145th Anniversary, Battle of Bentonville. March 19-21, 2010

Bentonville State Historic Site,  North Carolina

As part of Sherman's army, the 79th New York was at this battle portraying the 28th Pennsylvania. On Saturday, we marched out and formed the battalion on the sandy field. Knowing we would have to dig in, we had carried two shovels, but we cups, plates, and anything else we had, to dig trenches.  The Confederates, already firing at us as we were digging, began to advance. Hastening to grab weapons, we fell in and began firing. The Rebels began to fall back, but would be back.

After a brisk firefight, we were sent out as skirmishers to the front of the battalion. As the next assault wave came, we fell back to the trench line.

As we had been engaged for most of the battle, we were ordered back into reserve as the Union army shortened the line and repositioned itself to meet the next assault. Ordered forward to plug a gap in the line, we moved up but the Confederates decided to withdraw.

The following day, we moved out for battle on a different field. After a march through the woods, we deployed generally in the center of the Federal lines.

Ordered again to dig in, we constructed earthworks and used logs from the nearby woods to strengthen them.

Sent out as skirmishers, we waited on our bellies in the sand waiting for the inevitable attack. The Confederate cavalry came out first, and we ran them off, only to face several more tries by the horsemen.

When we returned to our trench, we heard firing behind us, and realizes the Rebels had gotten behind our lines. The other battalion had dug works to their front and began to fire at the enemy. As the Rebels advanced behind us, the other Southern infantry units to our front began to advance. The Federals were caught in a pincer, but we redeployed other units to strenghten the flanks and the rear of our line.

The 79th was sent from our trench line to reinforce a weak section behind us, but were sent back to our original position.

In the confusion, lines became intermingled and the firing became intense as the Confederates  squeezed the Union forces.

The Rebels were forced back by sheer firepower, and withdrew back to the woods.

The Battle of Bentonville, originally fought in March of 1865, was an attempt by Confederate General Johnston to stop General Sherman's advance.