The End Of The Carolinia Fighting

The Battle of Bentonville a part of the Carolinians Campaign was fought March 19^th through 21^st 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 19^th 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 20^th 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 21^st 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.

Split But Still Able To Overwhelm

A prelude to the Battle of Bentonville, the Battle of Averasboro was fought March 16^th 1865 in Cumberland and Harnett Counties, in North Carolina.

Union Major General William Tecumseh Sherman split his army into two columns as they moved toward Goldsboro, North Carolina.  The right was commanded by Major General Oliver Otis Howard, and the left column by Major General Henry W Slocum.  Confederate General Joseph E Johnston hoped to attack the Union troops while they were split up, and he sent Lieutenant General William J Hardee’s Corps for the job.  Slocum’s men crossed the Cape Fear River near Averasboro, North Carolina.

At dawn on the morning of March 16^th 1865 troops of the XX Corps under command of Union Major General Alpheus S William were attacked by Confederate troops.  Union reinforcement came onto the field and pushed the Confederate skirmishers back.  The Confederates formed another line, and held their ground.  However in the late afternoon, as more Union troops arrived on the field, Hardee could see his men were in danger of being outflanked, and he withdrew his troops during the night.

The Thanks Of A Nation

Union General George Gordon Meade and the Army of the Potomac received a “Thanks of Congress” January 28th 1864 for their part in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Originally a formal governmental thanks, the “Thanks of Congress” was a series of resolutions passed by the United States Congress for victories or impressive military actions. These “Thanks of Congress” began during the American Revolutionary War, and were often accompanied by a commemorative medal. “Thanks of Congress” during the Civil War were published in Statutes at Large. Fifteen Union Army officers and fifteen Union Navy officers were named in these act during the Civil War. The first “Thanks of Congress” to be awarded during the Civil War was for "the gallant and patriotic services of the late Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, and the officers and soldiers under his command at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek on 10 Aug. 1861."

The United States Congress awarded five “Thanks of Congress” on January 28th 1864. They were given to Nathaniel P Bank, Ambrose E Burnside, Joseph Hooker, Oliver Otis Howard, and George G Meade.

Slowing The Union Up

The Battle of Averasborough in North Carolina was fought on March 16th 1865.

Part of General William Tecumseh Sherman’s army in South Carolina, the left wing under the command of General Henry W Slocum and the right wing under Oliver Otis Howard marched with an objective of Goldsborough, North Carolinia. Howard marched toward Goldsborough while Slocum’s wing affected a march toward Raleigh in order to draw the Confederates.

Confederate General Joseph E Johnston attacked Slocum’s wing. Johnston sent General William J Hardee’s corps to slow Slocum up. On March 16th 1865 to two forces ran into each other in the town of Averasborough. Sherman who was traveling with Slocum’s wing ordered an attack on Hardee’s right and front. Although initially routing the Confederates, somehow Hardee’s men drew up and formed a defensive line in about a mile. The Confederates held this spot, holding off the Union’s repeated attacks until after dark. Hardee withdrew during the night having succeeded in delaying Slocum’s movements. The Union forces lost only 182 to the Confederates 865 casualties.

Goverment Help

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Land was voted on and passed through Congress on March 3rd 1865,

The Bill which created the Freedman’s Bureau, was started by President Abraham Lincoln. It was to set up as a government organization to aid former slaves and displaced poor southern whites with education and employment. The Bureau was to run for one year following the end of the Civil War. Congress passed the Bill into Law on March 3rd 1865.

The Bureau was part of the United States Department of War. Its first head was Union General Oliver Otis Howard. The Bureau operated from 1865 to 1872, when President Andrew Johnson disbanded the group. The original job of the Bureau was to provide food, housing, medical aid, and reunite families. It would also set up schools for the former slaves, more than 1,000 were built and staffed including many of the African American Colleges still educating in the United States today.

There was hostility against the Freedmen’s Bureau from many southern whites. The plan to redistribute land to freed blacks taken from Southerners who fought for the Confederacy was thwarted by Andrew Johnson pardoning these men and returning their land to them. The agency was filled with corruption and came to an end in 1872.

Began and Ended

In the little coastal town of Brunswick, Maine on June 24 1794, Bowdoin College was founded.

Bowdoin College has caused many to say that this is where the Civil War “began and ended”. It was in Appleton Hall, while her husband was teaching at Bowdoin, that Harriet Beecher Stowe began writing her novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Than Joshua Chamberlain, who was an alumnus and professor of Bowdoin accepted the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House.

Other Civil War connections to Bowdoin College include, General Oliver Otis Howard [the class of 1850], who was the leader of the Freedmen’s Bureau after the war. Governor John A Andrew [class of 1837] who was responsible for the formation of the 54th Massachusetts. William P Fessenden [class of 1823] and Hugh McCulloch [class 1827] both of whom served as Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury. Brevet Brigadier General Ellis Spear [class of 1858] who was Chamberlain’s second in command at Gettysburg. John Brown Russwurm [class of 1826] who was the third black man to graduate from an American college and the co-founder of “Freedom’s Journal” the country’s first black newspaper.