MARCH 20, 1865:
The Battle of Bentonville (Day Two):
The
sun rises on a very different battlefield at Bentonville. Overnight, a massive
part of Sherman’s right wing (the Army of the Tennessee) has arrived to bolster
the Army of Georgia. Joseph E. Johnston C.S.A.’s forces are outnumbered at
better than three-to-one.
Realizing
that he is badly overmatched, Johnston has spent the night realigning his
troops into an easily-defensible “U” shape, with the open end pointing north,
toward Mill Creek, and away from the Union lines. Sherman realistically expects
Johnston to retreat; however, Johnston is making arrangements for his wounded.
He is hoping too to lure Sherman into an ill-considered attack, much as had
happened at Kennesaw Mountain back in June. Light skirmishing covers the entire
field of battle all day, but nothing develops into a major exchange.
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| The Harper family's home was used as a Union field hospital after the battle. When the armies withdrew, 45 wounded Confederates were left behind in the Harpers' care, a not uncommon occurrence during the Civil War. Formal field hospitals were not the norm until World War I |
