The Battles of Monroe's Crossroads & Averasboro, 1865

On March 8, 1865, Gen. William T. Sherman's Union army moved into North Carolina. One of his columns, Maj. Gen. Henry Slocum's, aimed for Fayetteville, held by Confederate Lt. Gen. William Hardee.

Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton

On March 10th, Slocum forced Hardee Corps to evacuate the town. The confederate cavalry, commanded by Lt. Gen. Wade Hampton, covered Hardee's march. The next day, one of the last cavalry battles of the war was fought at a spot on the map called Monroe's Crossroads.¹ 

After several days of skirmishing with each other in North Carolina, the opposing cavalry forces finally met. Despite orders from Sherman not to force the Confederates into a fight, the notorious Maj. Gen. Hugh Judson Kilpatrick tried to block roads to stop the advancing Confederates, then went to bed ignoring any Confederate threat. At dawn on March 10th, Hampton's attack took the Federals by complete surprise. After 3 hours of fierce fighting, he withdrew his triumphant Confederates.

The fight at Monroe's Crossroads gained the additional time needed for Hardee's infantry to cross the Cape Fear River. With their troops and equipment safely across, the Confederates burned the bridges. Hardee then moved to join Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's command, which helped to set the stage for the climactic Battle of Bentonville a few days later.

But first, Hardee's men would have an opportunity to stand and fight before they joined Johnston.

By March 11th, Sherman's army occupied Fayetteville and rested there 4 days while the commanding general made his plans for taking Goldsboro. While Sherman was at Fayetteville, Hardee's Corps arrived at the Smithville Plantation along the Cape Fear River, north of Fayetteville and about 5 miles south of Averasboro. Here Hardee decided to make a stand and possibly buy additional time for Gen. Joseph E. Johnston to concentrate his forces at Smithfield.

Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee

On this date in 1865, Sherman's army was on the march to Goldsboro. Kilpatrick’s cavalry was out ahead of Maj. Gen. Henry Slocum's advancing left column when it came up against Hardee’s Corps, consisting of Maj. Gens. William B. Taliaferro’s and Lafayette McLaw’s infantry divisions and Joseph Wheeler’s dismounted cavalry. The Confederates were deployed across the Raleigh Road near Averasboro. After a brief skirmish, Kilpatrick withdrew and called for infantry support.

The 2-day Battle of Averasboro had begun.² 

At dawn on the second day, the Federals advanced on the first line but were stopped by the main Confederate defense. Later in the morning, a surprise flanking attack routed some of the Confederates on the line. Soon the attackers drove back the second line of defense. Just as the Federals were attempting to outflank Hardee's 3rd line, Wheeler's cavalry arrived to cover the gap. Sherman made the decision to postpone another assault until the next morning. However, by then Hardee had successfully evacuated his position in the darkness and moved toward Smithfield to join Johnston.³ 

Hardee's losses were about 500 men, many of whom were captured. Union causalities were 682. Gen. Hardee's action at Averasboro managed to delay Sherman's advance for a day, buying Johnston more time to unify and relocate his forces for his final offensive, the Battle of Bentonville. However, Sherman now had an open road to Goldsboro, his main objective.

¹ The Monroe's Crossroads battlefield is now on the grounds of the present day Fort Bragg Military Reservation.
² For excellent map of the Battle of Averasboro see The Civil War Trust website.
³ At this moment, my Great Grandfather Nathan Oakes, in Lowrey's Brigade, also was making his way to join Johnston's forces that were concentrating at Smithfield.

Sources: This Astounding Close, Mark L. Bradley; General William J. Hardee, Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes, Jr.

President Davis visits the army at Palmetto

On today's date in 1864, President Jefferson Davis arrived for a 3-day visit with Confederate Gen. John B. Hood and his army, encamped at Palmetto since the 18th. Unsuccessful in its attempt to hold back Union Gen. William T. Sherman's capture of Atlanta, Davis and the Confederate nation were deeply concerned about the state of affairs with his Army of Tennessee.

One of the serious issues confronting Davis was the bitter relationship Hood had with his subordinate leaders, most notably, with Lt. Gen. William Hardee, Great Grandfather Nathan Oakes's corps commander. Hood was about to sack Hardee. The commanding general unjustly blamed Hardee for the army's defeats since Hood had taken control following Joseph E. Johnston's removal in July. After the Battle of Jonesboro, Hood was angry with Hardee and his men for what Hood perceived as their "disgraceful effort," since only about 1,400 were killed and wounded in that fight. Ironically, in the same battle, Hood's old corps under the command of Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee, the force assigned the main attack at Jonesboro, was repulsed. Hood's issue was deeply centered in his personal animosity toward Hardee.

The feeling was mutual. Hardee had only remained in Hood's army to date at the insistence of the president. In his own meeting with the president, Hardee suggested that Hood be removed and that Johnston be returned to his old position. Similar discussions with Gen. Alexander P. Stewart and Stephen D. Lee revealed to the president the same opinion.

