The Battle
of Bentonville a part of the Carolinians Campaign was fought March 19th
through 21st 1865 near Four Oaks, North Carolina.
Union
General William T Sherman split his army into two wings, with the right wing
commanded by Major General Oliver O Howard, and the left wing under Major
General Henry W Slocum. Slocum’s men ran
across entrenched troops belonging to Confederate General Joseph E Johnston
army at Bentonville, North Carolina.
In the late afternoon
of March 19th 1865 the Confederates attacked the XIV Corps, routing
two divisions. It was only through
counterattacks and hard fighting south of the Goldsborough Road that the
Confederate offensive was slowed. Parts of the XX Corps entered the fight as they
arrived on the field. The fighting ended
with coming darkness, and after the Confederates had made five assaults without
dislodging the Union men. Johnston
reformed his line during the night into a “V” placing Mill Creek in his rear.
Sherman sent
in reinforcements on March 20th 1865. He expected that Johnston would withdraw his
troops, but everyone held their position with some minor skirmishing.
Union Major
General Joseph A Mower took his Division on March 21st 1865 down a
narrow road into Johnson’s rear and made an attack. The Confederates were able to drive off
Mower’s men, and Mower rejoined the rest of Sherman’s men. Johnston withdrew from the field during the
night. The casualties reported were
3,092 on the Confederate side and 1,646 for the Union troops.
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