of this day, "Sunday, March 12th, was a day of Sabbath stillness in Fayetteville. The people generally attended their churches, for they were a very pious people, decended in a large measure from the old Scotch covenanters, and our men too were resting from the toils and labors of six weeks of as hard marching as ever fell to the lot of soldiers. Shortly after noon was heard in the distance the shrill whistle of a steamboat, which came nearer and nearer, and soon a shout, long and continuous, was raised down by the river, which spread farther and farther, and we all felt that it meant a message from home. The effect was electric". (48:295) Most of the officers managed to find homes to stay in, however, all the churches and other public buildings were being used as barracks for the soldiers of the XIV Corps. So on that Sunday the churches were full. After only one night in town the churches were likely still churches to some degree but after the Yankees left, Sally Hawthorne described the Lord's House, "They were in a terrible state of dirt and vermin. The cushions had to be burned and the carpets, almost torn to ribbons, were also useless. Bibles and hymnals were so mutilated and defaced as to be unfit to use and they were filled with vulgar and ribald writing". (31:284) Sherman's engineers were ordered to lay two pontoon bridges. One about four miles south of the burned Clarendon Bridge was started and another was to be laid next to the old bridge. Sally Hawthorne, a local citizen, writes of those days, "One of the favorite pastimes was to have the chickens, ducks, and turkeys turned out of their yards on the lawn back of our house and of course the poor things, delighted to get to the green grass, would be picking busily, when those young men would sit on the steps and shoot as many as they wanted for their supper and then send them to the cook to get ready. They were kind enough to offer us some, but the offer was never accepted". (31:279) It was a day of prayer and attending church in Sampson. Wesley Chapel, Goshen Church, Cannan Baptist Church, and others were packed with a hope of finding out the latest on Sherman. Home Guard Col. John E. Parker and others were being kept posted daily by the Confederate Cavalry Couriers. At the home of Col. Parker, then located north of Reynolds Crossroads, three year old Gus Parker and his brothers and sisters were, as usual, dressed in their Sunday best. Gus got into a bit of mischief, like prematurely having his Sunday dinner. After the required punishment, which he thought was unjust, he declared that when the Yankees came he would tell where the food was hidden. (54) In Fayetteville, the officers of a regiment near the home of Mrs. Josephine B. Worth wished to have a dinner party and borrowed the dining room of the old lady who lived nearby. They politely invited her to sit down with them. "General" she said, "ain't you going to ask the blessing?" "Well, grandma" said he, "I don't know how, won't you do it for me?" So she asked a blessing and prayed a short prayer. She asked the Lord to turn their hearts away from their wickedness and make them go back to their homes and stop fighting the South, and everything that she was afraid to tell them she told the Lord and they couldn't say a word. (58:55) IV - A Day of Destruction "I can compare this day to nothing but what I imagine Hades would be were its awful doors thrown open". - Anne K. Kyle - "War Days in Fayetteville" Early Monday morning, March 13, l865 a large body of Sherman's men were seen at the Fayetteville arsenal, seemingly armed with a new kind of weapon. It was soon discovered that each had a fragment of the ornamental woodwork that had surrounded an arsenal building. They laid these aside for later use as kindling. (31:267) Sherman could not leave enough men to hold the beautiful brick arsenal so he ordered his chief engineer, Col. Orlando M. Poe, to level it. To be destroyed were twenty buildings covering thirty acres. Soon the breaking down of walls began. Railroad rails were suspended by chains from timbers set up in the shape of an "X". With these they would first peck a small hole which grew larger and larger as they swung the iron against them. There were several such rams at work simultaneously around the same building. When the wall was sufficiently weakened the roof would fall in with a loud crash. The bands would strike up and the men would cheer as if they really enjoyed the work of this destruction, which lasted all day. (31:268) While this was going on, Sherman's XVII and XX Army Corps were given orders to clean up as well as they could. That did not help much as many were barefoot and many had ragged and mixed clothes. One division reported that nineteen percent were barefoot. Some were wearing clothes taken off the back of Fayetteville citizens. In this condition they were ordered to parade through Fayetteville and pass by Sherman. The review started at noon and they marched through the principal street with its rather attractive homes for the gentry, its whitewashed cabins for the Negroes, and its market place in the center of the widest street. General Sherman reviewed the troops beyond the market place (toward Clinton). They did not make a handsome show but their "Uncle Billy" (Sherman) seemed to be well pleased. (9:225) After the review they passed over one of the pontoon bridges that spanned the Cape Fear River and the XVII Army Corps went into camp near the crossing at Cade's plantation and the XX Army Corps went into camp four miles from town near the plank road that ran north to Raleigh. (21:261) After the parade of ragged troops came the parade of refugees, cattle, sheep, and camp followers. It was almost an unbroken stream, such as one seldom witnesses. (31:268) Three boats came up the Cape Fear and about 18,000 of the 25,000 refugees were able to leave Fayetteville by that method and the others would follow the XVII Corps and travel overland to Wilmington, via Clinton. The boats also carried many items stolen from citizens and homes in and around Fayetteville. (21:261) In the heart of Sampson, widow Isobella Fann Tew (the author's relative) was concerned for the safety and welfare of her ten children. Daniel W., the oldest, was now in the Army Junior Reserves with Isobella's brother (Doc Fann). Her husband and three brothers had left home and lost their lives and another brother was a Yankee prisoner. John Oliver, then sixteen, was digging holes and hiding yams and meat. At the end of the day he asked, "What shall we do now Maw?" "Pray for rain", was the reply. (53) The magnitude of the food problem cannot be completely understood or fully expressed at this time in history. First, the Confederates with 15,000 or so troops were marching in front of Sherman and moving so fast that they had to live completely off the land, most of which was gladly given. Then came Sherman and his 60,000 troops and 25,000 refugees who went for weeks without outside contact and living only by foraging at the point of a gun. It was a dual deadly game. The local citizens would try to hide food and valuables and Sherman's men would try every trick to find them. All of this on an economy operated by old men and women and children. Capt. Dexter Horton of Fentonville, Michigan was twenty-eight years old, and part of Sherman's foraging system of feeding his army. He was somewhat sympathetic to the southern people and kept a detailed journal of events. He wrote of this day "Everyone out of grub". (23:248) Sgt. David Floyd of the 75th Indiana recorded that one of the sentinels guarding the commissary stores, shot and killed the Sergeant-Major of a XX Corps regiment. He was caught committing a misdemeanor and refused to desist. (25:375) Col. Albion Tourgee was in the same brigade as Sgt. Floyd but he was in the 105th Ohio. He records in his journal, "We captured a large bundle of woven socks, ready to be sewed together, we learned the comparative worth of Confederate money and greenbacks. The woman employed would do the work for $1.00 per pair in Confederate money or fifty pairs for a $1.00 in greenbacks". The socks were apparently taken from a local mill. (55:364) Although no Fayetteville citizen lost their life, many were mistreated, example follows: John P. McLean, W.T. Horne, Major Jessee Hawley, and Alexander McArther were all hung to try to extract from them where their valuables were hidden, but they were taken down with only minor injury. Also Charles B. Mallett, John M. Rose, John P. McLean, W.T. Horne, Mrs. Banks, Charles T. Haigh, James G. Haigh, and Archibald Graham had homes burned. These homes, for the most part, were outside of the town limit where guards were not placed and were burned at night. (51:67-68) The country home of the Mallets north of Fayetteville was burned with only Negroes left at the house. When the Yankees told them that they were going to burn down the house, they pleaded with them not to, especially not to burn "Old Masser's picture". The soldiers gave them the choice — the house or the picture. The house was burned. Their old master was dead, so the picture could not be replaced. (39:416) One neighbor of John M. Rose lost $25,000 in valuables to Sherman's bummers. Mr. Rose also had his hat stolen off his head and his cattle were taken. Negro homes were also plundered. (51:68) Ironically on this date, Eli Sherlock, 100th Indiana, wrote, "The army was very orderly - not a citizen complained". V - A Day of Hunger and Anxiety "Had heeps of fun all day and saw many, many sad sights. Weeping mothers with babes begging for food". – Capt. Dexter Horton - 14th Army Corps Early Tuesday, March 14, l865 the XVII Corps of Sherman's Right Wing were on the Clinton road and were still near the Cape Fear hoping to get more supplies up the river before heading for Sampson County. Alexander Downing of the 11th Iowa and a foraging party of the XVII Corps went out early in search of feed for the horses and mules. They came to a rich plantation (near