The Battle of Morrisville, also known as the Battle at Morrisville Station, was fought April 13–15, 1865, in Morrisville, North Carolina during the Carolinas Campaign of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It was the last official battle of the Civil War between the armies of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

William T. Sherman and

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Joseph E. Johnston. General Judson Kilpatrick, commanding officer of the Union cavalry advance, forced Confederate forces, under the command of Generals Wade Hampton III and Joseph Wheeler, to withdraw in haste. The Confederates were frantically trying to transport their remaining supplies and wounded westward, by rail, toward the final Confederate encampment in

Greensboro, NC Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

, which, unbeknownst to them, had fallen under attack by the

3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry The 3rd North Carolina (Volunteer) Mounted Infantry (3rd NCMI) was an all-volunteer mounted infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was predominantly composed of Union Loyalists from North Caro ...

as part of Stoneman's Raid. Kilpatrick used artillery on the heights overlooking Morrisville Station and cavalry charges to push the Confederates out of the small village leaving many needed supplies behind. However, the trains were able to withdraw with wounded soldiers from the Battle of Bentonville and the Battle of Averasborough. Later, General Johnston sent a courier to the Federal encampments at Morrisville with a message for Major General Sherman requesting a conference to discuss an armistice. Several days later the two generals met at Bennett Place on April 17, 1865 to begin discussing the terms of what would become the largest surrender of the war. Due to the development of the area, hardly any evidence of the battle remains. Some heavily trampled breastwork is still visible in the woods by the train tracks. The North Carolina government has installed a sign marking the approximate location of the battle.

References

External links

Morrisville Civil War Battlefield Preservation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrisville, Battle Of 1865 in the American Civil War April 1865 events Morrisville Morrisville Morrisville History of North Carolina History of Wake County, North Carolina