Aot - 1865

[larry_cockerham]

Finally, a ride for the AOT

March 9, 1865 Confederate Army began leaving Charlotte for Raleigh via rail. At Charlotte the Army of Tennessee boarded the North Carolina Railroad for Concord, Salisbury, Lexington, Greensboro, Graham, Hillsborough, and Raleigh.

From the History of the 33rd Mississippi:

At Chester they "took to the cars" northward to Charlotte, North Carolina, and on through Salisbury, Greensborough, Raleigh and Smithfield to reach Goldsboro. They arrived on 9 March 1865 and were marched to Kinston, North Carolina, that same day. These movements were in response to Gen. W. T. Sherman's march northward from Savanna, Georgia, into South Carolina, and his campaign to link up with other Federal forces. The problem for Gen. Johnston was that he did not know exactly where Gen. Sherman was heading. Gen. Sherman had divided his forces into two columns. This caused Gen. Johnston to keep his forces divided also.

 

[larry_cockerham]

March 10, 1865

The 10th TN Cavalry (US) was at Natchez, Mississippi. Well fatigued from their efforts in the pursuit of the AOT into Alabama in late December, the 10th was about to let themselves be dismounted in an effort to build Wilson's 4th Cavalry Corps for the pending invasion of Alabama.

From the History of the 33rd Mississippi:

The 33rd Mississippi had withdrawn from Kinston on 10 March and transferred to Smithfield, North Carolina.

 

[larry_cockerham]

North Carolina fills for war.

March 11, 1865 Sherman's army spent the night at Fayetteville, NC

March 11, 1865

Lieut. Gen. Richard Taylor abolished the District of North Alabama. All of the State of Alabama, except that portion in the District of the Gulf, becomes the District of Alabama, Brig. Gen. D.W. Adams, commanding. This same day Mar 11, Cheatham's Corps in Charlotte, North Carolina by rail.

 

[larry_cockerham]

March 14, 1865 near Smithfield (written to Joseph E. Johnston)

I encamp at Smithfield tonight. Tennessee troops are all up. My own will be here tomorrow. The enemy had not advanced on Kinston last night. – Braxton Bragg, Gen.

Smithfield, North Carolina

I left Ashe County, North Carolina in 1965 and attended school at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. I remained in Raleigh after school except for a couple of years in Charlotte 73-74. I returned to Raleigh until 1978 when I moved to Nashville. During that time I became acquainted with the towns surrounding Raleigh, one of which is Smithfield. This city of about 10,000 is located on the Neuse River just a fifteen minute drive down US 70 from east Raleigh. A sleepy southern town of three story buildings it retained many of the vestiges of the old south. The remnants of segregation were still evident in the 1970s. The sister city of Selma was predominately black; Smithfield was predominately white. As you approached downtown, the bridge over the Neuse was guarded by a large billboard depicting a hooded Klansman mounted with sword drawn sporting the caption: "Welcome to Smithfield, Home of the KKK, United Klans of America." Smithfield is in Johnston County named for Gabriel Johnston, Governor of North Carolina, 1734-1752. General Joe is far better known! ldc-2004

 

[larry_cockerham]

March 16, 1865

The left wing of Sherman's army met Hardee's Corps in battle at Averasboro, NC

General Joseph Johnston appointed Lt. Gen. A.P. Steward to assume command of the Army of Tennessee.

Palmer's Brigade did not take part in the hard fought battle of Averasboro, North Carolina on March 16, 1865. Other events were awaiting them, and the battle-worn soldiers of the regiment were no doubt glad they were not called into action. (as per Jeff Weaver in his history of the 58th North Carolina)

 

[larry_cockerham]

March 18, 1865

From the History of the 33rd Mississippi:

On 18 March 1865 the regiment headed southeast to the town of Bentonville. They were heading into their last fight as an organized regiment.