Vander) about four miles from camp, and in a short time they had the wagons loaded with corn. Some of them were loading wagons as others were getting chickens and they had upset a hundred beehives, when some one called out "The rebels are coming!" They had completed loading the wagons and that call was enough to frighten the teamsters, and they put the whip to the mules, starting them off on a dead run. They galloped the teams all the way back to camp. It was every fellow for himself, and Downing wrote in his diary, "I never ran faster in my life". (21:261) In any successful forging operation there is of course someone who gets the short end of the stick. In the case of Fayetteville there were six Yankees for every man, woman, and child. Fayetteville was sacked on Saturday and the small supply of food that some bummers would leave was now gone. Fayetteville was cut off from the world and Sally Hawthorne tells of how the Yankees searched for hidden food, "The orchard, just back of the lawn, was swarming with men with their bayonets fixed, prodding the ground inch by inch. I never saw anything like the slow, methodical way they went at it, but evidently they found nothing, for they next took the vegetable garden, and prodded the first vegetables up, but with no more success than in the orchard". (31:278) Rev. Thomas Stevenson, a chaplain of the 78th Ohio recorded this of Fayetteville, "We have never before seen so many poor looking women in one place. They thronged the streets in crowds, begging something to eat from our soldiers; they have every appearance of want and starvation". (50:334) Mixed in all this was one small blessing, the XV Corps pulled out and crossed the Cape Fear River and went into camp near the XVII Corps and now the Right Wing with about half of Sherman's 60,000 men was on the Clinton road. Part of the XIV Corps, those not assigned to Fayetteville, had also pulled out and had camped behind the XX Corps on the Raleigh road. (40:348) Some of the boys in the XVII Corps visited the plantation of John Waddell located about four miles east of Fayetteville. He was fatally shot for resisting their plundering. (17) Meanwhile the troops assigned to Fayetteville were still busy. All the arsenal buildings ornamental woodwork was used for torches to set fire to the remains. The heat, flames, smoke, and general confusion were terrifying to the women and children who lived in nearby homes. At different points on the arsenal grounds were "bomb pits" which were large excavations where they stored loaded bombs. Combustibles were thrown into these pits, and, adding to the other terrors, was the continual bursting of bombs as if a battle were in progress. The home of William B. Wright caught fire and burned during the process. (39:412) The Fayetteville Observer's large three-story brick building was destroyed by order of Sherman because the publisher and founder, E.J. Hale, was a staunch "rebel" and his paper wielded great influence for the Confederacy. Mr. Hale was an especially obnoxious person in the eyes of Sherman. His building was in the heart of Fayetteville. It was from The Fayetteville Observer that Sherman learned that General Johnson was made commander of all Confederate forces in the Carolinas. Apparently also the paper was used to publish some hot letters between Sherman and Hampton, as Hampton was not treating Yankee foragers too kindly. (39:412)(27:204)(19:198) The prisoners in jail were released and explosives placed inside next to the brick wall. The building was then set on fire. While it was burning, the charges were set off and bricks went flying, bringing down the walls. (39:415) General Baird of the XIV Corps, whose men were doing duty in Fayetteville, had his headquarters in a house near some old warehouses. Some bold and rash soldiers, without authorization, set fire to the buildings and flames spread to immense proportions, consuming a whole block and also the house in which General Baird had his headquarters. (25:375) About 4 P.M. rain began and at that hour Confederate Generals Wheeler and Butler's men were busy setting up breastworks at the Sampson side of the Maxwell Bridge (Clement) and Warwick Bridge (Autryville). Also at this hour Sherman's bummers were as far as Blockersville (Stedman) where a large resin factory existed with several thousand barrels of resin. (30:197) General Absalom Baird also claims that two iron foundries and a total of three rebel newspapers were destroyed at Fayetteville, plus a Branch Bank of the State of North Carolina was burned. (40:197) Sherman's guards were camped in a grove behind the home of Mrs. Josephine Worth. She recalls, "The night they left they burned a large quantity of corn. They built a large fire in the street and poured on bag after bag of corn, looking in the firelight like a company of fiends. How glorious the boys in blue appeared, burning up the bread from destitute women and children". (58:55) So Sherman and his staff pulled out, but left about 6,000 soldiers in Fayetteville for one more day. Major Nichols of Sherman's staff took time to write in his journal, "We have left Fayetteville pretty much as we found it". (36:251) VI - A Day of Sacrifice "The rebel soldier stood his ground but he was dropped by their shots into the swiftly running river and swept away to rise no more". - Col. Oscar Jackson - Union Army Fayetteville - XIV Corps Fayetteville was the proud home of five cotton factories and one at Rockfish. Two of the mills were owned by John Hawthorne and his brother. Another was owned by Charles B. Mallett, who also had a country home burned. Mr. Mallett's mill stood on Branson Street and he had been in the cotton manufacturing business for over 15 years. (39:414) March 15, 1865, was not a happy day for mill workers and owners as three days earlier the owners were notified that Sherman was going to blow up the mills and if they wished to remove anything it must be done prior to the appointed hour on Wednesday. (31:280) The next day, the town fathers got together and requested an audience with General Sherman, which was granted. Sherman let each man say what he wanted, keeping silent 'till they had all finished, and when the last had pleaded his case, he said these words: "Gentlemen, Niggers and cotton caused this war, and I wish them both in Hell. On Wednesday those mills will be blown up. Good morning". (31:280) One minor consolation is that each mill worker was allowed to take anything they wanted from the mill. The appointed hour for the Hawthorne mills came at 3 P.M. The roar of the explosion could be heard all over town and dense smoke hung over Fayetteville into the night. (31:281) During the Fayetteville occupation, Sherman's bummers were still going out. They would go out on foot and return on wheels. They would order the servants to hitch up the mules to the wagons and carts and load them. Those animals which they could not take did not fair too well. Esther Alden traveled through Anson County about a week after Sherman and she entered the following in her diary, "The poor suffering horses; some fortunately dead and out of their misery, others groaning in death pains, some with disabled limbs feebly hobbling about to gleam a blade of grass. The cows and oxen slaughtered and left to rot. I counted eight beautiful calves lying dead in one pen; many times we saw two or three lying dead side by side". (31:262) One of the Army's final acts in Fayetteville was to destroy some unwanted worthless horses and mules so that they would not be used by the South. The areas near the two pontoon bridges were chosen as a place to make a thorough inspection of the army transportation. As each brigade would prepare to cross the Cape Fear, all jaded horses and mules were culled from the units. A number of soldiers were detailed for that purpose. A thousand of these animals were herded into a field beside the Cape Fear, where they plunged about in terror for hours as soldiers shot them. Bodies were left where they fell; many floated down the river. (18:222)(60:427) The upper pontoon bridge was near town and Alice Campbell tells of the herd at this point, "They took all the horses in town that they could not take with them and put them in an enclosure on Cool Spring Street and shot them, leaving hundreds of dead horses lying there. They were burned and you may try to imagine the odor, if you can". (30:275) The horses and mules which were killed the first day during street fighting were still on the streets and there they would be for two more days all stinking to high heaven. (30:284) One more important point in this area: Right Wing Commander 0.0. Howard reported the "capture" of 6,815 horses and mules from Savannah, Georgia to Goldsboro. Assuming that the Left Wing stole the same amount from helpless old men and women, then over 13,000 work animals would have been taken from the Carolinas by Sherman. The number of other livestock killed and horses and mules killed in skirmishes is not known, but must have been enormous. (40:209) Sally Hawthorne wrote of that last day and the ordeal of Fayetteville, "There were warehouses of cotton and rosin. The cotton was brought out, the barrels of rosin piled on them and all set fire in the street. If houses caught, they burned; many did. Soon a pall of black smoke hung over everything and people were in a sad state of excitement and nervous exhaustion. The servants, with very few exceptions, proved true to their trust". (31:281) All of Sherman's men were not bummers but too many were. It was mostly a volunteer operation and some were sick of it by the time they got to Fayetteville. Some of those singled out by early authors as being compassionate were Lt. McVeach of Illinois, Capt. Joseph B. Newton, 14th Ohio, Capt. W.B. Jacobs of Indiana, and Capt. Carter of Ohio. Those men, and likely there were others, saved some citizens of Fayetteville from useless thievery and in some cases fire and extensive property damage. (14:387) (31:266-270) Mrs. Josephine Worth