Bentonville Battlefield is a

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

state historic site at 5466 Harper House Road in Johnston County, North Carolina. It belongs to the

North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is a cabinet-level department within the state government of North Carolina dedicated to overseeing projects in the arts, culture, and history within the borders of the state. The cur ...

and is the site of the 1865

Battle of Bentonville The Battle of Bentonville (March 19–21, 1865) was fought in Johnston County, North Carolina, near the village of Bentonville, as part of the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was the last battle between the armies of Union Maj ...

, fought in the waning days 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 ...

. It was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1996. and

Description and history

Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site is one of more than 20 NC State Historic Sites interpreting the history of the state of North Carolina. The site is located in southern Johnston County, near Newton Grove, NC. The site has a Visitors Center that is located at the junction of Harper House Road and Mill Creek Church Road (County Roads 1008 and 1108, respectively), roughly at the southwestern corner of the area in which the battle took place, which extends most of the way to Bentonville, and is also the location of the Harper House, the only surviving building from the time of the battle. Evidence of earthworks erected by both Union and Confederate forces is visible in the area. The site also includes an extensive driving tour and walking trails that cover the battlefield. The

was fought March 19–21, 1865, and was the largest Civil War battle fought in North Carolina. The Confederate defeat marked a serious weakening of one of its last surviving major armies, but was a significant enough engagement that it convinced Union General

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

to leave General

William T. Sherman William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

in North Carolina, in order to further subdue the surviving forces led by General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia secede ...

. The

American Battlefield Trust The American Battlefield Trust is a charitable organization ( 501(c)(3)) whose primary focus is in the preservation of battlefields of the American Civil War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 through acquisition of battlefield land. Th ...

and its partners have acquired and preserved of the battlefield from 1990 to 2023. About 1/3 of original battlefield land is now owned by the state of North Carolina.

Exhibits

Visitors to Bentonville Battlefield can tour the restored Harper House, used as a US XIV Corps field hospital during the battle and now furnished as a Civil War field hospital, and includes a reconstructed kitchen and enslaved people's quarters. Exhibits at the park's visitor center focus on the battle, and include interactive maps, artifacts and displays about soldiers and commanders from both armies. There is also a 15-minute audiovisual program about the battle. Outdoor exhibits in the park include the Federal XX Corps reserve trenches, the Harper family cemetery, a Confederate cemetery, several monuments, and a 10-mile driving tour with 8 tour stops. The site also features nearly 5 miles of walking trails along original trenches built during the battle. HarperHouse2020

References

External links

Bentonville Battlefield

- official site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentonville Battlefield American Civil War museums in North Carolina Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Battlefields of the Western Theater of the American Civil War Historic districts in North Carolina Historic house museums in North Carolina Museums in Johnston County, North Carolina National Historic Landmarks in North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Johnston County, North Carolina North Carolina in the American Civil War North Carolina State Historic Sites Protected areas of Johnston County, North Carolina

Description and history

Exhibits

See also

References

External links