 

[larry_cockerham]

Bentonville

"On 19 March 1865 the pitifully small Army of Tennessee numbered about 4,000 men. They were deployed to the right of the Goldsboro Road and began to probe south through the woods. They then took a defensive position in the woods and awaited the Federals. The federal XIVth Corps moved to the attack and were repulsed by Stewart s men. They held their positions until mid-afternoon when the 33rd Mississippi and the remainder of the Army of Tennessee moved out to attack. One officer witnessed the charge and related, "It was a painful sight to see how close their battle flags were together, regiments being scarcely larger than companies and a division not much larger than a regiment should be."

Despite their small numbers the men of Featherston's Brigade who were there were the toughest of the tough. They slammed into Gen. Henry Slocum's XIVth Corps and pushed them back for over a mile. The Federals rallied in a pine thicket which was supported by trenches, a swamp, and the arriving XXth Corps. Here the two sides fought it out as isolated groups rather than organized regiments. The fighting continued into the night until the Confederates accepted the fact that the Yankees were not going to retreat any further. The Southerners then returned to their original positions.

On the 20th, fresh Federal forces arrived at the battlefield. There were no new forces for the Confederacy. The two sides spent the day shooting at each other from behind trees. This continued on the 21st while the Confederate wounded were sent to the rear."

 

[larry_cockerham]

Little more on Bentonville

Bentonville was a major contest, involving about 80,000 troops, and was the climax of Sherman's highly successful Carolinas campaign. At Goldsboro Sherman joined his army with US Major General John M. Schofield's two columns—US Major General Alfred H. Terry's and US Major General Jacob D. Cox's—and gained rail connections to the large supply bases on the North Carolina coast. Sherman's campaign had laid waste a forty-five-mile-wide swath of countryside from Savannah to Goldsboro. When morale among his troops began to wane badly with the rumors of Richmond's fall, Johnston directed that all executions for desertion be suspended. The time was almost at hand to end all killing.

 

[larry_cockerham]

Joseph B. Palmer and the 63rd VA at BentonvilleFrom Jeff Weaver's history of the 58th

"On March 19, 1865, Lee's Corps was given to Major General Daniel Harvey Hill. Hill's March 31, 1865 report shows Stevenson's division, with Palmer's Brigade, had an effective strength of 1,181, and was the strongest division in the corps. The division had about the same strength of a full regiment in 1861. The effect strength of the three divisions composing the corps' effective strength was 2,687. General Palmer's report dated March 29, 865, claims a loss of 13 killed, 113 wounded and 55 prisoners at Bentonville. Palmer commended Lieutenant Colonel A. F. Boggess of the 26th Tennessee who, "fell in the gallant discharge of his duties, a noble specimen of the man, officer, and soldier." Palmer also commented on Colonel R. M. Saffell, 26th Tennessee, writing, "being a supernumerary officer, volunteered with Colonel Ashby's calvary, to resist the enemy attempting to turn our left flank on the 21st, and was killed while gallantly leading a charge and repulsing them".

General Palmer's report also noted that Captain George W. F. Harper commanding the 58th North Carolina, Captain Eli Spangler commanding the 54th Virginia and Lieutenant Colonel Connally H. Lynch, commanding the 63rd Virginia and 60th North Carolina, "each handled their commands with ability and bore themselves handsomely through the day, as did Colonel Searcy and the officers under him, commanding the Tennessee consolidation.'"

At Bentonville, Palmer's command consisted of the 58th and 60th North Carolina, the 54th and 63rd Virginia and a detachment of several consolidated Tennessee regiments under Colonel Anderson Searcy.
The 58th North Carolina numbered less than 300 effective troops, but was in both better and stronger condition than Palmer's other regiments.

Joseph B. Palmer, now promoted to brigadier general, in command of the brigade, was chosen to lead the assault. Palmer's attack, initially successful, but bogged down, was relieved by Pettus' Brigade, which took the lead. The Federals regrouped in a reinforced position, and Palmer's Brigade again joined the front lines with the 58th North Carolina on the left of the battle line, the 63rd Virginia toward the center. The fight got thicker as evening progressed, and the lines thinner and the Brigade found itself nearly encircled, but held position until 8 p.m. when firing ceased. About midnight of March 19, the brigade withdrew, and reformed for battle in the morning of the 20th.

