Captures atlanta. Thomas crushes the army of tennessee, the confederacys secondlargest field army, and one week later, general sherman completes his march from atlanta to the sea by presenting the city of Savannah Georgia to president Abraham Lincoln as a christmas gift. Now, sherman is looking ahead to his next campaign. He is going to make a march through the carolinas, moving his army group northward to richmond, virginia. There he will join forces with general grant, and together, they will crush lees army and bring the war to a victorious conclusion. Sherman plans to launch his campaign and january of 1865. But torrential winter rain prevents that from happening. He is forced to delay his campaign to the following month. In the meantime, general grant decides to launch a second expedition to capture fort fisher, and close wilmington North Carolina, the last blockade running seaport the confederacy and in effect close the lifeline of the confederacy as it is called. The First Expedition went badly. Gender general Benjamin F Butler launch that x with rear admiral david d porter. But without even attempting an attack on the fort, butler decided to abandon the campaign and return to virginia. Grant probably stacked at and replaced him with Brigadier General alfred h 28. And in effect, he gets a better general, and he gets a much easier man to live with. Both butler and porter are prima donnas. They dont get along well at all. In fact, that bad blood goes back to 1862, but with terry at the helm of the army components, that will be a problem. The two men soon find that work well together. Terry will also have a large force at his disposal, close to 10,000 infantry, including a division of black troops. Well porter will lead in our model of 58 warships. An armada of 58 warships. Now, commanding the coastal defenses below wilmington, none other than general braxton bragg. By this late stage in the war there is probably only one person in the south who Still Believes in bragg. But he happens to be the commanderinchief, jefferson davis. Davis appointed senior military advisor is the commander of the defenses around wilmington. In effect, superseding the previous commander, Major GeneralWilliam Henry chase waiting period chase whiting. Colonel william lamb is also the four chief architect. Lamb is a quick learner he is learning military engineering on the fly in 1852 when the federals attack and reduce for polaski from atlanta georgia, and reduce that fort to rubble. He decides to build his fort out of sand. Also, its nice the fact that there is plenty of Building Material there on the beach. By the fall of 1864, fort fisher is the most imposing seacoast fortifications. It boasts 47 guns. That may seem like a lot. But the union fleet out guns the fisher defenses on the order of almost 10 to one. In fact, the Largest Union warship, the colorado, both 55 guns alone. Now, the federal seat appears at fort fisher on the afternoon of april 12 and proceed to bombard the fort over two and a half days, they fire more than 19,000 rounds. And knock out all but two guns on the Northern Land face. In the meantime, general bragg and wilmington has refused to send reinforcements south for the notable attack. The inevitable attack. When whiting gets to fort fisher, he says lamb, my boy ive come to share your fate. We are to be sacrificed. After that massive bombardment the federals launched their assault. Attacking the northeast bastion marines and sailors armed with cutlasses and pistols, attacking a position defended by artillery. They are easily repulsed however, they give the army in opportunity to gain a foothold inside the fort off to and after desperate handtohand fighting that lasted well into the night, of which both writing and lamb are severely wounded. And now lees lifeline is cut. But the city of wilmington itself remains in confederate hands, and it will require another campaign to capture it. Now general sherman decides to begin his campaign on february 1, 1865. He moves his 60,000 man army group into South Carolina. The left wing is commanded by henry slocum. The right wing is commanded by the one armed Major General oliver o howard, who commands the 15th and 17th court core rps. The Cavalry Division under general kilpatrick, 60,000 men in all. Opposing this force our confederates general pgt beauregard. Beauregard very obligingly calls for something that sherman does regularly, and that is to faint on given locations off to the east or off to the west to keep the confederates guessing as to what his objective is. In this case, in entering South Carolina and sherman thanks to the northwest towards augusta with his cavalry. Charleston is the cradle of secession. Wanted for its symbolic value while the city of augusta is also a desirable target. In effect, beauregard opens the road to colombia, the state capital, for sherman. With minimal interference, sherman reaches columbia on february 17, 1865. By this point it is clear to the confederacys new general in chief, that beauregard is not up to the task of stopping sherman. On february 22, he directs general joseph johnson, who has been living in virtual retirement since his removal from the army of tennessee in july of 1864 he appoints johnson to command those troops. He says, concentrate all available forces and drive back sherman. At this point, johnson is saying, with what . In the words of the cavalry chief, wade hampton, it would scarcely have been possible to disperse the force more effectually. They are the remnants of the army of tennessee. There is Lieutenant General william j. Hardys core. The garrison that defended charleston, they are retreating to shermans right. Third, once the federals cross into North Carolina, the department in North Carolina troops under braxton bragg. And finally, the one force that had been opposing