Calamity in Carolina: The Battles of Averasboro and Bentonville, March 1865

Emerging Civil War

by Daniel T. Davis

Robert E. Lee gave Joseph E. Johnston an impossible task.Federal armies under Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman had rampaged through Georgia on their “March to the Sea” and now were cutting a swath of destruction as they marched north from Savannah through the Carolinas. Locked in a desperate defense of Richmond and Petersburg, there was little Lee could do to stem Sherman’s tide—so he turned to Johnston.The one-time hero of Manassas had squabbled for years with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, eventually leading to his removal during the Atlanta Campaign. The disgraced Johnston had fallen far.Yet Lee saw his old friend and professional rival as the only man who could stop Sherman—the only man who could achieve the impossible. “J.E. Johnston is the only officer whom I know who has the confidence of the army,” Lee told Davis.Back in command, Johnston would have to assemble a makeshift force—including the shattered remnants of the once-vaunted Army of Tennessee—then somehow stop the Federal juggernaut. He would thus set out to achieve something that had ever eluded deal a devastating blow to an isolated Union force. Success could potentially prolong the most tragic chapter in American history, adding thousands more to a list of casualties that was already unbearable to read.Historians Daniel T. Davis and Phillip S. Greenwalt, co-authors of Bloody The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 and Hurricane from the The Battle of Cold Harbor, now turn their considered gaze toward the long-forgotten battles of Averasboro and Bentonville. Written in the accessible style that has become the hallmark of the Emerging Civil War Series, Calamity in The Battles of Averasboro and Bentonville includes more than a hundred illustrations, new maps, and thought-provoking analysis to tell the story of the last great battles of the war in the West.

Genres: Civil War, American Civil War, Military History, American History

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 19, 2015

Reviews

[Steven Peterson]

After General William T. Sherman's troops captured Savannah, Georgia, ending the March to the Sea, the Confederacy set about pulling together ragtag elements of different military forces to see if they might be able to hinder or halt Sherman's advance through the Carolinas toward a union with General U. S. Grant outside Richmond.

The forces brought together included Joseph Johnston as the commander-in-chief. How unlikely this was, given that Confederate President Jefferson Davis had given up on Johnston after his retreat under constant contact with Sherman left his forces defending Atlanta. However, Robert E. Lee's support for Johnston gave that general his last command. Other elements that Johnston had the weld together: the defenders of Savannah under William Hardee; the cavalry who had tried to slow Sherman's march under Joseph Wheeler, Hoke's division from its defense of the Carolinas, general without portfolio Braxton Bragg )always capable of creating hard feelings and lack of concert), and so on.

Sherman had divided his forces into two wings. Johnston decided that his only chance was to bring all his forces together against Sherman's left wing, under the command of Henry Slocum. This book relates the outcome of those efforts. Hardee's troops tried to slow the federal force's advance and fought at Averasboro. Ultimately, he did not have the strength to do much more than slow the advance, giving Johnston time to gather the various troops together. Then, Bentonville. The southern troops fought hard and well; the book does a nice job of outlining the tactics used by Johnston.

One interesting feature of these battles is the unusual boldness of Johnston and his ability to coordinate fairly well his disparate forces.

All in all, a fine examination of one of the final major battles of the Civil War.

[Sean Chick]

A good summation of the two battles fought to stop Sherman's march into North Carolina. The writing is clear and concise with some good images. The authors have a higher opinion of Johnston than I, but it is a matter of opinion.

[Chris Elder]

Great Book for a Battlefield Tour

This book does a good job of putting this campaign in perspective and explaining how the various units came together. This is an excellent guide to a visit to the battlefields. As a history narrative it is just adequate. The book would have benefitted from skilled editing to remove the handful of distracting typos and little factual flubs.

The maps are well-done, but, as with many military history books, too few. Too much information is pressed into too few maps. I would like to have seen more maps depicting the location of incoming units in the various phases of the developing battle, shown in phases in large scale and small scale, rather than cramming a long period of time into one map of less than a page. Other books do this, I suppose, and this book is only meant as a battlefield visit guide. And to that purpose the book is well-fit.

[W. Charles Young]

This is a solid entry in the ECW series. Meant as an introduction to the North Carolina battles of Averasboro and Bentonville in March of 1865, is does an adequate job. It does not measure up with other books in this series. The topic, perhaps, was too broad for the limited space this series provides. This caused the narrative to lack some of the detail present in other books in the series. It is well written and worth reading with the above caveat.

[Steve Bender]

Good history of the last two battles in Sherman's march through the Carolinas. Starts woth Sherman in Savannah. Good even handed discussion of the problems of both armies. Includes at the end directions to the two battlefields today, Recommended, especially if you are planning to visit Bentonville.

[Steven Hancock]

A fascinating short overview of the battles at Averasboro and Bentonville, in the closing days of the American Civil War. Highly recommended! Grade:A-