This is Davis's third visit to the Army of Tennessee, and the army had never looked so miserable. Thousands of men were without shoes. Food was scarce. Small arms and munitions were in short supply. Hood's depleted army was in dire need of supplies and reinforcements. Morale was at a low ebb. But the greatest problem at the moment was the crisis in leadership. It was obvious to Davis that a change was needed, and Hood urged the president to act.*

After departing Palmetto, on the 28th, Davis telegraphed a formal order for Hardee's release of command and reassignment to command the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Hardee will leave the army 2 days later. Hood immediately promoted Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham to command Hardee's Corps, bypassing the logical choice of Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne, Great Grandfather Oakes's division commander.

Hood will continue to deny and intentionally misunderstand the situation within his army, and it won't be the last time he will blame others for his own shortcomings as a commander.

* Presiden Davis will appoint Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard to head a new department known as the Military District of the West. While ostensibly Beauregard will be Hood's superior, Hood will retain almost the same level of autonomy he previously had.

Sources: Pat Cleburne: Confederate General, Howell & Elizabeth Purdue; Autumn of Glory, Thomas Lawrence Connelly; Decision in the West, Albert Castel; Military Reminiscences of the Civil War, Volume 2 November 1863-June 1865, Jacob D. Cox; Official Records, Vol. 32, Pt. 3

Bragg's departure

On today's date in 1863, Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg took his leave of the Army of Tennessee, which he had led in victory and disaster since assuming command in Tupelo, Mississippi, in June the year before. In an emotional ceremony he surrendered his command of the army, now at Dalton in North Georgia, to Lt. Gen. Hardee. The following is Bragg’s farewell order to his army:

General Order, No. 214. 

Upon renewed application to the President, his consent has been obtained for the relinquishment of the command of this army. It is accordingly transferred to Lieutenant-general Hardee. The announcement of this separation is made with unfeigned regret. An association of more than two years, which bind together a commander and his trusted troops, cannot be severed without deep emotion. For a common cause, dangers shared on many hard-fought fields have cemented bonds which time can never impair. The circumstances which render this step proper will be appreciated by every good soldier and true patriot. The last appeal the general has to make to the gallant army which has so long nobly sustained him is to give his successor that cordial and generous support essential to the success of your arms. In that successor you have a veteran whose brilliant reputation you have aided to achieve. To the officers of my general staff, who have so long zealously and successfully struggled against serious difficulties to support the army and myself, is due, in a great degree, what little success and fame we have achieved. Bidding them and the Army an affectionate farewell, they have the blessings and prayers of a grateful friend. 

Braxton Bragg.

Upon assuming command, Lt. Gen. Hardee issued his own General Order to his men. Considering the unfriendly relations these two men shared, Hardee's remarks about his former commander sound generous and conciliatory.

Soldiers of the Army of Tennessee: 

Gen. Bragg having been relieved from duty with the army, the command has devolved upon me. The steady courage, the unsullied patriotism of the distinguished leader who has shared your fortunes for more than a year, will long be remembered by this army and the country he served so well. 

I desire to say, in assuming command, that this is no cause for discouragement. The overwhelming number of the enemy forced us back from Missionary Ridge, but the army retired intact and in good heart. Our losses are small and will be rapidly repaired. The country is looking upon you. Only the weak need to be cheered by constant success. Veterans of Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro and Chickamauga require no such stimulant to sustain their courage. Let the past take care of itself. We can and must take care of the future.

W. J. Hardee.

Hardee's command will only be temporary, and President Jefferson Davis will soon pick a more permanent replacement. After asking Gen. Robert E. Lee to consider, who declined, Davis appointed Joseph E. Johnston.

Bragg's departure will be mourned by few under his command. As Civil War author Peter Cozzens writes, "Even Bragg's staunchest supporters admonished him for his quick temper, general irritability, and tendency to wound innocent men with barbs thrown during his frequent fits of anger. His reluctance to praise or flatter was exceeded, we are told, only by the tenacity with which, once formed, he clung to an adverse impression of a subordinate. For such officers—and they were many in the Army of the Mississippi—Bragg's removal or their transfer were the only alternatives to an unbearable existence."

Bragg's patriotism and sense of duty are without question. However, his actual leadership skills were a serious mismatch for the demands of a commander-in-chief of an army second to only Robert E. Lee's in Virginia.

Contrary to the warm farewell he delivered to his command, as his official reports and letters demonstrate, it was an embittered Bragg who departed the army on today's date. His own record contains scathing criticisms of his subordinates, and a shifting of blame to them for his own mistakes. He even went so far as to accuse his men of cowardice, which is remarkable considering the actual bravery and indomitable spirit they displayed in their many hardships and sacrifices for this unappreciative general.

