Sherman's March I 16 - North Carolina Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

This historical marker is located in Laurel Hill, NC on the roadside of US 74W/I73N/I74W. It serves to mark where union troops camped while enroute to Goldsboro, NC to capture railroading infrastructure.
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 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. While there, Sherman penned a report explaining that he planned to march to Fayetteville and rest there for three days before continuing his march to Goldsboro. While in Scotland County, Sherman requested that General J. M. Schofield send troops from Wilmington to meet him at Goldsboro.


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)

Plaque Text:As Sherman's army moved north from Georgia, several units passed through Laurel Hill and camped in this vicinity, March 8-9, 1865.
Location: Laurel Hill, NC US74W bound lane road side
County: Scotland
Original casting 1940-P

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

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/29/2020 Markerman62 visited it 07/09/2009 NCDaywalker visited it

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