describes the last night in town, "The evening they left this place a field officer rode by, by the name of Burgoss I think - followed by some men with horses loaded with bacon. My uncle approached him, saying, 'Sir, you have taken all my provisions and my family must suffer without anything; will you not leave some of that meat?' Without deigning to reply, he turned to one of his men and said, 'Throw him down a piece'. The soldier obeyed with the air of throwing a bone to a dog and they rode off". (58:53) On top of all this, a11 the grist mills, except one, were destroyed when the Yankees left. (3:146)(40:779) Late in the night of March 15, 1865, the Third Division of the XIV Corps completed its tour of duty in Fayetteville and crossed the Cape Fear after midnight and took up the pontoon bridges. They camped on the east bank of the river until after light, thus ended the 4 1/2 day occupation of Fayetteville. (23:249) Clinton Road - XVII Corps General Butler's Cavalry troops had taken position at the Warwick Bridge on the Fayetteville-Clinton road as a Confederate welcoming committee for the Yankee invaders. Some of Butler's troopers were still in Cumberland County and would remain there to the last minute. Sherman's bummers raided the Bennet Home residence and others near the South River early and took all the food and live stock which they could find. Yams, hams, chickens, corn meal, bread, corn, and fodder were favorites of the Yankees. Sometimes Sherman's bummers would get carried away with all the forage and bite off more than they could chew. Being loaded down with booty made the Yankees easy targets for Butler's troops and several found themselves being carried off into Sampson County as prisoners of war. Some of those caught red handed and loaded down with booty, (like several watches), were treated as thieves. This of course upset Sherman and he wrote Confederate General Hampton a "spicy" letter on the subject of mistreating prisoners. Hampton didn't like Yankees and we can't print how he felt about Sherman's bummers. (19:198)(8:475) The rain stopped by dawn and the bridge was set afire as soon as the last of Butler's men crossed it. It was fired by pouring pitch on the planking and lighting same. However, due to recent rains the swollen river and rain had the bridge saturated with water and about all that protruded above the water were the planks. So the burning was slow and restricted to the upper part of the bridge. The bridge was about sixty feet across and due to recent heavy rains the approaches to the bridge were under about two feet of water. The bridge was narrow and located a bit north of the present bridge at Autryville. (30:197) One Confederate trooper was assigned to the bridge to make sure that the Yankees did not get near enough to extinguish the fire. Soon the Yankees would see the fire and be interested in saving the bridge. The forward Yankee regiment was the Ninth Illinois Mounted Infantry, and it was commanded by Captain George Woodbury of Troy, Illinois. As the unit passed the Horne place, Captain Woodbury pulled off the road for a minute and rode over to the porch where young Doris Horne was gazing at the mass of Yankee troops passing her home. Doris was too young to understand about war and was friendlier to the Union troops than most Confederate citizens. He was teasing Doris with his scarf when suddenly shots rang out from the direction of the bridge. "This won't do", said the Yankee captain as he wheeled his horse around and sped away. The rebel soldier, true to his cause, had stood his ground. Unfortunately, the fire that he was guarding provided a means for the Yankees to see their target. So he was dropped by their shots into the swiftly running river and swept away to rise no more. (30:197) In a flash, Captain Woodbury was on hand to take command and ordered several troopers to help him charge the burning bridge. Now charging through two feet of water is slow and cumbersome - even on horses. When the Yankees were within a short distance of the bridge, they were met with a volley of Confederates lead and forced to retreat post-haste. In their rush to get back to friendly forces the retreating Yankees failed to notice that Captain Woodbury's horse returned, but he did not. When they did notice, it was too late. A few other Yankees were also put out of commission. Meanwhile, some of the 200 artillery troops of the XVII Army Corps were called in to dislodge the nest of Johnnies. (30:197) E.M. Bullard writes of this event, "During the artillery attach at the South River a cannon ball cut down a large pine about one mile east of the river. Presumably this ball careened off the pine and buried itself about three miles southeast in the field of William Butler. R.L. Butler, the youngest son of William, plowed it up several years later, and it now rests deep in the mud of Cow Branch near the home of John Butler, a grandson of William Butler". The Confederates might have escaped without further casualties except for the work of one very adventurous sharp shooter who followed the run of the river beyond a bend to the east and climbed a tree where he could see some of the Johnnies behind the breast works. After he had killed one and wounded a couple others, he was located and promptly shot from his perch. (10:135) Soon the Union forces began to come across in foot pontoons and the Confederate troops mounted their horses and rode away to destroy the Big Swamp Bridge. A few shots were exchanged between the rear guard of the CSA cavalry and the Union forces but no other hostile shots were fired at that crossing. Left behind were two dead comrades and one wounded who could not ride and a greater loss and problem for the Yankee Generals. (10:135) The bridge itself was not badly damaged but the brave Confederate troopers have been given extra credit for stopping half of Sherman's Right Wing. The results were the same but since all concerned are now dead, it's time to set the record straight. So read on. Due to flooding waters from heavy rains, the beams of the bridge were not damaged. Only the planks were burned. From 10:00 A.M. to after dark was needed to reinforce and repair the bridge for the heavy army wagons. The repair would have taken only a short while had they not had to reinforce the bridge which was used for farm wagons, carriages, and the stage coach. The main river area was deep and sluggish, and that made reinforcing the beams a slow process. (30:197) At 2:00 P.M. the rains and thunderstorms were once again in the area. On each side of the river was some two hundred yards of swamp, originally corduroyed but now covered with about two feet of black water. Most of the troops crossed but at 10:00 P.M. the wagon trains began crossing and the first who crossed found the old corduroy good but a few heavy carriages broke down the old timber (under two feet of water) in places and underneath was quicksand that soon made crossing on animals a series of leaps and plunges. It soon became evident that all the swamp would have to be bridged as the water was too deep. The logs would float and not lay properly to form a bridge or corduroy section to keep the wagons from the mud. It would take several more hours before the bridge would be ready for the larger wagons. (30:197) Clement Road The XV Corps had remained near the Cape Fear River over night and during the night while some members of the 103rd Illinois were standing around a camp fire, someone nearby went up to a refugee with a bowie knife and cut his head about off, killing him. (19:197) By mid-morning the foragers (bummers) of the XV Army Corps were nearing Bethany Chapel and had reached the home of Rebecca Ann Hudson and she in her humble way was ready to match wits with the Yankee invaders. Her small two-room home was just off the road and about a mile from Bethany Church. She had taken sides of meat and placed them in the baby crib and neatly covered them with a quilt. Then she had her son Seth, then seven, lay on the quilt. (33) Some of Sherman's bummers arrived with chickens tied together and hanging across their horses, and began searching the place and soon noticed that that was a right big boy to be lying at this hour in a baby crib. One Yankee stopped, looked at Rebecca Ann and inquired, "What is wrong with the child?" "Well", said she, "Soldiers robbed everybody around and he's just weak and hungry, I reckon". Whereupon the soldier went to his horse and got a chicken and told her to cook it and give that kid some damn chicken. They then left and the meat was saved. (33) The Fourth Division was in the lead of the march and reached Bethany Church by 2:00 P.M. and got word from the bummers that Confederate General Butler's cavalry had burned the Maxwell Bridge and was holding the Sampson side behind breast-works. After establishing contact with the XVII Corps and learning of the loss of some men at the Warwick Bridge, they then went into camp at Bethany Church. About 3:00 P.M. a minor exchange of cannonading occurred. Yankee General Logan did not desire to lose any men at his crossing and due to rising water and rain he decided it best not to charge the best of Johnnies. He decided he would rather capture his opposing rebels. (40:352) The rain was pouring down and a bolt of lightning struck a tree where the 78th Ohio was camped and 30 year old Pvt. Thomas H. Thompson was killed. Lt. Colonel J.C. Parrott and the 7th Iowa was ordered three-quarters of a mile above the bridge site and at the same time part of the 66th Indiana was to be sent half a mile down the river and deploy skirmishes in front for the purpose of making a demonstration and pretend to cross the river. At sundown the 7th Iowa with pontoons moved out without road or landmark and making their way as quietly as possible through dense forest and swamp water. The flooded river was 500 to 600 yards across and the water was from two to five feet deep. The pontoons were to be used to cross the main stream. (40:352) One must