Bentonville - Day One - March 19, 1865

American Battlefield Trust's map of the Battle of Bentonville on March 19, 1865 (Day One)

On March 19, Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum's wing of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's army group encountered the entrenched Confederates of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston who had concentrated near Bentonville, North Carolina. Late that afternoon Johnston attacked, crushing the line of Maj. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis' XIV Corps. Strong counterattacks and concentrated Union artillery posted on the Morris farm blunted the Confederate offensive. Elements of Maj. Gen. Alpheus Williams' XX Corps were thrown into the action as they arrived on the field. Five Confederate attacks failed to dislodge the Federal defenders and darkness ended the first day’s fighting. During the night, Johnston contracted his line into a “V” to protect his flanks with Mill Creek to his rear.

Learn More: The Battle of Bentonville