Dian at the Bentonville Monument

Having visited most of the major Eastern Theater battlefields, the Pamplin Park Spring Tour in May of 2010 afforded us the opportunity to see numerous Civil War sites in North Carolina. It was a great experience (as usual with the Pamplin Park tours guided by Will Greene) and opened our eyes to another interesting aspect of the war. The Battle of Bentonville was fought March 19th to 21st, 1865 and was the last full-scale action in which a Confederate Army mounted a tactical offensive … and darn near pulled it off on the first day. Joseph E. Johnston had been called out of retirement by Jefferson Davis and ordered to gather all available forces of the Army of Tennessee (about 20,000 men) to stop the northward march of William T. Sherman’s Federal army that numbered about 60,000 effectives. Johnston attempted to defeat the left wing of the advancing enemy forces before the right wing (a half-day’s march away) could come to their aid.  On the morning of the 19th, Sherman’s left wing stumbled into Johnston’s trap and large sections of the Union forces were overrun by the initial Confederate attacks. One Union division held its ground despite being surrounded, forcing the Confederates to pull back. Sherman’s right wing arrived early on the 20th, ending Johnston’s hope of inflicting a major defeat on Sherman’s army. Pictured below is Harper House on the Bentonville Battlefield which served as a Confederate Field Hospital. The battlefield is preserved and operated by an enthusiastic and highly motivated local group organized as the Bentonville Battlefield Historical Association.

At 9:00 AM on April 2, 2011 a number of descendants of soldiers of the 6th Regiment of Maryland Infantry gathered on the grounds of Pamplin Historical Park to dedicate a monument to all soldiers of the regiment who had served at anytime during the war. This site is particularly appropriate as it is the exact location of what was perhaps the greatest contribution of the regiment to Union victory … spearheading the Sixth Corps assault that broke the Confederate lines at Petersburg and caused the Army of Northern Virginia to abandon the defense of Richmond and begin it’s retreat to Appomattox.

A. Wilson Greene speaking at the dedication of the 6th Maryland monument

Bo Hitchcock and David Jones unveil the monument

A number of happy descendants pose with sculptor Gary Casteel and his daughter at Pamplin Historical Park

We spent an entire day guided by Dr. Chris Fonvielle of the History Department of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the local expert who supplemented the knowledge of Will Greene on this part of the PHP Spring Tour. It was a beautiful day along the Cape Fear river as we toured Fort Fisher, then crossed on the ferry to Southport to visit Fort Johnson and Fort Anderson. Dr. Fonvielle was a great guide, sharing his wealth of knowledge and a lot of good humor along the way. That evening, we enjoyed a walking tour of historic Wilmington and a nice dinner at Circa 1922.

Fort Fisher was essential to the protection of the deepwater port of Wilmington where blockage-runners brought vital supplies for the Confederate armies in the field. Its capture on January 15, 1865  following a massive Federal amphibious assault, helped to seal the fate of the Confederacy.

Fort Fisher was constructed mostly of sand and earth, ideal for absorbing the shock of heavy explosives. The sea face consisted of a series of 12 foot high batteries bounded on the south end by two larger batteries 45 and 60 feet high. Of the smaller mounds, one served as a telegraph office and another was a hospital bombproof. The land face consisted of 15 mounds 32 foot high with interior rooms used as bombproofs and powder magazines connected by underground passageways. A nine-foot-high palisade fence extended in front of the entire land face.

]]> http://davidhjones.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=1389 0 http://davidhjones.net/blog/?p=1373 http://davidhjones.net/blog/?p=1373#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:26:45 +0000 David H. Jones http://davidhjones.net/blog/?p=1373

After visiting the New Bern Battlefield, our tour group travelled to Fort Macon, a Third System coastal fortification located on Bogue Banks at Beaufort, North Carolina. The irregular pentagon brick fort, now situated in Fort Macon State Park,  was completed in 1834. Our guide was Paul Branch, Jr., an author and Park Ranger-Historian, who explained the construction features of the fort, its seizure by North Carolina State Troops in April of 1861, and its investment, bombardment, and capture on April 26, 1862 by Union forces under the command of General Ambrose Burnside.  Fort Macon is an excellent example of early nineteenth century military engineering made obsolete by the advent of rifled artillery.