remember it was a normal procedure for Butler's Cavalry to post pickets and thus detect any surprise which the Yankees may try. The first few Yankees crossed the main body of the South River in about thirty minutes; however, it would take about an hour for all to cross over and in the process a gun was accidentally discharged and Pvt. John C. Palmer was shot and wounded. The sound of the musket firing was like a cannon in the deep of the swamp and woods and the Yankees had announced their coming, but not in glory. The rain had mostly ceased about 8:00 P.M. After gaining dry land and allowing his men a breathing spell, Colonel Parrott moved parallel with the river and at 9:30 P.M. struck the main road and by now the Confederate troopers were long gone from their breastworks. The 7th Iowa bivouacked on the Sampson side that night without blankets, shelter, or rations, cursing the night, rain, and rebels. (40:352) Raleigh Road - XX and XIV Corps On March 15, Kilpatrick's cavalry preceded the Left Wing on the Raleigh Road and were slowly pushing back Confederate General Wheeler's troopers, which were acting as a rear guard for General Hardee's Corps. (3:150) General Wheeler and his staff were at that time in the area of Wade and had been invited to a sumptuous meal by one of the local Southern ladies. An elegant dinner of roast turkey, sweet potatoes, and hot biscuits was prepared. Unfortunately for the hostess, when the meat was ready Wheeler was gone and in his place came three Yankees from the 70th Indiana. These unwanted guests in blue were greeted by the reluctant hostess with, "Get out of here or I'll scald you". A threat of the bayonet shut off danger from the hot water, but did not stop the torrent of vituperation. While a deluge of words was hitting the three bummers, they scooped the turkey, potatoes, and biscuits into a huge dishpan, wrapped the table cloth around the goodies to keep them warm and disappeared. (34:257) John Oakes in his "Fayetteville" (417) tells of a beautifully engraved howitzer which had been used in the Revolutionary War. The artillery piece had to be abandoned by the Confederates and was dumped into a mill pond near Wade. Some foragers of the 70th Indiana were operating the one bushel per hour mill and found the brass cannon, which was named the "Star of the West". About the same time, some of the boys were foraging and asked a young black man where his people had hidden their meat, "lah, Massa, up in the woods" was the reply. He led the Yankees to the spot and they "resurrected" sixty-four hams. (34:258) The 102nd Illinois, 33rd Mass, and 20th Connecticut of the XX Corps had already tasted the resistance of the rebels late the day before at Silver Run and a return on this day had encountered only a slight skirmish and they camped just north of Silver Creek. However, the advancement became stubborn during the late afternoon with Kilpatrick's cavalry engaging mainly with the South Carolina Brigade of Colonel Alfred M. Rhett and the fiery Colonel was captured as he mistook the Yankee cavalry for Wheeler's rebel troopers and that ended his fighting days. Major Hitchcock of Sherman's staff referred to Col. Rhett as a "devil in human shape". Col. Rhett was bad mouthed by the Yankees because he was at Fort Sumter at the beginning of the Civil War. (24:157)(3:151) VII - A Day of Death "Moved a short distance and camped at a church, cut up the benches for wood, fighting In front". - Ira S. Owens - 74th Ohio Clinton Road - XVII Corps The rain was still coming down and the Warwick Bridge was completed by noon Thursday, March l6, 1865. It was made by building cribs and stretching heavy sills from one to another and then houses nearby from the Cumberland side were taken to plank it. Small poles were also used for part of the planking. The entire bridge was something near one thousand feet long. (30:197-198) Meanwhile the Fourth Division moved at about 8 A.M. to the Big Swamp where they found the bridge of about 180 feet in length, destroyed. This was rebuilt, using the weather boarding from the Pleasant Union Baptist Church located on the east side of Big Swamp, and also trees from the area. The division then moved on into Owensville, (Roseboro) and camped for the night. (10:136)(40:383) A tragic incident occurred at the home of Thomas Bullard who lived about one mile north from the Pleasant Union Baptist Church. Miss Ester Bullard, an old maid aunt, lived with Thomas and owned a fine saddle horse which she had ridden for a number of years. A foraging party arrived led by a Yankee captain who liked the horse and wanted to trade in his worn out nag. So he put the bridle on Miss Ester's horse but could not ride off because Miss Ester was clinging to the horse's neck. He could horse whip a man, and a younger woman he would pull off, but even a greedy bummer would not manhandle an old lady. So he removed the bridle and put it back on his own horse and he and his orderly rode away with the other Yankee raiders. (10:136) Miss Ester had won the battle but the war was not over. The Yankees rode out of sight, but the captain was being consumed with regret of having to throw in the towel to an eccentric old lady. After allowing enough time for Miss Ester to get back into her home, he then dashed back and traded horses before Miss Ester could react and save the horse. The Yankee captain out-foxed the old maid this time, but the war was not over. The captain was soon showing his prized "capture" to the other bummers. The horse however had not been ridden lately and he had never been ridden roughly. So the horse threw his rider and injured him to the extent that he died in camp at Owensville. The horse returned in short order to Miss Ester and she won the battle and got a bridle and a worn out nag for her troubles. (10:137) About this same time, other bummers about two miles away were sacking the home of Sheridan Lucas. At this house was a twenty-four year old lass named Elizabeth. The war had taken away many young men whom she knew and on this day a twenty-four year old Yankee named John Smith of the 25th Indiana came her way. While the others were capturing their meat and corn, Elizabeth was capturing the young Yankee. He became a converted Southerner and never returned to Indiana. In the 1880 census they had a daughter Laura, then a few months old. (10:137) The Third Division moved across the South River soon after noon and moved to the Culbreth plantation which was about four miles into Sampson. That was apparently the place of Daniel M. and Jennette Maxwell Culbreth. Daniel and three sons were in the war. Daniel was forty-five and he and his second son William were captured at Ft. Fisher on January 15, 1865. They were sent to the Elmira Prison Camp in N.Y. where Daniel died of diarrhea on February 21, l865 and was buried by a former slave at the Woodlawn National Cemetery, plot No. 2265. William was released after taking the oath of allegiance on July 26, 1865. A trip to Elmira was a ticket to death as twenty-four percent of the prisoners assigned there, died in camp. (40:98)(63) The wagon train which had been corralled and stalled for several hours at the South River had been busy crossing since noon. Mixed in were several hundred regimental wagons and artillery pieces and on the top of all that there were 7,000 refugees, guarded by 200 Yankee soldiers whose term of service had expired. They were on the way to Wilmington via Clinton and the last of these crossed the South River after midnight and camped on the east bank until after sun up. Clement Road - XV Corps The Maxwell Bridge was restored during Wednesday night and the XV Army Corps was on the move again after having to wade through part of the overflowing South River. One Yankee wrote, "We crossed the Black River, which is well named, for it looks quite black and desolate". (45:416) Yankee General Hamilton of the cavalry describes in detail his travel with Sherman's Army on this day, "In our march through North Carolina we were in the home of the long leaf pine which has given turpentine to the country and the name of 'Tar Heel State' to the fine old commonwealth of North Carolina. Here are extensive forest of trees from twenty inches to three feet in diameter and at least seventy feet without a limb, but spreading at the top with a dense mass of interlocking limbs, clothed in evergreen leaves so dense as to exclude the sun. The ground is covered with four to six inches deep of pine needles, routing at the bottom but soft and clean on the surface. The turpentine is obtained by tapping these trees as we boys used to get molasses from our sugar trees long ago. But they cut notches deep enough to hold about a quart of sap, which is gathered into barrels and becomes the turpentines of commerce. The war had stopped all that and the notches are found full of congulated sap, which from different sources has oozed out and whitened the bark on the trunks of the trees higher up. Our foragers had set fire to the turpentine in the notches and the blaze extended to the resin on the bark, causing a smoke which could hardly escape through the green canopy above". (29:195) The 6th Iowa reaped the whirlwind from the burning trees. By the time they passed by the trees which had been set fire by Sherman's bummer's, one had burned a bit too much at the stump and the tree, a huge pine, fell across the road and seriously hurt Musicians Madison Swift and George Guthces. It also badly wrecked a regimental wagon and killed Major Ennis' old mare, which at that time, was hitched to the rear of the wagon. (60:428) About noon the foragers met the rebel cavalry and the 81st Ohio was sent forward with the 12th Illinois ready in support. A heavy skirmish line was established at what is now Hall's Store. Butler's cavalry was driven back about half a mile down the High House Road, (now SR 1006), and there it was discovered that they had taken a strong position with their flanks protected by an almost impossible flooded swamp and