The Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19 to 21, 1865 was the last engagement for the 61st. Captain John Garrett commanded the regiment in the battle. During the engagement the 61st suffered eight casualties: two wounded and six captured.
During the campaign the 61st served in the brigade led by Brigadier General James Robinson. The following is his report on the battle from the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion.
Brigadier General James Robinson (from the Collections of the Library of Congress LC-B813- 6431 C)
My brigade marched again at 3 p.m. on the 17th and reached Black River at nightfall. On the following morning its march was resumed at 6 o’clock. The Black River was crossed by fording, and my brigade pushed forward toward Bentonville. The troops corduroyed the bad places in the roads and assisted the trains when necessary. At 3 p.m. I was directed to move my brigade out a side road and cover the left flank. My regiments were placed in position and remained until 5 o’clock, when my brigade was relieved by troops from the Third Division and its march was resumed. My command kept moving until 11 o’clock at night, when it encamped. The march was continued at 6 o’clock on the following morning. The road was very bad and much of it had to be corduroyed. My command alternated in this work with the Second Brigade. At noon I crossed Mingo Creek, and halted my brigade for dinner at the crossing of the Smithfield and Goldsborough roads. At this point lively cannonading was heard, apparently about five miles to the front. I was directed to leave a regiment to relieve the One hundred and fiftieth New York Volunteers in covering the Smithfield road. Detailing the One hundred and first Illinois Volunteers for this purpose, I pushed forward with the remainder of my command at 2 p.m. In about an hour my brigade arrived at the scene of the fighting. The Fourteenth Corps had become considerably engaged. I was directed to move my command immediately to the front and fill up a gap in the line of Carlin’s division. I complied with this order at once, and formed my regiments in two lines, three being on the front and two in reserve. The former were the Sixty-first and Eighty-second Ohio Veteran and the Thirty-first Wisconsin Volunteers and the latter were the Eighty-second Illinois and One hundred and forty-third New York Volunteers. As soon as my line was formed it began the construction of a breast-work covering its front. This work was just fairly commenced when I was directed to send my two rear regiments, the Eighty-second Illinois and One hundred and forty-third New York Volunteers, back about half a mile to go into position supporting Colonel Hawley’s brigade, which was covering the left flank. Thus I had but the three regiments remaining which have been mentioned as being on the front line. My line as thus situated was between a portion of Carlin’s division, Fourteenth Army Corps, on its right, and another portion of the same division on its left, but formed no connection on either flank, as I had not troops enough to fill the vacancy. Neither did I find any skirmish line in front of that portion of Carlin’s line occupied by my command. Furthermore, Carlin’s line on my left, instead of being refused was thrown forward, which seems to me was a most dangerous and unfortunate arrangement, as it rendered it much more easy to be flanked than it ought to have been. In my front was a small ravine easily crossed, and beyond an open field, containing on its farther side a group of buildings. In my rear was a dense pine forest, along the outer edge of which my line extended.
