 AVERASBORO, NC
| PRELUDE
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| THE BATTLE
| REGIMENTAL LOSSES
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| BATTLE REPORTS
| AFTERMATH
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| VIGNETTES
| BACK
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Averasboro, North Carolina
On the 15th of March, the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry had crossed the Cape Fear River and was on its way Northward as part of Slocum's Left Wing of Sherman's Army. Slocum was to advance up the Raleigh Plank Road until he reached the Goldsboro Road about 5 miles from Averasboro. At this place, he would head eastward toward Goldsboro via Bentonville. There he would unite with Schofield's 40,000 man-force.
Joseph Johnston was in a tight spot. He knew that his only chance at stopping Sherman's troops from concentrating was to strike one of the isolated wings. Slocum was the target.
In order to attack Slocum, Johnston directed Hardee to plant his army directly in the Federal column's path along the narrow swampy neck between the Cape Fear and South Rivers. At this point, the two rivers converged within 2 miles of each other, allowing Hardee to use the rivers and swamps as a natural protection for his flanks. Slocum would have to fight his way straight through in order to retain use of the Raleigh road to reach either Goldsboro or Raleigh. The least that Johnston hoped for was to gain time to concentrate his own scattered forces.
On the 15th, some of Slocum's troops engaged in a brief skirmish with the brigade of Col. Alfred M. Rhett, during which the arrogant and annoyed Confederate commander was captured. On the brighter side for Johnston, was the arrival of most of his troops, including the artillery and cavalry he needed with which to thwart Sherman's juggernaut.
The following day, BG Hugh Judson Kilpatrick--with his cavalry and the 9th Michigan of the 1st Brigade--skirmished with Wheeler's troopers, then found Hardee's men too well intrenched to drive out.
At about 8 in the evening, Slocum sent up Col. William Hawley's 3rd brigade (including the 2nd MA) to reinforce Kilpatrick. Capt. Daniel Oakey and his men furnished themselves with pine-knots, and marched 5 miles in the darkness and rain. They tripped and plodded along the horrible excuse for a road with "a cloud of black smoke from the torches floating back over our heads." They floundered their way to the front and relieved Kilpatrick's men at 12:30 a.m. As they clustered around the departed cavalrymen's camfires, said Oakey, "Those who were exhausted sank down in the mud to sleep, while others speculated on the future."
It was a damp, chilly morning as Col. Charles Morse gave the order to "Fall in!" and brought the shivering regiment to its feet. The coming action would be fought in a vast mire. At 7 a.m., Hawley's brigade, with the 2nd MA on the left and supported on the flanks by cavalry, moved forward.
As Oakey moved his men to the edge of the woods, he could hear the unmistakable sounds that indicated Capt. James Ingersol Grafton's skirmish line had made contact with the enemy. As the skirmishers were drawing fire from all sides, Oakey reckoned that the size of the force before them "was more than double that of our brigade." Then word came back that Grafton had been badly wounded in the leg.
The handsome, dashing Grafton had joined the 2nd Massachusetts in the fall of 1861, and quickly became one of its best officers. He received his wound while the enemy toiled to press his line back. After starting for the rear to see to his wound, Grafton turned back, still anxious about the situation and reluctant to leave his men at this critical moment. A second bullet struck him in the neck. Oakey watched in horror as the bareheaded Grafton staggered out of the woods in his direction, "his head buried in his hands, his sabre hanging by the sword-knot from his wrist, one leg bound up with a handkerchief, his uniform covered with blood." After a few more agonized steps, Grafton fell towards the regiment's colors. Capt. Francis Crowinshield joined the cluster of fellow officers around his fallen comrade, who expired "only 5 or 10 minutes" after receiving his mortal blow.
After a stiff resistance, the Rebel skirmishers were driven in, and the brigade took up position across the main road to Black-River Cross Roads, near the edge of an open field, in swampy, wooded ground. Having decided that the Confederates in his front were too many, too strongly entrenched, and was well supported by artillery, Col. Hawley halted to await reinforcements. Between 9 and 10 a.m., it looked as though Hardee might succeed in turning Kilpatrick's right flank, when 3 brigades from Ward's division arrived and moved in on Hawley's left. Then the brigades of James L. Robinson and James L. Selfridge of Jackson's division took up position on Hawley's right. Slocum's 20th Corps batteries were brought forward and opened up. Disaster had been averted.