opened up on the Yankees with one piece of artillery and Corporal Samuel T. Wiley of the 8lst Ohio was wounded in the knee. A section of the First Missouri Light Artillery was then ordered forward. The skirmish line was strengthened and they advanced, and after a few artillery rounds they succeeded in driving Butler's Troopers from their breast-works on the east side of the Little Coharie. (40:356) By 4 P.M. Thursday, March 16, 1865 the Little Coharie skirmish was over and the Yankees were able to get a few men across the river. The High House Bridge was mostly under flood water and wouldn't burn so it had been destroyed by removing the planking. The Yankees destroyed the High House. Heavy cannonading was heard on the left by some rear troops of the XV Corps which was the action near Averasboro and due to that fighting, the main column of the corps was ordered to the left and they turned north at (SR 1452) what is now Elizabeth Chapel and moved up to the main Goldsboro Road (US 13) and went into camp at Wesley Chapel and at that time the Second Division of the XX Corps arrived on that road with the corps train of 1,100 wagons spread out for some miles. (40:692) Goldsboro Road (Hwy 13) At daybreak on March l6 the Confederate Cavalry had retreated and the Michigan Engineers began the reconstruction of the Graham Bridge. The bridge was sixty yards long, with four spans built on cribs; two center cribs and spans had been burned along with all the planks. The river was sixty yards wide and at that time eighteen feet deep and rising. The approach at each side had to be corduroyed. The repair was complete by 11 A.M. However, the road forward was so bad that nearly the entire next five miles had to be corduroyed, which brought them to the cross-roads at the farm of Henry T. Jackson. Here, Right Wing Commander 0.0. Howard met with other Yankee generals in the area. Here also, General Howard sent orders to the XVII Corps to move to Beaman's Cross-roads and thus the XVII Corps main column would miss Clinton. Henry T. Jackson, however, was likely not home as the forty-one year old farmer was in the 6th Regiment NC Cavalry. Sherman's bummer's however would have "captured" Henry's goods by mid-afternoon of that eventful Thursday. (40:692,865)(37) Raleigh Road - XX Corps The battle of Averasboro (or Black River) was fought in Harnett County but near the border of Cumberland County. The area was called Smithville, so named after a prominent family of Smiths living in that rural neighborhood. The Farquhar Smith home served as Yankee General Sloan's headquarters. The William T. Smith residence was used as a Federal hospital and the John Smith place was used as a Confederate hospital. (3:155) The Yankees reported ninety-five killed, 533 wounded, and fifty-four captured or missing. The above wounded were a problem for Sherman as he was afraid to leave anyone behind to care for them, so every injured was carried in an ambulance wagon. (9:227) Major Henry Hitchcock of Sherman's staff noted that a safe place to be was with Sherman. Much to Hitchcock's disgust, Sherman was never near the fighting. He was however with the XX Corps. The Confederate casualties numbered 865 men. Rhett’s brigade, which had lost its leader the day before, suffered especially heavy but most had only done garrison and artillery duty around Charleston and had seen very little combat. (3:155) The XX Corps had one division, the second, on the main Goldsboro road (now US 13), with the wagon train. Therefore Sherman ordered the Second Division of the XIV Corps forward to help with the battle of Averasboro. The XIV Corps, First Division was then about where Wade is now and Ira S. Owens of the 74th Ohio recorded in his diary, "Moved a short distance and camped at a church, cut up the benches for wood. Raining. Fighting in front". (41:103) That church apparently was the Old Bluff Church at Wade. Some other bummers had gone out two days earlier about four miles from Fayetteville and stole everything as usual and even the family Bible was taken, opened up and spread over a mule's back and used as a saddle by the Yankee who stole it. (58:85) VIII - A Day In the Heart of Sampson "I don't want nuthin 'pon God's earth but to be free of sins and you Yankees". An old Negro man from Averasboro Clinton Road - XVII Corps The rear of the corps pulled away from the South River early on March 17, 1865 and reached Owensvllle (Roseboro) by noon. Colonel Jackson of the 63rd Ohio wrote of that village, "I saw today a very eccentric old lady who had had her burial clothes stolen. For safety she had hid them out of doors and the soldiers finding them, some scoundrel had carried them off. She told me it had cost her great labor and savings to get the silk dress and did not think that she would ever be able to get another. She seemed very grieved. I observed here today quite a number of old people from eighty to ninety years of age". (30:198) The Fourth Division of Sherman's XVII Corps was in the advance and pulled away from Owensvllle early and had gotten within about six miles of Clinton by noon and there they sent the 9th Illinois Mounted Infantry on to Clinton to wait for the refugee train. The Illinois troopers arrived there along with the bummers about 4 P.M. The refugees arrived after dark and went into camp. After the refugees were safely on the way to Wilmington, the 9th Illinois was to proceed to Faison's Depot and open communications with General Terry's forces coming to Goldsboro from Wilmington along the route of the railroad. (40:383) At 1 P.M. the main column of 13,000 men turned north toward Beaman's Cross- roads and reached that point at 5 P.M. and went into camp. The lead regiments were mainly from Iowa and Illinois. The Third Division went into camp about two miles to the rear near what is now Reynolds Cross-roads. They were made up of Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin troops. The 20th Illinois reported that corn and forage were abundant. (27:205) The foragers of the XVII Corps would have worked the area between the Little and Big Coharie in advance of the main column. Some of the citizens used these flooded rivers to try to save some of their livestock. They would drive the horses and cattle into the swamp and hope the Yankees would not find them. Sherman's bummers would go "swamp ranging" as they would call it, looking for these animals. The John E. Parker place was located where the Third Division camped and the bummers arrived at that place by mid afternoon and the food had been hidden with care. However, young Gus Parker was there and still upset over some earlier punishment and Gus had said that he would tell the Yankees about the food being hid, which he did. Being just over three years old proved a blessing to his family because the Yankees didn't believe him and the food was saved. One can guess that after the Yankees left, Gus was in trouble again. (54) Some of the troops camped near the Parker place and pulled boards off the locked corn crib to get corn to feed their horses. (54) George Washington Naylor, a fifty-one year old farmer lived on what is now SR 1458, near the 242 and 421 junction. Sherman's bummers raided his place near dark and Frank P. Naylor, a lad of thirteen, observed the bummers at work. The Naylors had a well with a Cyprus trunk top and part of the well was caved in by the Yankees chasing chickens around the yard and well. By the time they got to the corn it was dark and they set the crib on fire to see how to load the wagon. Fortunately everything was wet and they were able to put out the fire after the Yankees left. The Naylors had lost a son (Ranson) at Chancellorsville Va. about two years earlier. (35)(37) In the early evening, the First Division, bringing up the rear of the XVII Corps, left the Clinton state road at Concord and moved north toward Beaman's Cross-roads and went into camp at 1 A.M. in the Bearskin area, having made seventeen miles for the day. (30:198) Confederate Operations - March 17, l865 Before dark General Hampton had set up headquarters at the Willis Cole home near Bentonville. (Later the home was blown up to prevent the Yankee snipers from using it). After a meal with the Coles, Hampton wrote the following to General Hardee. Part is quoted and should be of some interest to Sampsonians, "Cobb's Mill is one mile from Beaman's Cross-roads on the road leading to Goldsborough. Blackman Lee's (Store) is on the Clinton and Smithfield road. (It was just north of the Newton Grove circle) I think that the enemy is moving on Goldsborough and his right will strike the Weldon and Wilmington Railroad at or below Faison's Depot". (40:1414) Meanwhile in Smithfield General Johnson was trying to consolidate his forces and determine what Sherman was doing. The roads, maps, and weather were also a factor in his planning as well as Sherman's. The North Carolina Junior Reserves (70th, 71st, and 72nd North Carolina Regiments) with about thirty Sampsonians under General Hoke were then in Smithfield and on that day they were called upon to take part in the execution for mutiny of G.W. Orr of the 27th Georgia. Pvt. Orr was first marched around to the solemn music of the Death March in front of the regiments which were drawn together on three sides of a square to witness the event. (38) Then he was forced to face inwards, and to kneel so he could be tied to a stake on the open side of the square. A detail of twelve men drawn up at ten paces performed the painful duty of carrying out the sentence of the court. Half the men had guns loaded with ball and half had powder only in their guns. In two days these mere boys of eighteen would stand their ground in the front lines at Bentonville. (38) Goldsboro Road (US 13) - XV Corps Sherman's XV Corps of 16,000 men left Wesley Chapel at 7 A.M. March 17, 1865, after having sent forward the 57th Illinois to rework the road northward. They marched six miles, where it was reported by local citizens that a regiment of rebel cavalry had been