Sherman's March I 19
Posted by: 
NCDaywalker
N 34° 50.383 W 079° 27.551
17S E 640881 N 3856350
This marker notes the passing of elements of Sherman's Army as they marched through the area. Union troops camped at the Old Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church in March of 1865.
Waymark Code: WM6QR7
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 07/10/2009
Views: 9
A part of Sherman's army, marching from Savannah to Goldsboro, camped at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church, 2/3 mi. SW, Mar. 8-9, 1865. The troops left graffiti in the belfry of the old church.
In late 1864, Union General William T. Sherman began moving his forces, some 60,000 battle-hardened soldiers strong, northward from Atlanta to “divide the Confederacy in two.” The plan was to march the Union forces through Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina in order to squeeze Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee in Virginia between Sherman’s men to the south and those of General Ulysses S. Grant to the north. Along the way, Sherman hoped to disrupt Confederate supply lines and break the will of southerners on the home front. This “total war” assault on civilians – women and children included – by Union forces was a break from traditional warfare that had, up until this time, focused largely on military targets.
In Georgia and South Carolina Sherman’s men freely plundered their surroundings as they marched, leaving whole towns in ashes. As they approached North Carolina, Sherman’s forces were divided into separate divisions or corps. They traveled across the state to protect each other’s flanks, forage for supplies and to spread their influence throughout the state. The forces were more restrained in North Carolina because many had grown uncomfortable with the wholesale destruction wrought upon South Carolina. Additionally, North Carolina had been the last state to secede and was home to many Unionists who fostered the largest peace movement in the Confederacy. Union forces under Sherman entered North Carolina in early March and slowly trekked northward through the state, engaging in skirmishes and battles, before exiting the state on May 4, 1865.
Sherman’s army entered North Carolina in stages and he traveled with the 15th Corps as they entered the state on March 8. Sherman and his men camped that evening at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church. Sherman planned to march toward Fayetteville and rest there for three days before continuing his march to Goldsboro. While near Laurel Hill, a contingent of Union troops destroyed the Murdock Morrison gun factory, a supplier of Confederate weapons.
References:
Wilson Angley, Jerry Cross, and Michael Hill, Sherman’s March Through North Carolina: A Chronology (1995)
Charles Royster, The Destructive War: William Tecumseh Sherman, Stonewall Jackson, and the Americans (1991)
John G. Barrett, Sherman’s March through the Carolinas (1956)
Joseph T. Glatthaar, The March to the Sea and Beyond: Sherman’s Troops in the Savannah and Carolinas Campaigns (1985)
William T. Sherman, Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman (1875)
LOCATION:
US 15/501 at SR 1319 (Wire Road) north of Laurinburg
COUNTY:
Scotland
ORIGINAL CASTING:
1940
Marker Name: Sherman's March I 19
Marker Type: Roadside
Related Web Link: [Web Link]
Required Waymark Photo: yes
Local North Carolina markers without State Number Designation: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:Photos of your visit to the marker are required, but PLEASE, no old vacation photos taken just because it was there!
Comments about your visit, interesting nearby areas and any significant information you may have on this waymark are encouraged.
Most of all, enjoy the History that North Carolina has to offer! From the Mountains to the Ocean .. it's all here!