At about 1 p.m., the Federal advance commenced. As Oakey led his men forward, "the enemy gave us a hot reception, which we returned with a storm of lead." It was, in Oakey's opinion, "a wretched place for a fight." The combatants were duelling in ankle-deep water. "At some points we had to support our wounded until they could be carried off, to prevent their falling into the swamp water."
By this time, Hardee had also received reinforcements and now had about 8,000 men to face Slocum's 12,000. Hardee's right extended all the way to the Cape Fear, making his flank impossible to turn. So far, the Confederate commander had managed to stall Slocum's advance for 5 hours. Oakey was filled with admiration for their stubborn foe. "No ordinary troops were in our front. They would not give way until a division of Davis's Corps was thrown upon their right, while we pressed them closely."
Williams' orders were to press the enemy but not attack until both of Davis's divisions were up. As Carlin's division did not arrive until after dusk, Sherman decided to postpone the attack until 1 a.m. In the meantime, Hawley's brigade--including the 2nd MA--, who had carried the brunt of the day's fight, were relieved by Harrison Hobart's brigade of Carlin's division.
Hardee was not about to wait for Sherman and withdrew during the night. Once again, Slocum's column headed north.
Of the 628 Union casualties (533 of these were wounded), Hawley's 3rd brigade accounted for 144 of them--the most of any Federal brigade.
In addition to Capt. James Grafton, five other men of the 2nd MA were killed: William Deering (B Company), James A. Murry (C), Charles H. Newman (C), William Nitz (B), and Alfred R. Parker (F).
Wounded were: Arthur Coethen (A), James Frey (G), Frederick Gilbert (F), 1st Sgt. Charles Heald, James Hutchinson (I), Lewis Johnson (I), Henry McCauley (E), Augustus McIntosh (K), George McNamara (G), Joseph Moro (A), Andrew Petersen (B), Thomas Regan (F), John Riley (E), Henry Smith (A), James Smith (B), and Reuben Smith (B) The losses (6 killed & 16 wounded) reduced the regiment's manpower to less than 120.
None available from the 2nd MA.
The action, which was the first serious resistance that the Federals had faced since leaving Atlanta, had resulted in a standoff, but this was enough for Johnston to boast that Sherman's men had lost their taste for fighting. In truth, while great credit must be given to Hardee's troops for holding back a superior force for so long, he ultimately failed to foil Sherman's plans or even determine his objective.
While plodding through the muck on the road to the front on the night of the 16th, Capt. Daniel Oakey noticed Sgt. [Thomas?] Johnson stooped over with one arm buried in the mud up to his elbow. "He explained that he was trying to find his shoe."
After the battle, Col. Charles Morse, recalled the final moments of Capt. James Grafton. "I have seen and noticed the faces of a great many men as they stood up to face their deaths, but I have never seen on any of them such an expression of fearless gallantry as was on Captain Grafton's when I gave him his last order. I was quite near him when I gave it; he looked me full in the face to catch every word, then, fully, understanding what I wanted, he turned and gave the necessary orders. I shall never forget that face, so cheerful, so handsome, and yet so full of stern determination to do or die."
In writing to Capt. Grafton's brother to express his sympathies, Col. Morse recounted an incident during a 20th Corps review in Fayetteville. "As the regiment passed the reviewing officer, Gen. Slocum pointed out Captain Grafton to General Sherman, mentioning, I think, that he was your brother, and telling him what a fine officer he was." After the fighting at Bentonville had ceased, upon hearing that Grafton was dead, Sherman exclaimed, "What, that splendid fellow that Slocum pointed out?" It seemed to Morse that Sherman felt the young officer's death "as a personal loss."
While passing over ground formerly held by the enemy, Capt. Daniel Oakey came across the body of a very young officer, whose "handsome, refined face" caught his attention. "While the line of battle swept past me I knelt at his side for a moment. His buttons bore the arms of South Carolina."
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