stationed there the day before. (40:352,356,365) They went into camp at 11 A.M. and threw up earthworks facing north at what is now about a mile south of Spivey's Corner. An inspection was held of the arms to insure that they were in good order and that there was a full amount of ammunition for each soldier. (45:416) Rumors were flying about the fighting at Averasboro and the Right Wing (Army of the Tennessee) was to hold its position and allow time for the Left Wing (Army of Georgia) to move up. Sherman's army was getting too spread out. Meanwhile, the 12th Illinois regiment had been sent to save the Mingo Bridge. However, after marching five miles, they learned that they were too late. General Wade Hampton had ordered its destruction the day before. (40:1404) During the afternoon, foragers were out and a paroled prisoner was brought in to the Second Division. He was W.T. Mainor of Cumberland County and made the following statement for the Yankee commanders, "We passed through Richmond, Va. March 11, and Goldsboro March 15. Lieut. Gen. R.E. Lee had left Richmond and was suppose to be at Raleigh. Pickett's Division had marched for that place (Raleigh) on the 10th. Machinery and refugees were being sent to Greensboro. Clingman's Brigade had been in Goldsboro and marched for Raleigh on the 13th. On the 15th only one company of artillery was still in Goldsboro, left to burn the cotton. Roads were good to Goldsboro". Pvt. Mainor was reported as "Intelligent and communicative". (40:873,875) General Hampton and Kilpatrick's prime duties were to provide "intelligence" to their leaders and checking out stories and movements of forces were a major concern. The size of the Confederate forces was consistently over estimated by Kilpatrick. General Hardee wrote Johnson early on this day, March 17, 1865, that Hampton believes Sherman headed direct to Goldsboro. This was also stated by a captured Yankee. However, it would be another full day before Johnson would know for sure. Meanwhile he was pulling in all Confederate forces toward the area of Smithfield as fast as he could. (3:152,157) To add to all the confusing signals the Right Wing learned on that Friday from some escaped prisoners, that they had been captured by men in "Yankee" uniforms. Apparently foragers were the prime targets of these rebel scouts. Most foot soldiers of blue and gray were wearing mixed clothes because that was all they had. This was a problem in skirmishes and battle and that generally worked to the advantage of the South. (40:873) Bringing up the rear of the XV Corps was the First Division with the train of 1,000 wagons. They were still on the Clement Road and were headed for Beaman's Cross-roads and on to Goldsboro. On the 17th of March they were going slow due to rain and bad roads and had only crossed the South River. (29:296) Raleigh Road XX and XIV Corps During the night of March l6, 1865 the Confederate troops pulled out from contact of the Union forces. The battle of Averasboro was listed as a "lively" skirmish. Hardee's engagement stopped the advance of the XX Corps, giving Johnson more time to collect his forces and this delay also caused Sherman's army to become strung out more. Now General Johnson could isolate and crush one of the Federal columns before Sherman could get his forces back in compact form. Hardee moved his forces to Elevation on Smithfield road. (3:158) The XIV Corps with its 15,000 men pulled out in front of the XX Corps. The mud from the rain and fighting was so bad that some units moved only about a quarter of a mile per hour. In such cases a hundred men were required to push and pull a wagon out of the knee-deep mud. (9:228) All of the Union sick and wounded were carried away from Averasboro and this was a problem for the Yankees. The Confederate wounded were left in care of some prisoners. (34:258) Samuel Merrill and ten others of the 70th Indiana was detailed to forage for the sick and wounded. While doing that duty, they were looking into an old shuckpen and found $78.00 in fifty-cent pieces. Thinking that the money might give comfort to the South, they gladly divided the silver among themselves. (34:258) At one home near Averasboro, there was an old Negro man, who the Yankees hung three times to make him reveal where his masters valuables were hid. The old fellow was faithful to the end, and when at length they released him, he said to the Yankees, "You say you have come here to free us black people, do you? Well, my old Massa raised me and he never put a rope around my neck and I raised my present Massa and he never put a rope around my neck and yet the first thing you do is put a rope around my neck and hang me most to death 'cause I won't betray my Massa who was always good to me". To one of the Yankees who asked if he didn't want to go with them, he said, "I don't want nuthin 'pon God's earth but to be free from sins and you Yankees". (17) The XIV Corps crossed the Black River and marched east a few miles and encamped near Mingo Creek and the XX Corps encamped near Black River. Meanwhile the union cavalry pushed north to keep the rebels guessing as to their real direction of movement. (40:423) The cavalry of the Yankees and Confederates had one good contact on the 17th of March. Near where Dunn is now, Yankee General William B. Way came upon some of Confederate General William Allen's troopers behind a barricade and he deployed skirmishers and formed the balance of his command in line of battle, and advanced toward the rebel stronghold. However, in doing that, Gen. Way learned that the rebels were moving in force upon his right and rear. Gen. Allen charged Way's Third Brigade as they were partly across a swamp and Way poured a raking fire into Allen's left flank, causing him to withdraw. Neither side reported any loss. (40:903)(40:1420) All across Sampson were Yankee and Confederate troopers separated by no-man's land. Wheeler was on the Smithfield road, Hampton was near Bentonville, and Butler was near Blackman Lee's Store. Butler had spent the night of the l6th at Beaman's Cross-roads. US 421 is about where the dividing line ran on the night of March 17, l865. (40:1421) IX - A Day to Get Ready "The general commanding directs that you immediately put your command en route to Bentonville". - Confederate Message - March 18, 1865 - 6:55 A.M. Confederate Operations To attack and crush the head of Sherman's Left Wing at Bentonville was the plan and time was running out. General Johnson felt that the two wings were about a day's march from each other. They were in fact at that hour spread out from Clinton to Averasboro, mostly along the area of where US 421 now runs. (3:159) Hampton and Butler were now at Bentonville; Wheeler was on the Smithfield road; Hardee was at Elevation; Hoke, with the North Carolina Junior Reserves, was at Smithfield. Bragg and Stewart were also at Smithfield; the total forces being about 25,000 men which was less than Sherman's Left Wing of near 30,000 men and Terry's forces coming from Wilmington and Schofield coming from Kinston. A total force of 90,000 Yankees would soon be with Sherman. The Yankees thought that Johnson had 40,000 troops and was getting ready to defend Raleigh. (3:159) Bentonville Road - XIV Army Corps Sherman and the XIV Corps moved out about light and crossed the Mingo Creek with the Second Division in the advance. These men were mostly from Ohio and Illinois. The foragers of the command found some of Hampton's cavalry at about where NC 242 now crosses NC 55 and began to drive them east along the route that NC 55 now takes, for about four hours they were driven. At Bushy Swamp the Confederates took up a strong position and opened up with artillery. Near the area where NC 50 leaves Sampson County, Yankee General Morgan put the Second Brigade on the left and the First Brigade on the right (Sampson) side. The 34th Illinois was the lead skirmishers on the left and the 10th Michigan was lead on the Sampson side. The force of about 3,000 Yankees moving against Bushy Swamp was enough to dislodge Hampton's Troopers. The 10th Michigan had one man killed. Sherman came up and ordered no more advance for the day as the Left Wing was getting too spread out. The Third Brigade and division headquarters camped at 4 P.M. on the east side of Bushy Swamp and on what is now SR 1008. (40:434,493) The XX Corps was having a hard time with the roads and bridges. Two divisions managed to move out twelve miles but were still eight miles behind the XIV Corps. The First Division camped at the Lee plantation which was near the present NC 55-242 crossing. The Third Division camped at the Thornton plantation, near Draughon's Cross-roads. (3:161) Some of the forages from 70th Indiana were in the area of the upper border of the Sampson-Harnett County line and recorded these events, "We came to a farm where the owner was too rich to be in the army. There was side meat in great abundance and yams by the wagon load. It struck me that every hog had as many hams as sides so after searching we found an opening into the garret, where was concealed the kind of meat a sick or wounded man would relish. We selected and threw down twenty four of the best hams, adding them to our wagon load of yams, and bid the former owner good day. The meanest trick I saw in my foraging experience was done this morning. The man of the house had on a new pair of gean pantaloons, woven from red and white yarn that had been twisted together. A boy from the 102nd Illinois made him haul off his good trousers and swap for the dirty ragged ones he wore". (34:358-359) As the Yankees were crossing the county they would fire the turpentine stills and trees and this would send up a dense black smoke-column which could be seen for miles by the Confederates. Rice Bull, 123rd New York writes of the night of the 18th, "It was eleven at night before we reached the brigade camp. It was in a 'tapped' pine forest, lighted by setting fire to the gum on the trees that would burn and smoke for hours. We