 

[larry_cockerham]

From Judge Frank H. Smith in 1904:

The Last Consolidation.—

In North Carolina, March 21st, 1865, in the final death gasp of the Confederacy, the Third Tennessee Consolidated Regiment was organized; it was composed of the 4th, 5th, 19th, 31st, 33rd, 35th, 38th, and 41st, Regiments of which James D. Tillman was commissioned Colonel in the Brigade of Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Palmers. Maj. Gen. B. F. Cheathams Division, Lt. Gen. W. J. Hardees Corps, and Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, Commander.

Note the listing of the 41st TN Infantry in this consolidation of the AOT. Sergeant Thomas Hamilton Janes of the 41st, ancestor of Camden Blake Cockerham was likely in this group.

 

[larry_cockerham]

11th Tennessee at Bentonville

From the History of the 11th Tennessee Infantry:

By March, Captain F. F. Tidwell commanded the 11th/29th Tennessee Infantry Consolidated. The regiment participated in one final engagement, the Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina on March 21, 1865. In the conflict, the 11th/29th Tennessee was held in position near the Mill Creek Bridge at Joe Johnston's headquarters. The men, much fatigued from hard marching, fell back with Johnston and his staff before a spirited attack of the 64th Illinois Infantry. This attack was eventually stymied. In this, the final battle in which the 11th Tennessee participated, Sergeant James R. Weaver of Company B and Private J. H. Larkins of Company E were both wounded

 

[larry_cockerham]

March 22, 1865 Wilson moves on Alabama

March 22, 1865

Union cavalry, 14,500 men, [accounts vary from 13-14k) under command of Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson, departed Waterloo, on the Tennessee River, moving in the direction of Central Alabama intending to destroy the arsenal and supplies at Selma. According to Gene Cantrell from official records , Upton's division moved via Barton's Station, Russellville, Mt Hope, and Jasper, to Elyton. [Elyton is now known as Birmingham] Long's division marched by the way of Cherokee Station, Frankford, Russellville, crossed Bear Creek on the Tuscaloosa road, thence by Thorn Hill and Jasper to Elyton. McCook pursued the same route to the crossing of Bear Creek, and thence taking the Tuscaloosa road to Eldridge, then to Jasper and on to Elyton.

 

[larry_cockerham]

the AOT packs it in.

From Jeff Weaver's history of the 58th North Carolina Infantry:

On March 22, 1865 the Army of Tennessee withdrew by rail to Smithfield, North Carolina. While there, the Army of Tennessee was reorganized. Brigades, Regiments and Companies, by this time all very small, were consolidated. The 63rd was reorganized with the 54th into the 54th Battalion Virginia Infantry (The Consolidation order was dated April 9, 1865). The 54th Virginia battalion was reported as serving in Pettus' Brigade, Stevenson's Division, Lee's Corps Army of Tennessee. The 58th and 60th North Carolina Regiments were consolidated into the 58th & 60th North Carolina Infantry Regiment Consolidated and reassigned to Brantley's Brigade, D. H. Hill's Division, 2nd Corps, Army of Tennessee, ending their association with old comrades of Reynolds Brigade formed 18 months before. These units were involved in some minor skirmishing until April 25th when an armistice was announced. Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee on April 27, 1865. The army was paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina, May 1-2, 1865.

There is no reason to believe that men of other companies did not do the same, that is, just go home in mid-April 1865. Most, therefore, missed the final payment for their services. General Johnston ordered that the Confederate treasury be divided amongst his men. It amounted to one and one seventh Mexican silver dollar per man. Every man received one silver dollar and every seventh man received an extra one. The one silver dollar was certainly worth more than the $154.00 worth of Confederate currency that each private was due for the last 14 months of the war.