shermans advance, the cavalry under general hampton. Hampton arrives from the army of northern virginia. He arrives in South Carolina his home state justintime to see his family home, millwood, burned to the ground, along with a lot of other buildings in columbia, South Carolina. No pun intended, hampton is burning for revenge. The opportunity is presented to him a few days after the two armies cross into North Carolina. Hampton and kilpatrick have been skirmishing almost constantly during their progress. Kilpatrick managed to steal a march around hamptons force, and hes gotten between the confederate cavalry and infantry under hardy. Kilpatrick sets up a series of roadblocks to prevent hampton from reaching the town of fayetteville and joining forces with party. Hardy. He presents hampton with an ideal opportunity to concentrate on an isolated part of the cavalry at munros crossroads. It just so happens that kilpatricks headquarters are located there. It is at dawn on march 10 1865 that hampton launches a surprise attack on kilpatricks camp, succeeds in sweeping everything before him, writhing the federals into a swamp. That attack is so successful that the confederates are disorganized, giving the federals an opportunity to counterattack and drive the confederates out of their camp. Kilpatrick manages to avoid being captured. The confederates are now free to march into fayetteville. However, Union Infantry are endlessly delighted by this embarrassing encounter that kilpatrick has with hampton at munros crossroad. They nickname this battle kilpatrick shirttail skedaddle. Sherman reaches fayetteville on the following day, march 11. Promptly orders the first michigan engineers and mechanics to burn the former u. S. Arsenal there. He will rest his army there until march the 15th, when he will begin the final stage of his progress to his destination. In the meantime, on fairbury 22nd 1865, department of North Carolina troops commanded by Major General john m. Schofield capture wilmington. Schofield has been transferred east from nashville, tennessee with the 23rd army corps. They are joining terrys forces. Now there is going to be a new objective. Sherman is going to be headed towards goldsboro. I will be his First Destination where he will refit his army before beginning continuing the march into virginia. Its up to the 23rd corps commanded by general jacob d. Potts to secure goldsboro for sherman. Guess whos in his way . General braggs troops consisting of general robert f. Hoax division from the army of northern virginia, and the remnants of the army of tennessee troops, who average North Carolina at this point. Say what you will about bragg at least he ate timid. Aint timid. He launches an attack on forces a few miles east of kinston on march 8 and succeeds in routing a portion of coxs forces, capturing 800 federals and one canon. Things look pretty good for the confederates on the first day but then the second day cox brings up reinforcement. The federals dig in. Bragg attempts an attack on the tense, but hes repulsed. Receiving words that cox is receiving still more reinforcements, bragg decides to fall back towards goldsboro ending the battle of lysis forks. In the meantime, sherman plots the course of his army group from fayetteville. Goldsboro is his objective, but he wants to keep johnston guessing as to what his objective is. Hes going to send the left wing under slocum northward on the old raleigh stage road, as if hes heading towards the North Carolina state capital. They will be marching in light marching order, all the unnecessary wagons will be with the right wing under howard. They will be taking direct roads to goldsboro. The idea is to keep johnston up in the air as to where sherman is heading. Johnston has a plan of his own. He has told general hardy to make a stand somewhere south of a verse broke to buy time for the concentration of the federal confedereateate army. Its there that a Brigade Commander by the name of colonel offered am. The colonel accompanied by nothing more than one staff officer he is probably captured, taken prisoner of war by kilpatricks chief of staff. This turns out to be something of a reunion, because it seems the general sherman and several of his subordinates were stationed in charleston before the war. They spend the evening together and have dinner. And then the following morning, shermans army moves out. Sherman has accompanied slocums wing. They find hardy drawn up in the defense mac apps. For you students of the revolutionary war, this looks like the gelber courthouse. Sherman is able to drive back the first two lines, but he gets to the third and main line around dusk. He decides to launch a general assault the following morning. However, after dark, hard he falls back towards smithfield. That is were johnson has made his headquarters. He informs johnston that he believes that shermans destination is goldsboro. Now most of the left wing is turning to the right, heading east on the goldsboro road. Johnson has made his headquarters at smithfield because its roughly midway between raleigh and goldsboro. Hardy managed to accomplish what he was supposed to do, which was slow shermans progress. I now johnston has to make a decision. Where and if he should attack shermans army. He sends a dispatch to general hampton. Hampton has made his headquarters on the evening of march 17 at the willis plantation willis cole plantation on the goldsboro road. Hampton johnson asks hampton for his assessment. Hampton says i found a Perfect Place to launch a surprise attack on the union left wing. And he recommends that johnson sent his army marching for bentonville. At dawn on march 18, johnston does just that. Up to this time, general sherman has expected johnston to try to oppose his entry into goldsboro. But faulty intelligence and poor maps lead him to