The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Battle of Monroe's Crossroads

I came across an article in the September 19th Southern Pines (NC) Pilot "Civil War Skirmishes and Soldier Identified Relics at 41st Malcolm Blue Festival" by Paul Brill.

The festival, held this past weekend featured historical crafts and farm skills as well as a Civil War re-enactment.

At the nearby Clayton Blair Museum there is a display on the little-known (well to me at least) battle of Monroe's Crossroads (also called the Battle of Fayetteville Road) that took place March 10, 1865, during the Carolinas Campaign as Sherman's Army moved up through South Carolina and into North Carolina near the end of the Confederacy.

General Jordan's cavalry camped at the old Bethesda Church on the Malcolm Blue farm on March 9, 1865. The battle took place the following day when Confederate cavalry under generals Wheeler and Hampton attacked Union horsemen under General Kilpatrick about eight miles from the farm on the present day Fort Bragg Military Reservation.

The Union cavalry was part of General Sherman's Army on their way to Fayetteville, NC, to destroy the arsenal there.

Union forces were 4,438 and suffered 550 casualties. Out of 5,800 Confederates, 90 were casualties.

One of the Confederate objectives was to capture the hated General Kilpatrick and they almost did. He was in a cabin near the Monroe farmhouse with his mistress and barely managed to escape in his nightshirt and hide in a nearby swamp until his forces rallied. Definitely a commander who believed in leading by example.

Confederates initially overran the Union camp, but were driven out.

However, this attack slowed the Union advance up enough so that Confederate forces were able to finish an orderly retreat across the Cape Fear River near Fayetteville.

Never Heard of It. --Old B-Runner

I just hit the Battle of Monroe's Crossroads and see that I had two entries on it back in 2008. So, I guess I did know something about it. My excuse, I forgot.

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