]]> http://davidhjones.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=1373 0 http://davidhjones.net/blog/?p=1366 http://davidhjones.net/blog/?p=1366#comments Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:22:53 +0000 David H. Jones http://davidhjones.net/blog/?p=1366 It has been a long time since my last post to this blog . . . that’s pretty poor on my part. I promise to get “back in harness” and stay more current.

Following the North Carolina trip in May, we travelled to Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina for a week in June (including a book signing in Beaufort, South Carolina) . . . and then flew cross country again in July for another book signing at Gettysburg, a visit to Antietam, and a family reunion in Canaan Valley, West Virginia.  It’s been a busy time, but that’s no excuse . . . so more frequent posting will now resume.

To compliment the preserved remains of the original C.S.S. Neuse, a full scale replica of the ship has been constructed to provide visitors to Kinston with a sense of the size and appearance of the Civil War Confederate ironclad ram. Built over many years by master shipbuilder Alton Stapleford, the C.S.S. Neuse II is open for visitors to examine the exterior and interior of the 158 foot vessel located a short distance from the riverbank where the original was fitted with its iron plating. Our guide, one of the many good North Carolina folks we met in Kinston, participated in the construction of the C.S.S. Neuse II and presented a complete history of the original ship and the replica. In the photo below, he’s describing the pre-Civil War boiler from a lumber mill that’s very similar to the one used to power the original C.S.S. Neuse.

The 2010 Pamplin Historical Park Spring Tour visited a North Carolina Historical Site in Kinston where the remains of the Confederate ironclad ram C.S.S. Neuse are displayed. We learned the history of her construction, limited use during the Battle of Wyse Fork, and scuttling and burning to prevent capture in March of 1865. About 15,000 artifacts were recovered along with this portion of the hull. A new, fully enclosed, climate controlled facility is planned in Kinston to house the ship remains, artifact collection and interpretive center.

]]> http://davidhjones.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=1328 0 http://davidhjones.net/blog/?p=1312 http://davidhjones.net/blog/?p=1312#comments Fri, 28 May 2010 23:06:04 +0000 David H. Jones http://davidhjones.net/blog/?p=1312

The 2010 Pamplin Historical Park Spring Tour was headquartered in Kinston, North Carolina and this charming town provided a delightful experience for the participants. Kinston is perfectly situated for Civil War buffs who want a central location for visiting numerous sites in Eastern North Carolina.  www.visitkinston.com

Not only is Kinston the site of two Civil War battles  and the C.S.S. Neuse, but the hospitality shown to our group by the Kinston Tourism Development Authority was exemplary. The knowledgeable guides who met us at each site made the visit very educational and the East Carolina “pig-pickin” sponsored by the Kinston folks was heaven for the Southern barbeque connoisseurs in our group.

Dian and I are looking forward to going on the Pamplin Historical Park Spring Tour in North Carolina next week. This is a portion of the American Civil War that I have not studied much in the past and will add greatly to my overall knowledge. I’ve been reading The Battle of Bentonville: Last Stand in the Carolinas by Mark Bradley, a great book that is solid preparation for the upcoming tour.  In addition to the Bentonville Battlefield, we will also be visiting the C.S.S. Neuse Replica and Museum; Wyse Fork Battlefield; New Bern Battlefield; Fort Macon; Fort Fisher; Fort Johnson; Fort Anderson; and the Averasboro Battlefield. I’ll make a series of posts with photos when we return to California.

In the early morning hours of Saturday, April 3, 2010, commemoration of the 145th Anniversary of the Petersburg Breakthrough of April 2, 1865 will occur at Pamplin Historical Park near Petersburg, Virginia.  Executive Director A. Wilson Greene will conduct a dawn tour (lasting two hours) of the Breakthrough Battlefield. I heard from Will Greene yesterday that 80 visitors will assemble this year in the park at 5:00AM  to walk the battlefield and trace the movements of the soldiers, North and South, on that fateful day.

Pictured above are three descendants of soldiers of the 6th Maryland infantry (l to r – John Petri, Jim Fisher, and David Jones) who participated in this tour at Pamplin Historical Park several years ago.

We will all be there next year on Saturday, April 2, 2011, to enjoy the dawn tour and then take part afterward in the dedication ceremony of the 6th Regiment of Maryland Infantry monument on the exact site within Pamplin Historical Park where the boys from Old Maryland were among the first soldiers of Sixth Corps to break the Confederate line. It will be a very special day for all of us.