BATTLE OF BENTONSVILLE.
March 20, 1864.
At noon the enemy left his works and advanced on Jeff. C. Davis’ two divisions. Buell and Hobart were overwhelmed, and pressed back through the woods more than a mile and a half. Vandeveer’s, Mitchell’s, Fering’s and Cogswell’s brigades, on the right, fought stubbornly and desperately, and lost but little ground. There was temporary confusion, and a rout was imminent. Five batteries of artillery were massed at a point where a hospital had been established in the morning, the balance of Jackson’s division, Twentieth corps, were placed on the left, and a new line formed. During the day five grand charges were made by the enemy, massed, but each was repulsed. They succeeded in capturing three guns of the Nineteenth Indiana battery, but only two were taken off. There was desperate fighting all day, the musketry firing being very heavy. Although they gained considerable ground on the left during the day, the rebels retired to their main line, when night fell, leaving the greater part of their dead and wounded on the field.
The rebel loss was twenty-five hundred in killed and wounded. Seven hundred were captured. The Twenty-sixth Tennessee regiment was captured entire, colors and all, with a large part of the Twelfth Louisiana.
The National loss was quite severe, being estimated at sixteen hundred and forty-three. During the temporary confusion caused by the furious charge on Carlin’s division, the Unionists lost about two hundred and fifty prisoners.
This was the last important battle in which General Sherman was engaged. General Schofield had entered Goldsboro’ on the 21st, and General Sherman’s forces, immediately after the fight at Bentonsville, advanced to that place.
On the 25th the Newbern railroad was completed, and the army was receiving its supplies from that base. Between the 27th and 30th General Sherman had visited City Point, and conversed with the President and General Grant, for the arrangement of the final campaign of the war, and had returned to Goldsboro’.