Holding the Line at Bentonville

Following the March 16, 1865 Battle of Averasboro, North Carolina, the 61^st resumed its march north with Major General Henry Slocum’s 14^th and 20^th Corps.  On March 19 the regiment was in battle again outside of Bentonville, North Carolina.  Here a Confederate force including the remnants of the Army of Tennessee attacked the 14^th Corps.  Arriving on the battlefield in the afternoon, Brigadier General James Robinson’s brigade plugged a gap in the line of Brigadier General William Carlin’s division of the 14^th Corps. The 61^st, along with the 82^nd Ohio and 31^st Wisconsin, was positioned in the front line followed by the 82^nd Illinois and 143^rd New York in support.  A.T. Sechand, accompanying Robinson’s brigade, described the battle in a letter published in the Delaware Gazette April 21, 1865.

As soon as the line was formed, our men commenced building a breastwork.  With no other intrenching tools than hatchets, they built a respectable shelter from the fire of the rebel sharpshooters.  The instinct of some great and immediate danger seemed to animate them, and it was well that it was so.  The enemy had already massed his forces for a grand, desperate effort to break our lines.  Our skirmishers had been thrown forward, but had gained their position only by gallantly charging across an open field under a sweeping fire.  I cannot soon forget the manly heroism of Lieut. Lyman and his noble comrades in this affair.  The word “forward” was given, and well they know that for some of them it was a death summons.  The Lieutenant shouted “forward!” “forward!” and his men obeyed like soldiers.  They were following their brave young officer for the last time, for he now sleeps his last sleep among the gloomy pines of the field of Bennetsville[sic].  Alas, how many of the braves, noblest, and best this war costs us!  Of such was Lieut. George Lyman, 31^st Wisconsin Volunteers.

The skirmish line advanced about two hundred yards when it encountered the enemy sweeping down upon us in full force.  Our skirmishers drew a heavy fire from the rebels and were compelled to fall back with a severe loss in killed, wounded and captured.  The firing immediately rolled to the left and became very heavy in front of Carlin’s line, which was considerably advanced instead of being reformed as it should have been.  In five minutes more the enemy struck the line of the 3d Brigade, which immediately opened fire.  We had now but three regiments with which to hold our position, all the others having been previously sent half a mile to the rear to cover the trains.  But our brave men were not daunted by their numerical weakness.  They proposed to hold their line in spite of all the force that could be brought against them to front.

The fighting had but fairly commenced along our front when it was discovered that the troops on our left were being driven back in great disorder.  The enemy followed in close pursuit and in a few minutes emerged from the woods and began closing in upon our rear.  There was a not a single regiment at hand to check him, for there were no reserves.  There was but one alternative left, and that was to fall back and form a new line.  This was a bitter dose for our brave old brigade, which had been accustomed to never yield an inch under any circumstances.  But every soldier saw what the exigencies of the occasion required and the command to fall back was executed in good order.  The line was withdrawn a quarter of a mile when it re-formed.  This was no sooner done than the enemy again assailed us both in front and flank.  There was again a large vacancy in the line on our left, and through this Rhett’s South Carolina brigade endeavored to force it way.  But the gap was fortunately commanded by the artillery and by the 82d Ill., which had been put in position on the farther side of the vacancy.  This gallant regiment joined so galling a fire to that of the artillery that the enemy soon suspended his attempt at a flank movement and confined his efforts to a front attack.  The firing therefore rolled to the right where we now had four regiments in position.  The line was still without connection on the right or left, and the men were destitute of breastworks.  The ground being level afforded no shelter from the enemy’s fire.  The situation could scarcely have been more trying to our troops.  But with the firm determination of heroes they maintained their ground.  The first onset of the enemy was gallantly repulsed in 20 minutes.  The men took advantage of the temporary lull in the firing to gather rails and build a temporary breastwork.  This was not finished before the enemy renewed his attack.  The battle now raged with great fury and became fearfully sublime … The second attack of the enemy continued about thirty minutes, when it was also repulsed.  The rebels withdrew into the woods, leaving behind them numbers of deserters who now sought admission to our line.  I need not say that they were warmly welcomed to Union hospitality.

The 61^st and the rest of Robinson’s brigade held off further Confederate attacks throughout the afternoon until they were relieved that evening and withdrew behind the Union lines.  The next day reinforcements arrived from the 15^th and 17^th Corps of Major General Oliver O. Howard’s Right Wing.  Following further fighting on March 21^st the Confederates withdrew.

The Battle of Bentonville

The Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, March 19 to 21, 1865 was the last engagement for the 61^st.  Captain John Garrett commanded the regiment in the battle.  During the engagement the 61^st 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 17^th 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.

Bentonville Battlefield

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 20^th and 21^st my brigade remained in the same position it occupied on the night of the 19^th, except that it advanced about noon of the 21^st and held for a short time nearly the same ground occupied by it at the commencement of the battle of the 19^th.  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 21^st the enemy retreated.