Bentonville | Then and Now

In March 1865, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman divided his force as he marched north into the Carolinas. Confederates under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston took the first step in their final stand when they confronted an isolated Union wing on March 19. They experienced success until Union reinforcements arrived late in the day. On March 21, the Confederates attempted a final, desperate counterattack before retreating. 

In 2021, the Trust teamed up with the American Battlefield Protection Program and the State of North Carolina to acquire two separate tracts, totaling just over seven acres, that witnessed a curious combination of chaos and determination during the first day’s battle at Bentonville. While the Trust plans to donate one acre to the state for incorporation into the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, the other six acres will be transferred to the state historic site following a period of stewardship by the Trust and the removal of non-historic structures by way of financial assistance from the Friends of the Bentonville Battlefield. The Trust has now saved a lofty 1,924 acres at Bentonville — the most acreage of any battlefield outside of Virginia.