Having no intrenching tools, my men were compelled to build their breast-works by means of their hatchets. They had, nevertheless, succeeded in erecting a respectable shelter from the fire of the enemy’s sharpshooters, when it was reliably reported to me that the enemy was advancing his skirmish line, apparently with the intention of obtaining possession of the buildings in the field, and from thence the elevated ground extending to the left and covering my position. I ordered a strong skirmish line to be pushed forward immediately to forestall the enemy in this purpose, if possible. No sooner had my skirmishers begun to deploy than they seemed to be discovered, and were fired upon. They were, however, gallantly pushed forward by Lieut. George Lyman, of the Thirty-first Wisconsin Volunteers, who was at this time in command of the line. Lieutenant Lyman quickly led his men across the open field and obtained possession of the buildings before mentioned. By this time the firing became very lively, and the fact was developed that the enemy was advancing in force. The firing rolled to the left, and soon grew heavy in Carlin’s front. My skirmishers now began to fall back, losing many of their number in killed, wounded, and captured. The enemy now appeared in strong force in my front, and as soon as my skirmishers had come in my main line opened fire. Up to this time no other idea pervaded my command than that of holding their position; but in a few minutes it became apparent that the troops on my left were being driven back in great disorder. This permitted the enemy to come directly in upon my left flank and rear, and left me no alternative but to withdraw my regiments or have them captured. The line was held until to have remained upon it longer would have been madness. I therefore reluctantly gave the command to fall back, which was done in good order. My three regiments withdrew under cover of the thick woods, and reformed their line about a quarter of a mile farther to the rear. The One hundred and forty-third New York Volunteers having now returned to me I ordered it to form on the left of the new line. The left of this regiment rested in an open field and had no connection with any other command. About 400 yards father to the left was the Eighty-second Illinois Volunteers, on the right of Colonel Hawley’s line, thus leaving a vacancy of that distance between these two regiments. The right of the line rested in the woods on the Cox’s Bridge road, and afterward connected with the left of Fearing’s brigade of the Fourteenth Corps.
My new line had hardly been formed until it was assailed by the enemy. He again attempted to turn my left and to force his way through the gap between the One hundred and forty-third New York and Eighty-second Illinois Volunteers. He managed to obtain a cross-fire upon my four right regiments, which were at this time almost destitute of breast-works, and without a connection on their right or left; but not an inch of ground was yielded. My four right regiments held their ground most gallantly, while the Eighty-second Illinois Volunteers, aided by the artillery which commanded the gap and behaved very gallantly, poured so galling a fire into the enemy’s flanking column as to compel it to hastily withdraw. My men now collected rails and quickly built themselves a breast-work. This work had to be suspended several times, owing to the repeated attacks of the enemy. It was finally completed so far as to render it a respectable covering from the enemy’s fire. But this was not accomplished a moment too soon. The enemy made at least five furious assaults upon the line, but was in each instance handsomely repulsed. He was not permitted to maintain a line of battle five minutes at one time within a hundred yards of my line. At each successive repulse numbers of his men came in and surrendered themselves as prisoners of war.
Bentonville Battlefield Historical Marker.
Thus the tide of battle ebbed and flowed along my front until nightfall, when the firing ceased and my four right regiments were relieved by Colonel Selfridge’s brigade, and withdrawn to a line of works about 300 yards to the rear. The One hundred and first Illinois Volunteers, having rejoined the brigade late in the afternoon, had been already formed in this second line of works, but had not been seriously engaged.
Thus terminated an action which cost my brigade 107 officers and men killed, wounded and captured. Among the number were many of the bravest and best of my entire command, but where all did so well I cannot find it in my heart to make invidious distinctions.
I sincerely regret to record the loss in this affair of Capt. William Ballentine, of the Eighty-second Ohio Veteran Volunteers, who was mortally wounded, and has since died. He was a young officer of great promise, and his loss cannot be easily repaired.
The same statements are true of Lieut. George Lyman, of the Thirty-first Wisconsin Volunteers, who was wounded and captured by the enemy while gallantly leading the skirmish line at the beginning of the engagement, and who also afterward died. I cannot bestow too much praise upon these two young officers, who have fallen at the post of duty and given their lives for their country.
The following additional officers were wounded in the engagement: Capt. Robert Patterson, Sixty-first Ohio Veteran Volunteers, slightly, and Lieut. William H. Thomson, Eighty-second Ohio Veteran Volunteers, severely.
On the 20th and 21st my brigade remained in the same position it occupied on the night of the 19th, except that it advanced about noon of the 21st and held for a short time nearly the same ground occupied by it at the commencement of the battle of the 19th. The enemy had withdrawn to his original position. Several wounded men of my command, who had been left upon the field, were brought in during this temporary advance. My troops did not engage the enemy, and I was soon directed to move them back to their old position, which I did. During the night of the 21st the enemy retreated.
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