Sherman's Brutal Carolinas March

North Carolina’s interior was spared the harsh realities of war until the spring of 1865 when Sherman’s two armies moved into the state from Georgia and South Carolina and two other union armies also advanced into the state. Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston was in charge of the defense of North Carolina using troops from various departments and remnants of Confederate armies. The first clash was at the Battle of Averasboro on March 15-16 between forces led by Sherman and General William Hardee. The Confederates withdrew after the battle having delayed but not stopped Sherman’s advance. At the Battle of Bentonville on March 19-21 Johnston concentrated all his forces and after heavy fighting the Confederates again withdrew, reorganized and moved ahead of Sherman towards Greensboro where Johnston met with President Jefferson Davis, members of the Confederate Cabinet and Generals P. G. T. Beauregard and John C. Breckinridge. News of Lee’s surrender on April 9 at Appomattox and the advice of his generals led Davis to authorize Johnston to meet with Sherman to discuss a truce. On April 17 Sherman and Johnston met at the Bennett farm outside Hillsborough where Johnston learned of the death of Lincoln. Both generals agreed that rather than a truce, an end to the war should be sought. That evening Johnston met with Breckinridge, and others to produce a list of points they wanted in the surrender terms. Meeting the next day with Sherman, Johnston and Breckinridge obtained generous terms including allowing troops to take their weapons home to state arsenals, recognizing existing state governments, and guaranteeing property and political rights to citizens. Sherman had overstepped his authority and Grant arrived on April 25 under instructions to offer the same terms as those given Lee at Appomattox. Sherman and Johnston met again on April 26 and Johnston surrendered over 89,000 men in the Department of the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. Because the Confederate armies were camped in wide spread locations, there was no formal surrender ceremony and the Confederates essentially policed themselves. Some were paroled in the field, some at home, and some not at all. Some units marched home with weapons and flags flying, others stacked arms and left. The end was so chaotic that the men who participated in the largest troop surrender of the war did not agree on the name of the surrender, calling it Greensboro, Bennet Place, Durham, etc.