were able to stand around the fires and dry out. We were a sight to behold as the black pitch smoke had added one more coat of coal-black to our faces and hands; we were like Negroes; we slept with our shoes on; we did not dare take them off for fear they would shrink so much we could not get them on in the morning. They were good and tight when we awoke". (9:229)(3:101) Colonel Jackson of the 63rd Ohio, at that time was near Goshen Church, states that the advance of the left (XIV Corps) captured three hundred prisoners on March 18, 1865. The writer was never able to substantiate the action referred to. However some Sampsonians were captured in Sampson. John Curtis Jackson, a young man of twenty-five and had been a POW three years earlier, was captured and had been assigned to the 20th NC Regiment. Also in the same unit were first cousins, Robert and Newbern Tew and they too were captured. This was an infantry unit and the writer feels that only cavalry and a few artillery troops of the Confederate Army encountered Sherman's men in Sampson. The 20th NC Regiment surrendered at Appomattox and these men must have been on furlough or on special assignment. (30:199)(33) Goldsboro Road - XV Corps Thomas W. Connelley of the 70th Ohio wrote about the heart of Sampson as the XV Corps broke camp on the road south of Newton Grove, "The last two days have been sunny and the air deliciously pleasant, full of the balmy influences of spring. The peach and apple trees are full of their delicate pink and white blossoms. Their delightful fragrances float in the air, greeting us with nature's tenderest offerings. We are passing through a well cultivated county, with rich farm lands skirting the roadside. The houses are well built, the granaries are full of oats and corn and our animals are getting their fill. We have found more forage than we could bring away". (15:152)(36:260) Daniel Ambrose of the 7th Illinois writes, "At 9 A.M. we move. The roads still desperate — corduroying almost every step. A great many refugees are now following the army, seeking to be freed from Davis' tyranny; they are enduring much suffering. We got into camp tonight about sun down. We are about twenty-six miles from Goldsboro". The above refugees would have been new since Fayetteville, as up to that time all were sent to Wilmington. The refugees might have been attracted to the XV Corps more than the rest of Sherman's army because in the Fourth Division, there was the 110th US Colored. In the mid 1940s Oscar Bizzell witnessed the "resurrection" of some of the logs used by the Yankees to corduroy the roads. It was during the construction of US 13 south of Newton Grove. Lovett Warren, a fifty-six year old farmer was at his farm on that Saturday morning. His youngest son William, a lad of twenty, had died nearly three years earlier at the battle near Richmond. An older son, Burrell was in the 46th NC Regiment. It was mid-morning when Sherman's bummers got to his place and he was there to greet them. Among other things, they wanted Lovett's corn and unfortunately, he also wanted it. So he stood between them and the corn, but not for long because they shot him in the behind. Lovett was harmed for life as after that day he never could sit in the proper manner. His house still stands about three miles south of Newton Grove near the junction of US 13 and SR 1647. The XX Corps wagon train was on the same road but behind the XV Corps main column. They had remained in camp near the farm of Henry T. Jackson on the l7th and many had gone foraging in the Mingo area. These 4,500 troops were mainly from New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. They moved forward and went into camp on the Seven-Mile Creek at about one and a half miles from Rainer's Mill. The writer feels that should have been House's Mill since it was an old mill even during the Civil War. (40:693) Henry Wright, 6th Iowa wrote, "We moved to the vicinity of Newton Grove Cross-Roads and camped before night. Here while oak timber was seen for the first time in many days and was hailed by the troops with shouts of joy for it was something to get out of the pine woods". (60:428) By mid-afternoon, the main column of Sherman's XV Corps was nearing Newton Grove and the main column of the XIV Corps was heading east from Averasboro (Erwin). About the time that the XV Corps got to Newton Grove, the XIV Corps was three miles west, then moving northeast toward Bentonville. Shortly before that hour, some of Wade Hampton's troopers were keeping check on the forward foragers of the XV Corps. This was the 7th Illinois, tabbed "mounted thieves" by their fellow Yankees. The rebel scouts were on the left of the column and too busy worrying about the activities of the XV Corps to even think of those heading toward north Sampson from the west. Some where near Blackman's Mill the Yankees from both wings caught some of Hampton's scouts in a wedge and a shoot out occurred. This time it was the blue over the gray. Score eleven to four. (19:199) Clement Road - XV Corps Train The entire Corps train consisted of nearly 1,000 wagons and had camped in the area of Jones Swamp on the east aide of South River. They pulled out early on March 18, 1865 and were heading for Beaman's Cross-roads. General W.B. Woods and his First Brigade of the First Division had train guard and movement duty. Half of his men were from Missouri and one regiment each from Ohio, Iowa, and Indiana. (28:296) Some of the road had been corduroyed by the main column of the XV Corps, however they had left the Maxwell or High House Road on what is now SR 1452 and the roads forward as General Woods reported "were awful". He had learned at 8 A.M. that the crossing of the Little Coharie would be ready by the time it was needed. The rebels had earlier removed planking from the High House Bridge to make it unusable by the Yankees. The roads around Dismal Bay and Bryant Swamp were about as bad as the approach to the Little Coharie. (40:888) The forward wagons however reached the Little Coharie soon after noon and the crossing would be complete by 8:15 P.M. Apparently one of Sherman's generals spent the night at the home of Charlie Hall, the father of Kirby Hall. It was a normal event for the generals to invite themselves into homes along the march. General Woods was the only general in the area that Saturday, however, he was at Beaman’s Cross-roads at 6 A.M. on the 19th. It could have been Woods or one of his regiment commanders with the rear of the train guard. (44)(40) The advance of the wagon train arrived at Beaman's Cross-roads and went into camp at about 8 P.M. and it would take until 4 A.M. the next morning for the rear of the train to get into camp. (40:898-899) Clinton Road - XVII Corps The Third Division of Sherman's XVII Corps broke camp at 8 A.M. and pulled out from Beaman's Cross-roads. The 20th Illinois was sent forward to reconnoiter and ascertain the best roads. They crossed the Big Coharie and due to heavy rains it turned out to be four miles wide and the soldiers marched in water up to their knees. They hit water at the Old Mill Swamp and then at Merkle Swamp and at the main stream the water had Daughtry Bridge covered. They pulled out of the water at Troublefield's Store which was on the eastern side of the river. The progress was slow because nearly all the distance had to be corduroyed. A great many of the men were barefoot, their clothes were mixed and in strings. The men on forage duty would take anything to eat or wear regardless of cut or color. Some wore white vest and straw hats and occasionally one could be seen in tails. Some shoes sent over from General Terry were issued on that Saturday. (21:262) At Troublefield's Store, the Third and Fourth Division moved southeast to the William Lane plantation located on the main Clinton to Goldsboro Road. The 20th Illinois, sent out to find the best roads, got lost and went near Goldsboro and finally returned to camp at 3 A.M. The First Division and train crossed in the evening and moved to the left toward Goshen Church and Everettsville. (27:205)(40:383) On the east bank lived a man named Alan Barbrey with a large family and had considerable property and food before the Yankees came. He was stripped of everything eatable that Saturday. Colonel Jackson of the 63rd Ohio shared his own bread and meat with the family. Mr. Barbrey's oldest son, William, was a Sergeant in the North Carolina Junior Reserves. Colonel Jackson's unit and several other Ohio regiments camped at Goshen Church. (30:198) Sherman's bummers had got to Goshen Church about six hours in advance of the Ohio regiments and they visited the home of thirty-one year old Mrs. Soloman R. Daughtry about a mile beyond the church. They had managed to hide their food in the loft and one board was left loose in order to get in and out. When the troops came, one as usual was assigned to use a pole and poke for loose boards. As the Yankee began to poke "Miss Sarah" began to cry and said, "She and the children would probably starve". As fate would have it, the crying distracted the Yankee poking and he missed the loose board. As the troops were leaving her home, one pulled out some money and quietly put it in her hand. (54) Another event recorded by the Daughtry family is that they had tried to take a load of sweet potatoes back into the woods to hide them. In the process one of the cart wheels got caught in a washout and the wheel broke. They were forced to unload the yams there and return home. When the Yankees came, they suspected foul play and didn't want anything to do with "poisoned" yams. No one would leave food out by the road for the Yankees to take at will and so the sweet potatoes were safe. (54) X - A Day of Glory "Jesus" he cried, "have mercy on me. I don't think I have been very bad boy. Oh, do have mercy on me, dear Jesus". - Dying Yankee Soldier - Bentonville, March 19, 1865 (29:194) Sherman had left the Left Wing before light; supposing that all danger was over, crossed over to