Bentonville: The Final Battle of Sherman and Johnston (Civil War America)

The battle of Bentonville, the only major Civil War battle fought in North Carolina, was the Confederacy's last attempt to stop the devastating march of William Tecumseh Sherman's army north through the Carolinas. Despite their numerical disadvantage, General Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate forces successfully ambushed one wing of Sherman's army on March 19, 1865 but were soon repulsed. For the Confederates, it was a heroic but futile effort to delay the inevitable: within a month, both Richmond and Raleigh had fallen, and Lee had surrendered. Nathaniel Hughes offers a full-length tactical study of this important battle. In careful detail, he lays out Confederate and Union troop movements and places the engagement within the larger military framework of the last months of the war. Analyzing the reasons for the initial success and eventual failure of Johnston's offensive, he maintains that Sherman showed great restraint by remaining committed to the larger goal of reaching Goldsboro rather than stopping to pursue or destroy the defeated Confederates. The battle of Bentonville, the only major Civil War battle fought in North Carolina, was the Confederacy's last attempt to stop the devastating march of William Tecumseh Sherman's army north through the Carolinas. Despite their numerical disadvantage, General Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate forces successfully ambushed one wing of Sherman's army on March 19, 1865 but were soon repulsed. For the Confederates, it was a heroic but futile effort to delay the inevitable: within a month, both Richmond and Raleigh had fallen, and Lee had surrendered. Nathaniel Hughes offers a full-length tactical study of the battle of Bentonville, the only major Civil War battle fought in North Carolina and the Confederacy's last attempt to stop the devastating march of Sherman's army north through the Carolinas. In careful detail, Hughes lays out Confederate and Union troop movements and places the engagement within the larger military framework of the last months of the war. Analyzing the reasons for the initial success and eventual failure of General Joseph E. Johnston's offensive, Hughes maintains that Sherman showed great restraint by remaining committed to the larger goal of reaching Goldsboro rather than stopping to pursue or destroy the defeated Confederates. The Battle Of Bentonville Was The Confederacy's Last Desperate Attempt To Stop The Devastating March Of William Tecumseh Sherman's Army North Through The Carolinas. Nathaniel Hughes Offers A Comprehensive Tactical Study Of This Important Battle, Which Involved An Unusually High Percentage Of Senior Officers. In Careful Detail, He Lays Out The Movement Of Confederate And Union Troops From South Carolina Across The State Line To Fayetteville And On To Goldsboro. Placing The Battle Within The Larger Military Framework Of The Last Months Of The War, Hughes Analyzes Why Initial Success Turned To Failure For Johnston's Offensive. Based On Letters, Diaries, And Official Documents, The Book Explores The Experience Of This Final Battle For The Soldiers And Officers Fighting It. Hughes Also Assesses The Performances Of Union And Confederate Commanders And Includes Biographical Vignettes Of Several Of Them, Including Braxton Bragg, William J. Hardee, D.h. Hill, Oliver O. Howard, And Henry W. Slocum. Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes, Jr. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 293-324) And Index. The battle of Bentonville was the Confederacy's last desperate attempt to stop the devastating march of William Tecumseh Sherman's army north through the Carolinas. Nathaniel Hughes offers a comprehensive tactical study of this important battle, which involved an unusually high percentage of senior officers. In careful detail, he lays out the movement of Confederate and Union troops from South Carolina across the state line to Fayetteville and on to Goldsboro. Placing the battle within the larger military framework of the last months of the war, Hughes analyzes why initial success turned to failure for Johnston's offensive. Based on letters, diaries, and official documents, the book explores the experience of this final battle for the soldiers and officers fighting it. Hughes also assesses the performances of Union and Confederate commanders and includes biographical vignettes of several of them, including Braxton Bragg, William J. Hardee, D. H. Hill, Oliver O. Howard, and Henry W. Slocum. A successful presentation of the fundamental concepts of number theory and computer programming