believe that johnston is falling back towards raleigh, confederates are burning all the bridges that will separate them from the union army, and that the road to goldsboro is open. If theres anything in the union army that is dangerous right now, its overconfidence. In the words of lieutenant John Marshall brain them, one of the soldiers in the leftwing. He said, on the morning of march 19 he writes in his diary, we feel in excellent spirits. Everything promises for a smooth entry into goldsboro. That will prove to be his last entry. He will be lying dead on the field of battle in just a few hours. Sherman prepares to join the right wing under howard. He has a brief conversation with slocum and several other generals including 14th Corps CommanderBrigadier General jefferson c. Davis. Isnt that a great name for a yankee general . Precious perfect. Davis tells sherman he thinks hes going to run into more than the usual confederate cavalry opposition. Sherman says, no, theres nothing out there. Just a Small Division of confederate cavalry. He says, brush them out of the way. I will see you at coxs bridge tomorrow. Well slocums wing will not reach coxs bridge for four days. Leading the way on the morning of march 19, william p. Carlins division, moving out. Then all of a sudden they hit the cole plantation. All hell breaks loose. Carlin has run into hokes infantry. One of the bird rates, North Carolina junior reserves consisting almost entirely of teenage boys, are blocking the way. You can see them just yet. Off to their left, army of tennessee is also going into position. There are fewer than 4000 veterans from the army of tennessee at bentonville. Just a shadow of the 70,000 man army that johnston led in the spring of 1864. But the attack plan is developing. Slocum is getting impatient. He cant understand why his veteran infantry is allowing his cavalry to stop them. He orders a probing attack to find out what is out there. Carlins division sustains a bloody repulse and they are sent back. And now slocum decides he will send his other division of the 14th corps up to the front, and the 20th corps. Then he receives startling intelligence. A union pow who has made his escape during that federal repulse reports to slocum that johnston has arrived with his entire army. Army at bentonville. He has told his men theyre going to defeat slocum at bentonville. Theyre going to fall on the right wing to the south and destroy them in turn. If thats not enough convincing, slocum also hears from a 14th corps staff officer who has been up at the front. That officer says, general, i find more than [indiscernible] cavalry. I find infantry dug in all along our front, and enough of them to give us the amusement we shall want for the rest of the day. Now slocum realizes hes in for it. He lives his two a 14th corps divisions at the front to stop the impending assault. He takes the 20th corps and has them entrenched back at the Reddick Morris farm on more defensible ground about a mile to the rear. Now all he can do is just wait. In the meantime he starts sending couriers to general sherman with increasingly urgent messages telling him of his peril and begging him for reinforcements. Its going to take them close to 24 hours to reach bentonville. In the meantime, slocum has to hold on. After johnston for johnson this has been frustrating. It is not until 2 45 on march 19 that he finally launches his attack. At first everything works perfectly. In the words of a confederate with the junior reserves when the army of tennessee moves out and they begin their assault he said it looked like a picture and was truly beautiful, but it was painful to see just how close the battle flags were together. Regiments being scarcely larger than [inaudible] there were enough confederates to drive back carlins Division North of the road, and in turn, push the men of carlins Division South of the road back as well. We stood as long as man can stand. When i was no longer a possibility, we run like the deuce. If that did not get the point across, he also wrote, we showed to the reds as well as our own side some of the best running ever did. [laughter] everything looks good for joe johnsons confederates at this point. Theres just one problem. South of the road, general bragg, he holds fast. We dont know why exactly. He never wrote a report. We know he did not launch his attack until over an hour after johnstons specified the attack. That gives the men of morgans division the federal south of the road a precious hour and 15 minutes to dig in and prove their entrenchments. It serves them well. In the course of the fighting side of the road, the turning point of the battle, morgans men have to fight on both sides of their works because they are attacked from their front left flanks. After they are repulsed, troops of the army of tennessee managed to get in behind. But morgans men hold on. In the meantime, the momentum is still strong north of the road. The men of culvers division and the army of tennessee. They continue on to the Reddick Morris farm. Here two old adversaries face each other. They first met in 1862. They met for the second time just a few days before. Now theyre meeting again at bentonville. This we the confederate armys High Water Mark at bentonville. The tennessee veterans will launch at least four desperate assaults across morriss openview straight into the mouths of at least 16 union guns firing spherical case and canister. Confederates are unable to break through the union line. At nightfall, johnston calls off all further attacks. Slocum managed to hold on in the battle on march 19. Ends on a draw. Now its up to the right wing. They come marching to slocums assistance. They reach bentonville around midday. The first troops to get there are the 15th army corps under the command of Major General john a dull logan,