The Confederate Surrender at Greensboro: The Final Days of the Army of Tennessee, April 1865

by Robert M. Dunkerly

Drawing upon more than 200 eyewitness accounts, this work chronicles the largest troop surrender of the Civil War, at Greensboro--one of the most confusing, frustrating and tension-filled events of the war. Long overshadowed by Appomattox, this event was equally important in ending the war, and is much more representative of how most Americans in 1865 experienced the conflict's end. The book includes a timeline, organizational charts, an order of battle, maps, and illustrations. It also uses many unpublished accounts and provides information on Confederate campsites that have been lost to development and neglect.

Genres: American Civil War, History, Civil War Western Theater

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Bert Dunkerly is a historian, award-winning author, and speaker who is actively involved in historic preservation and research. He holds a degree in History from St. Vincent College and a Masters in Historic Preservation from Middle Tennessee State University. He has worked at nine historic sites, written nine books, including Redcoats on the Cape Fear, about the Revolution in Wilmington. His research includes archaeology, colonial life, military history, and historic commemoration. Dunkerly is currently a Park Ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park. He has visited over 400 battlefields and over 700 historic sites worldwide. When not reading or writing, he enjoys hiking, camping, and photography.

Reviews

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book on a little-discussed topic. Its strengths are the order of battle presented, personal stories, and how the surrender was carried out, contrasting it with Appomattox and making the case that Appomattox as an event was spectacular and rare. The average Confederate experienced something closer to Greensboro. However, there were perhaps too many block quotations and less than expected on the surrender negotiations and the final Davis conferences and Davis's directions, which is something I wanted to see.

[Francis X DuFour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very revealing and interesting

The author does a wonderful job of describing the chaos and uncertainty that surrounded the end of the war on in North Carolina. The inclusion of many personal accounts brings a “you are there” atmosphere to the history.

[Family]

I lived there

Very informative really neat to read about where I lived and played in the woods.Really helped to understood why I found d so much in the woods