From postwar recollections of members of the 58th North Carolina and 63rd Virginia, these western troops were taken by rail to Statesville, where they began the march, not walk, home, at least 100 miles away for most of these men, who began arriving at their homes in mid-May, 1865, most whom hadn't seem them in at least 2 years, many surprising relatives who had presumed them dead.

No one currently in the family of Whitfield Monroe Parker has ever mentioned knowledge of his Mexican dollar. I'm sure he had found a way home prior to that occurrence. Family legend holds that he disembarked from a train near his Wallace Switch home in Washington County, Virginia. Obviously he didn't walk home from Statesville, NC as Jeff Weaver wrote in his History of the 58th NC, nor as recounted in Calvin Livesay's diary. Whit must have traveled via train north from North Carolina and then through Virginia before reaching his home. Once the parole had occurred there was assistance available from the US Army for such activity. It was indeed, time to go home. My existence on this earth depended on Whit's survival, so I'm very glad he made it!

 

[larry_cockerham]

Bentonville results...

From the History of the 33rd Mississippi:

"On the 22nd the Rebel army began its retreat. The Battle of Bentonville had cost it 2,600 men while the Federals lost 1,637."

 

[larry_cockerham]

Back to the West....

March 25, 1865

General N.B. Forrest sent Jackson's Division to Tuscaloosa with orders to strike the flank of the Federals column as quickly as possible. Forrest was not aware of the total strength, nearly 13,500 of his opponent's cavalry. James Harrison Wilson was on the move south with the largest cavalry force ever assembled.

 

[larry_cockerham]

March 28, 1865

March 28, 1865

Union Maj. Gen. Upton's Fourth Division arrived at Elyton on and reported Patterson's regiment from Northern Alabama passed through Elyton just before the arrival of his division. Patterson's rear guard was driven out by the arriving Union troops. Patterson's troops obstructed the ford across the Cahawba River, delaying the Union troops until a footbridge could be laid on the railroad bridge on the 30th.

From the History of the 33rd Mississippi:

[After Bentonville] The Confederates retreated to Smithfield, North Carolina, and huddled around camp fires until 28 March 1865. Featherston's Brigade was then ordered to head for Charlotte, North Carolina, on that day. The brigade had reached Salisbury by 31 March 1865 and was ordered to stop there to defend the crossings of the Yadkin River.

 

[larry_cockerham]

March 29, 1865

March 29, 1865

Headquarters Lee's Corps

Pettus Brigade of Stevenson's division, were at once placed upon the cars and encamped that night beyond the Neuse and below Kinston. Before day the next morning, we relieved Hoke's Division in the trenches on Southwest Creek, while it made a flank movement to the Yankee left …

 

[larry_cockerham]

March 31, 1865

From the History of the 33rd Mississippi:

On 31 March 1865 an organizational chart of Johnston's army showed Featherston's Brigade as being commanded by Major Martin A. Oatis and the 33rd Mississippi as being commanded by Lt. George B. Lenoir.

 

[larry_cockerham]

Finally, April.

April 1, 1865

From the History of the 33rd Mississippi:

On 1 April 1865 Gen. Beauregard telegraphed to Gen. Johnston that he had ordered Featherston's troops to Greensborough to oppose a reported Federal cavalry force led by Gen. George Stoneman. The men of Featherston's Brigade spent the first week of April at Greensborough but there was little fighting.

Stoneman, of course, didn't get that far east. John Calvin Rouse, formerly of the 48th Virginia, would have entered the fray at that point on the side of the Union. Johnston's army wasn't ready for that!

 

[larry_cockerham]

Bad news comes in bunches..

April 2, 1865

On this morning Jefferson Davis attended services at St. Paul's Church in Richmond when he received a message from Gen. Robert E. Lee that it was no longer possible to hold the defensive line at Richmond - Petersburg. He was aboard the train for Danville, VA that afternoon.