FOUR OAKS—Discover how Civil War soldiers lived in camp and what role the enlisted man played in battle during Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site’s annual summer living history program, Saturday, June 6, in Four Oaks. The event is free and open to the public.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., period-costumed living historians will show how Civil War soldiers made meals; kept their weapons and uniforms in tip-top shape; trained for battle; dealt with heat, cold, rain, ice and snow; and much more. A special highlight of the program will be live musket demonstrations at 10:30 a.m. and at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., along with dramatic artillery firings at 11:30 a.m. and at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Throughout the day, members of the 1st/11th North Carolina will be available to explain to visitors what military life was like during the war. The reenactors will set up a typical Civil War soldiers’ camp and will discuss Civil War soldiers’ uniforms and equipment.
An exciting firing of live artillery will add more authenticity (and noise) to this program. Both Union and Confederate troops made heavy use of field artillery during the Battle of Bentonville — the last major Confederate offensive of the war — so this program will feature a three-inch ordnance rifle. Both big and loud, this weapon was a typical Civil War field piece. According to one witness, the artillery fire at the Bentonville battle was so heavy that it “literally barked the trees, cutting off limbs as if by hand.” Though outgunned by Union troops, Confederate artillerymen used fortified positions to halt the Union advance for several hours.
Fought March 19-21, 1865, the Battle of Bentonville was the largest Civil War battle that took place in North Carolina and the only significant attempt to defeat the large Union forces of Gen. William T. Sherman during its march through the Carolinas in the spring of 1865. After the battle, which took place east of the family home of John and Amy Harper, Sherman’s army left the Bentonville area, taking with it all of its wounded.
Left behind were many bloodied and broken Confederate soldiers treated in the Harpers’ own house, which served as a field hospital during the battle. Many of these men later died and were buried on the family farm. Sometime in the 1890s, their remains were moved and reburied elsewhere at the battlefield site. Over the years, the exact location of this grave site was lost.
Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site’s mission is to preserve and interpret the history of the Battle of Bentonville. All activities are subject to change without notice.
The site is located three miles north of Newton Grove on Highway 701 and then three miles east on SR 1008. There are marked exits from both I-95 and I-40. For more information on Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, call (910) 594-0789 or check the Web page site at http://www.nchistoricsites.org/bentonvi/bentonvi.htm.
Administered by the Division of State Historic Sites, Bentonville Battlefield is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Join the Cultural Resources 2009 theme observance of “Treasure N.C. Culture.” For more information, visit www.ncculture.com.