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 Wagram - Civil War Discovery Trail Site Posted by:  NCDaywalker
N 34° 53.028 W 079° 23.326
17S E 647241 N 3861341
The marker for this waymark is in one of the most historic areas of Scotland County. On the same grounds where this marker is located are the home of John Charles McNeill and the Richmond Temperance Society.
Waymark Code: WM729D
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 08/22/2009
Views: 9
Wagram, Trails sign located adjacent to the John Charles McNeil House at the intersection of Old Wire Road (Route 144) and Arch McLean Road, 1 mile south of Route 401 – Sherman's troops used trees and fence posts to "pave" the muddy road here during their march to Fayetteville. Confederate cavalry began harassing the march near here. (http://www.civilwartraveler.com/EAST/NC/CarolinasCampaign.html)After making his famous "March to the Sea" to Savannah, Ga., in late 1864, Union Gen. William T. Sherman cast his eyes northward toward the Carolinas and a possible link-up with Gen. U.S. Grant, who then was tightening his noose around Gen. Robert E. Lee at Petersburg, Va.
Trails: Sherman's army of 60,000 entered South Carolina in February 1865 and moved quickly north, burning the capital at Columbia and destroying and looting countless civilian farms and plantations.
Entering North Carolina the first week in March, Sherman marched toward Goldsboro, an important railroad junction sitting on what had been "Lee's Lifeline." Union forces quickly captured Fayetteville and burned the arsenal there. Confederate resistance at Averasboro was swept aside.
Confederate commander Gen. Joseph Johnston managed to assemble a force large enough to put up a fight at Bentonville March 19–21, but the weight of Sherman's advance eventually overwhelmed him.
Johnston withdrew, his army ending up west of Raleigh. After more than a week of negotiation near Durham, Johnston surrendered his troops April 26, 1865.
More reading
Last Stand in the Carolinas: The Battle of Bentonville by Mark Bradley, published by DaCapo Press 1996
This Astounding Close, The Road to Bennett Place by Mark Bradley, published by the University of North Carolina Press 2000
Sherman's March through North Carolina by Angley, Cross and Hill, published by Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
Map / Brochures
Free, full-color map/brochures are available from the following sources:
* Fill out our Free Info form for the map plus information about more Civil War sites in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia
* Call 800-VISIT-NC
* Visit www.visitnc.com
* Download a PDF version [612K]."
(quoted from: (visit link)
In talking with one of the local historians, knowledgeable about the area, I learned that the creek area immediately south of the marker was the site of a small skirmish between the Northern forces and local Southerners. It was harassing tactics to delay the invading forces. Some say a few of the Union forces that killed at this site were buried on a nearby farm. The owner reportedly buried the men there out of respect for them as soldiers. To cordon off the area, a fence was erected. Upon the death of the farmer, a family member is said to have had the fence removed because of disdain for the Union forces and their stripping the area of food and resources.
Type of site: Battlefield
Address:
Intersection of NC 144 and Arch McLean Rd
Wagram, NC USA
28396
Admission Charged: No Charge
Website: [Web Link]
Driving Directions:
From Wagram, take NC 144 west approx 2 miles, turn right on Arch McLean road, go approx 1/4 mile to dirt road on right, turn on to dirt road, marker on right. From Laurel Hill, take NC 144 east toward Wagram, at Spring Hill Cemetery ( NC 144 & Arch McLean Rd) turn left, go approx 1/4 mile to dirt road on right, turn on to dirt road, marker on right.
Phone Number: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Post a picture of site showing the signage or other notable feature. Please tell what you saw or learned.
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