Newton Grove and moved east to catch General Howard and the forward part of the Right Wing, which he did about 1 P.M. at Falling Creek Church (Grantham). (48:303) Sunday morning, March 19, dawned clear and beautiful. For the unsuspecting Federal soldiers everything seemed to forecast a Sunday of peace and quiet. Major Nichols reports that he was aroused from sleep by a brigade band playing "Old Hundred", which never sounded more "sweetly solemn". (3:163)(36:261) The First Division, XIV Corps, General Carlin commanding, was ready to move out at 7:00 A.M. General Carlin wore his newest uniform so there would be no doubt of his rank in the case of his capture or death. (3:163) Meanwhile, the XVII Corps now in two groups, pulled out early from Goshen Church and the Giddensville area and moved east via Doctor Faison's plantation, to Smith's Chapel, about seven miles from Mount Olive. They reported "plenty of forage, crops good last year. Heard heavy cannonading off on the left". Colonel Jackson recorded, "our men are almost worn down with loss of sleep." (21:262)(36:199) The XV Corps train moved north from the Seven-Mile Creek and Rob Lee's store at 6:00 A.M., following what is now SR 1647 to Newton Grove Post Office at the home of Doctor Monk. There they turned to the right on the Goldsboro new road and encamped at Canaan Baptist Church until 4 P.M., while the rear of the XV Corps cleared the Newton Grove area. They then moved on through Newton Grove toward the Sampson-Wayne border where at 10 P.M. they sent all ambulance and ammunition wagons to Bentonville. (40:693) The forward units of the XIV Corps quickly overtook the foragers, still skirmishing with Confederate cavalry just outside the camp area. Never were the foragers checked so close to camp and at that time the Left Wing (Army of Georgia) Commanding General Slocum, came up and failed to suspect anything unusual as a cavalry officer who had escaped two days earlier from his rebel captives, informed him that when he left Smithfield he knew the main army under General Johnson to be at or near Raleigh. This was confirmed by deserters and Kilpatrick's scouts. (40:423) Kilpatrick's men had kept pressure on the Raleigh road to fool the Confederates as to their real intent and Wheeler's troopers also played that game. Kilpatrick got suckered into believing that Hardee and Johnson were heading to Raleigh and wrote Sherman to that effect at 10 A.M. Kilpatrick then was with the forward part of the XX Corps, nine miles from Bentonville or about where NC 96 now crosses NC 55. (3:164)(40:908) Slocum wrote Sherman that morning that the only force in front consisted of cavalry with a few pieces of artillery. Based on that report from Slocum, Sherman calmly wrote Schofield at 2 P.M. that "the Left Wing would be at Cox's Bridge and the Right Wing within ten miles of Goldsborough that night. Tomorrow we will cross the Neuse". (40:911) In the meantime, Carlin's skirmishers were pushing Hampton back, but it was slow and the Yankee expression from the Atlanta campaign, "They don't drive work a damn", was again applied to the rebels. When the Yankees got to about three miles of Bentonville and the Willis Cole plantation they met the Confederate infantry and trouble. By noon Slocum was forced to send another message to Sherman; this time it was urgent. William Calkins of the 104th Illinois and one of Carlin's men up front wrote in his journal, "Some time after noon, I think about two o'clock, a tremendous firing and cheering broke out over where the other wing of the brigade had made its charge in the forenoon. It required but little experience to know that one side or another was making an assault. But which side, and with what result? In a few moments I noticed the firing and yelling was moving southward, indicating that the rebels were on the charge and has smashed Carlin's line. I went to the officer commanding the regiment next on the right, which was still in line, told him the situation we were in, and proposed that we about face both regiments, fix bayonets and charge the rebels then in our rear, striking them on the flank and with a yell and a volley at close range we would give the Johnnies such a shove westward as would enable us to get out to the south. The officer declined to take part in the charge, and at once moved his regiment off by its right flank and was soon out of sight". (11:304) The battle of Bentonville was the closing major battle of the Civil War. Hundreds were killed and wounded the first day on both sides and the badly wounded Yankees were gathered into the Harper House nearby, which soon resembled a slaughter house. A dozen surgeons and attendants in their shirt sleeves stood around benches cutting off arms and legs throwing them out of the windows, where they lay scattered on the grass. The legs of the infantry could be distinguished from those of the cavalry by the size of their calves as the march of several hundred miles had increased the size of the one and diminished the size of the other. (29:194) Another room was filled with the severely wounded whose moans and cries were heart rending. Some cussing those who had brought on the war and others dying and trying to send messages to loved ones back home. Still others were in earnest prayer trying for God's favor and some were calling for their mothers and Jesus in turn. The Sampsonians in the battle were in Company "A", 71st NC Regiment, part of the NC Junior Reserves. The 51st NC Regiment was another with a number of Sampsonians. A unit that lost heavily was the 36th North Carolina and Company "A" of that regiment were all Sampsonians. Most of the 51st and 36th had been lost at Fort Fisher; however, some were absent on leave or on other duties when the fort was taken and so those few that remained "covered themselves with glory" as part of the famous "Red Infantry" under Lt. Colonel John D. Taylor at Bentonville. Some officers who had served in the army of Northern Virginia said it was the hottest infantry fight since Cold Harbor. There was at least one civilian Sampsonian who had part in the battle. Cannonading from about 11 A.M. could be heard clearly for about twenty miles as it was a rare nice day for March of 1865. Those living as far away as Giddensville, Piney Green, and Wesley Chapel could have heard the cannons roar. One that did was James Fellows Jackson, a 59 year old farmer. He was not too pleased with the Yankees sacking his farm and taking his food. After listening to the cannons for a while, he grabbed his squirrel rifle and set out to do his part in the raging battle at Bentonville. Baird's Third Division of the XIV Corps had done duty in Fayetteville and was the last part of Sherman’s Army still in Sampson. They had moved out from Fayetteville behind everyone. They were bringing up the rear and the last of the 3,000 wagons which were with Sherman. By late that night, they were about a mile south of Newton Grove and camped where SR 1703 and 1800 now cross. Captain Horton took time to record that, "The peach trees were blooming and other budding acts and looks like spring. Reports of bad fighting reached us as we go into camp". (23:249) [Note: References in this file are located at the end of paragraphs. The first number references the book titles below and the second number is the page number within each book] 1. Anders, Leslie - 18th Missouri 2. Amborse, Daniel - 7th Illinois 3. Barrett, John G. - Sherman's March Through The Carolinas 4. Barrett, John G. - The Civil War In North Carolina 5. Battles And Leaders Of The Civil War 6. Boynton, H.V. - Sherman's Historical Raid 7. Boies, Andrew J. - 33rd Mass. 8. Brooks, V.R. - Butler And His Cavalry 1861-1865 9. Bull, Rice C. - Soldiering 123rd New York 10. Bullard, E.M. - Sampson Yearbook 1956-1957 11. Calkins, William W. - 104th Illinois 12. Chamberlin, W.H. - 81st Ohio 13. Cluett, William W. - 57th Illinois 14. Connelley, John A. - Three Years In The Army Of The Cumberland 123rd Illinois 15. Connelly, Thomas W. - 79th Ohio 16. Cox, Jacob D., LLD - The March To The Sea 17. Daily Confederate 18. Davis, Burke - Sherman's March 19. Diaries Of Members 103rd Illinois 20. Drake, George - 85th Illinois 21. Downing's Civil War Diary 11th Iowa 22. Duke, John K. - 53rd Ohio 23. Eaton, Clement - Diary Of An Officer 24. Fleharty, Stephen F. - 102nd Illinois 25. Floyd, David B. - 75th Indiana 26. Gage, Moses D. - 12th Indiana 27. Geer, Allen M. - 20th Illinois 28. Gibson, John M. - Those 163 Days 29. Hamilton, William D. - Recollections Of A Cavalryman 30. Jackson, Oscar L. - The Colonel's Diary 63rd Ohio 31. Jones, Katharine M. - When Sherman Came 32. Lewis, Lloyd - Sherman, Fighting Prophet 33. McLaurin, W.B. 34. Merrill, Samuel - 70th Indiana 35. Naylor, Authur 36. Nichols, George - The Story Of The Great March 37. North Carolina Troops A Roster 38. North Carolina Troops Regimental Histories 39. Oakes, John A. - The Story Of Fayetteville 40. Official Records Ser. 1 Vol. 47 41. Owens, Ira S. - 74th Ohio 42. Puntenney, George - 37th Indiana 43. Rowell, John W. - Yankee Cavalrymen 44. Sampson Independent 45. Saunier, Joseph A. - 47th Ohio 46. Seventh Illinois Adjutant General's Report 47. Sherlock, Eli J. - 100th Indiana 48. Sherman, William T. - Memoirs Of Gen. W.T. Sherman 49. Smith, Charles H. - Fuller's Ohio Brigade 50. Stevenson, Thomas M. - 78th Ohio 51. Spencer, Cornelia P. - The Last Ninety Days Of The War In North Carolina 52. Strong, Robert H. - 105th Illinois 53. Tew Family Records 54. Tew, John E., Jr. 55. Tourgee, Albion W. - The Story Of A Thousand 105th Ohio 56. Upson, Theodore - 100th Indiana 57. Walcutt, C.C. - 94th Ohio 58. War Days In Fayetteville 59. Wheeler, Joseph - Campaigns Of Wheeler And His Cavalry 60. Wright, Henry H. - 6th Iowa 61. Hinman, Wilbur F. - The Story Of The Sherman Brigade 64th & 65th Ohio 62. 1850 US Census ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Jerome Tew - jdtew3@earthlink.net ___________________________________________________________________