52 



AKMY OPERATIONS. 



order to check the progress of Gen. Sherman, 

 that time might be gained for the concentration 

 of Gen. Johnston's forces in the rear at Raleigh, 

 Smithfield, or Goldsboro. The force of Gen. 

 Hardce was estimated at 20,000 men. Gen. 

 Sherman found it to be necessary to dislodge 

 him, both to gain possession of the road to Golds- 

 boro and to keep up as long as possible the 

 feint of an advance on Raleigh. The position 

 of the enemy was a difficult one to carry, by 

 reason of the nature of the ground, which was 

 so soft that horses would sink everywhere, and 

 even men could hardly make their way over 

 the common pine barren. 



Gen. Williams, with the 20tli corps, was 

 ahead, and Gen. Ward's division in the advance. 

 This was deployed, and the skirmish line de- 

 veloped the position of a brigade of heavy 

 artillery armed as infantry, posted across the 

 road behind a light parapet, with a battery 

 enfilading a clear field over which lay the way 

 of approach. A brigade under Gen. Corsewas 

 sent by Gen. Williams to the left to turn this 

 line. By a quick charge it broke the enemy's 

 brigade, which retreated rapidly back to a sec- 

 ond line better made and more strongly held. 

 On the retreat the enemy were made to suffer 

 by Winniger's battery of artillery, which had 

 been put in position by Major Reynolds, chief 

 of artillery. On the advance of Gen. Ward's 

 division 'over the ground, three guns and 217 

 prisoners were captured. Of the latter 68 

 were wounded. Of the enemy's dead, 108 

 were buried by the troops. As the second line 

 was developed, the division of Gen. Jackson 

 was deployed forward on the right of Gen. 

 Ward, and two divisions of Gen. Jefferson C. 

 Davis' 14th corps on the left, well toward the 

 Cape Fear River. At the same time Gen. 

 Kilpatrick, who was acting in concert, was 

 ordered to mass his cavalry on the extreme 

 right, and in concert with the right of Gen. 

 Jackson, to feel forward for the Goldsboro 

 road. lie succeeded in getting a brigade on 

 the road, but it was attacked so furiously by a 

 division of the enemy under Gen. McLaws, that 

 it fell back to the flank of the infantry. Late 

 in the afternoon the entire line advanced and 

 drove the enemy within his intrenchments, and 

 pressed him so hard that during the night, 

 which was stormy, he retreated. In the morn- 

 ing he was followed by the division of Gen. 

 Ward through and beyond Averysboro, when 

 it became apparent that Gen. Hardee had re- 

 treated toward Smithfield instead of Raleigh. 

 The Union loss was J2 officers and 65 men 

 killed and 477 wounded. The loss of the 

 enemy is unknown. 



The division of Gen. Ward remained to keep 

 up a show of pursuit, and the rest of Gen. Slo- 

 cum's column turned to the right and built the 

 bridge across the South River and took the 

 road to Goldsboro. At the same time Gen. 

 Kilptftrick crossed the river to the north in the 

 direction of Elevation, and moved eastward, 

 watching the left flank. The right wing of 



Gen. Howard was still working its way over 

 the heavy roads toward Bentonville and Golds- 

 boro. The cavalry of the enemy crossed in 

 front of Gen. Sherman, to join their infantry at 

 Smithfield, burning the bridges across Mill 

 Creek. Smithfield is 22 miles northwest of 

 Goldsboro, on the railroad leading from the 

 latter place to Raleigh, and on the left bank of 

 the Cape Fear River, 27 miles from Raleigh. 

 Goldsboro is at the junction ' of the railroad 

 from Raleigh to Newbern and that from Rich- 

 mond to Wilmington. 



On the night of the 1 8th Gen. Slocum's col- 

 umn encamped on the Goldsboro road, about 

 five miles from Bentonville and twenty-seven 

 miles from Goldsboro. The column of Gen. 

 Howard was two miles south, and both col- 

 umns had pickets three miles forward, at the 

 junction of the roads leading to Goldsboro. 

 The next movement is thus described by Gen. 

 Sherman : " All the signs induced me to be- 

 lieve that the enemy would make no further 

 opposition to our progress, and would not 

 attempt to strike us in flank while in motion. 

 I therefore directed Gen. Howard to move his 

 right wing by the new Goldsboro road, which 

 goes by way of Falling Creek Church. I also 

 left Slocum and joined Howard's column, with 

 a view to open communication with Gen. Scho- 

 field, coming up from Newbern, and Gen. Terry 

 from Wilmington. I found Gen. Howard's 

 column well strung out, owing to the very bad 

 roads, and did not overtake him in person until 

 he had reached Falling Creek Church, with one 

 regiment forward to the cross-roads near Cox's 

 bridge across the Neuse. I had gone from Gen. 

 Slocum about six miles when I heard artillery 

 in his direction, but was soon made easy by 

 one of his staff officers overtaking me, explain- 

 ing that his leading division (Carlin's) had en- 

 countered a division of rebel cavalry (Dib- 

 brell's), which he was driving easily. But soon 

 other staff officers came up reporting that he 

 had developed near Bentonville the whole of 

 the rebel army under Gen. Johnston himself. 

 I sent him orders to call up the two divisions 

 guarding his wagon trains, and Hazen's division 

 of the loth corps, still back near Lee's store, to 

 fight defensively until I could draw up Blair's 

 corps, then near Mount Olive station, and with 

 the three remaining divisions of the 15th corps 

 come up on Gen. Johnston's left rear from the 

 direction of Cox's bridge. In the mean time, 

 while on the road, I received couriers from 

 both Gens. Schofield and Terry. The former 

 reported himself in possession of Kinston, de- 

 layed somewhat by want of provisions, but 

 able to march so as to make Goldsboro on the 

 21st, and Gen. Terry was at or near Faison's 

 depot. Orders were at once despatched to Gen. 

 Schofield to push for Goldsboro, and to make 

 dispositions to cross Little River in the direc- 

 tion of Smithfield as far as Millard ; to Gen. 

 Terry to move to Cox's bridge, lay a pontoon 

 bridge, and establish a crossing; and to Gen. 

 Blair to make a night march to Falling Creek 



