March 15-16, 1865: Overview

The army of Union General William T. Sherman encounters its most significant resistance as it tears through the Carolinas on its way to join General Ulysses Grant's army at Petersburg, Virginia. Confederate General William Hardee tried to block one wing of Sherman's force, commanded by Henry Slocum, but the motley Rebel force was swept aside at Averasboro, North Carolina.

The Battle of Averasboro was also known by the following names: Averasborough, Taylor’s Hole Creek, Smithville, Smiths Ferry, and Black River.

Sherman's army left Savannah, Georgia, in late January and began its thrust through the Carolinas with the intention of inflicting the same damage on those states as it infamously had on Georgia two months prior. The Confederates could offer little opposition, and Sherman rolled northward while engaging in only a few small skirmishes. Now, however, the Rebels had gathered more troops and “dug in their heels” as the Confederacy entered its final days.

(Right) Photo of the Plantation home of John Smith. The Smith House was used as a Confederate hospital during the Battle of Averasboro on March 16, 1865.

Hardee placed his troops across the main roads leading away from Fayetteville in an effort to determine Sherman's objective. Union cavalry under General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick contacted some of Hardee's men along the old Plank Road northeast of Fayetteville on March 15. Kilpatrick could not punch through, so he regrouped and waited until March 16 to renew the attack. When they tried again, the Yankees still could not break the Confederate lines until two divisions of Slocum's infantry arrived. In danger of being outflanked and possibly surrounded, Hardee withdrew his troops and headed toward a rendezvous with Joseph Johnston's gathering army at Bentonville, North Carolina.

The Estimated* Yankee Casualties: 95 men killed, 533 wounded, and 54 missing; Hardee’s Confederates losses are estimated at 865 total. Conclusion: The battle did little to slow the march of Sherman's army.

*The History Channel (A&E Networks). (Depending on the source, casualties vary.)

On orders from General Ulysses S. Grant, Commander in Chief of all Union forces, in April 1864, Major William T. Sherman was to move against the Confederate forces in the South. He was to neutralize the South’s war-making capability by defeating its army, demoralizing its people, and destroying key resupply sources. This was to happen in combination with General Grant’s efforts in Northern Virginia. After ravaging South Carolina and burning its capital, Columbia, by March 1, 1865, the first of Sherman’s troops were entering North Carolina.  

Following Sherman’s capture of Fayetteville, Union soldiers demolished the arsenal there, crossed the Cape Fear River, and continued northward to rendezvous with other Federal commands.

"Mr. [General William] Sherman, I think is pursuing the wrong policy to accomplish his designs. The Negroes are bitterly prejudiced to his minions. They were treated, if possible, worse than the white folks, all their provisions taken and their clothes destroyed and some carried off." --Civilian witness regarding General William T. Sherman and his March to the Sea

The Battle of Averasboro began on March 15, 1865. Soldiers under the command of Colonel Alfred Rhett of South Carolina occupied the Confederate first line of defense and attacked the Ninth Michigan. The Yankees drove the Confederates back into their breastworks but quickly withdrew when shelled by Confederate artillery. The Ninth Michigan constructed barricades in front of the Confederate position. Heavy fighting occurred there during the day. At nightfall, the two armies were in nearly the same positions they held throughout the afternoon.

(Satellite Views reflecting the short distance between the Battle of Bentonville and the Battle of Averasboro. Both images courtesy Microsoft Virtual Earth.)

At 6:00 a.m. on the morning of March 16, the Yankees attacked. Heavy fighting occurred during the day, with many attacks and counter attacks taking place. Superior numbers allowed the Yankees to eventually force their way through enemy line forcing the Confederates to withdraw to their third line of defense. There, Confederate General William Taliaferro aligned his forces astride the Raleigh-Fayetteville Road to make a last stand.

"Before the skirmishers had gained the position assigned them, the brave [Capt. William G.] Barnett fell, shot through the head, dying almost instantly . . . . Just as his remains were carried back to our line Col. [James] Lake was struck in the right forearm, when, quietly slipping the sword knot from his wrist, he grasped the sword in his left hand, and was about giving an order 'Forward on a charge!' when he fell, severely wounded in the groin, and was carried to the rear . . . . [W]e kept up a dull skirmishing fire until dark."  — Sgt. William B. Westervelt, 17th New York Zouaves, Vandever's brigade, Morgan's division, 14th Corps, Army of Georgia (Late Army of the Cumberland) (Left Wing), describing the Battle of Averasboro, N.C., March 16, 1865 

The final Union attack occurred around 3:00 p.m. when a sharp attack was launched against the Confederate right. Confederate cavalry commanded by General Joseph Wheeler quickly stopped the attack by pouring a devastating fire into the Yankee advance. Union troops continuously attacked throughout the afternoon but were in each instance repulsed by the stubborn Confederates. Their mission accomplished, the Confederates began to withdraw during the night of the 16th. Continuous skirmishing occurred during the morning of the 17th until all troops had withdrawn.

Casualties** for the fighting at Averasboro were high for both armies. The Yankees reported 477 casualties, while the Confederates lost approximately 500.

** Averasboro Battlefield Commission

Averasboro Battlefield Today:

Averasboro Battlefield Historic District is located in Harnett and Cumberland Counties, North Carolina. The battlefield district is “a remarkably intact Civil War battlefield” associated with a delaying action that demonstrated Confederate military resolve late in the Civil War (March 1865). The Battle of Averasboro was the first deliberate resistance to General William T. Sherman’s advance through the Carolinas and the prelude to the Battle of Bentonville, the largest engagement of the Civil War in North Carolina.

Notes:

Averasboro Battlefield Commission places estimated total casualties at 977

North Carolina Office of Archives and History places estimated total casualties at 1,182

The History Channel (A&E Networks) places estimated total casualties at 1,547

National Park Service (NPS) places estimated total casualties at 1,419