So, it is no surprise that many rejoiced to see Bragg go. However, he will soon become the president's  top military advisor, and in that position, continue to wield power and influence over the Army of Tennessee.

Sources: No Better Place to Die, Peter Cozzens; Mountains Touched With Fire, Wiley Sword; Official Records, Vol. 31, Pt. 3

Bragg resigns

On this date in 1863, following the disastrous rout from Missionary Ridge, Braxton Bragg's resignation was formally received by President Davis, and he was relieved from command of the Army of Tennessee, now at Dalton, Georgia. He was ordered to turn over his command temporarily to Lt. Gen. William Hardee, which will take place on December 2.

In typical style, a bitter Bragg will depart the army still reproaching his subordinates for his campaign blunders. In his official report and a letter sent to President Davis on December 1, he blamed the Missionary Ridge disaster on the cowardice of some of his subordinates and on Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge's drunkenness. He will continue to attach his misfortune to the perceived venality and ambition of some of his generals.

Following his resignation, Bragg will continue to receive the President's loyalty and support. On December 7, Davis will publicly shift the responsibility for Missionary Ridge away from his friend. Reporting to Congress Davis said, "It is believed that if the troops who yielded to the assault had fought with the valor which they had displayed on previous occasions... the enemy would have been repulsed with very great slaughter, and our country would have escaped [this] misfortune." Certainly, this is unjust criticism of the troops who so faithfully endured long months of hardship and deprivation under the disapproving and unsolicitous general.

Not surprisingly, many in the army were delighted to see Bragg go. However, he will soon become the president's military advisor, and in that position, continue to wield power and influence over the Army of Tennessee.

Source: Mountains Touched With Fire, Wiley Sword

Hardee fortifies his position

During the early weeks of November 1983, with Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee headquartered on Missionary Ridge, the army's leadership fortified its positions overlooking Chattanooga and its enemy holed up there.

Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee

Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee, having been recently recalled from Mississippi, arriving on October 31, oversaw the arrangement and positioning of his divisions. Patrick R. Cleburne, in whose division Great Grandfather Oakes is serving, along with the divisions of Walker, Cheatham, and Stevenson, held a line running from Missionary Ridge to and including Lookout Mountain. Cleburne's men held the ridge, while Walker guarded the ground from the ridge to Chattanooga Creek. Cheatham's Division held the face of Lookout Mountain, and Stevenson's men defended Lookout Mountain itself.

At this point in the siege, the Confederate leadership anticipated an attack on Hardee's position, on the left of the army. Hardee made frequent reconnaissances with Bragg and his division commanders along his line. All agreed that their position at the mountain would be very difficult to defend against a superior enemy attack. Some Confederate cavalry and a few infantry pickets were all that stood between Hardee's divisions and the enemy.

Hardee set his men to work constructing breastworks. Fearing possible attack, in the first weeks of November Hardee hurried his men to complete a line of defense. By the third week in November, he had his men working day and night.

The urgency of the task was real: Elements of Union Gen. William T. Sherman's army are not far out and will arrive to reinforce Thomas in Chattanooga on the 14th.

Source: General William H. Hardee: Old Reliable, Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes, Jr.

Reorganization of Bragg's army

In the reorganization of Bragg’s Army on this date in 1863, the 32nd/45th Mississippi Consolidated, in which Great Grandfather Nathan Oakes was serving, was temporarily commanded by Lieut. Col. R. Charlton. The regiment was in Brig. Gen. Mark P. Lowrey’s Brigade, in Cleburne’s Division, now in Cheatham’s Corps. Also in the Brigade were the 16th Alabama (Maj. Frederick A. Ashford), 33rd Alabama (Col. Samuel Adams), 45th Alabama (Lieut. Col. H. D. Lampley), and 15th Mississippi Battalion Sharpshooters (Capt. Daniel Coleman).

When William J. Hardee was recalled to the Army of Tennessee from his 3-month posting in Alabama, he was given command of Cheatham’s Corps, and Cheatham returned to command a division. Cleburne’s Division was then transferred to Hardee’s Corps. Hardee now has under his command the divisions of Cleburne, Cheatham, Stevenson, and Walker.

With Hardee’s return Bragg now believed he had a rationale for getting rid of his antagonist, James Longstreet.* At President Davis’s suggestion, Bragg, in early November, will send Longstreet to East Tennessee to confront a Federal army under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside near Knoxville. Bragg even promises to send additional forces to Longstreet later. When Longstreet leaves on November 4th, he will take nearly a third of Bragg's force, leaving the army at Missionary Ridge with only 2 corps under Hardee and Breckinridge, and no more than 37,000 men.

By this same date, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, overall commander of the Federal army in the West, arrived in Chattanooga. A few days earlier, Gen. George "Rock of Chickamauga" Thomas had succeeded Rosecrans as commander of the besieged Army of the Cumberland. Gen. Joseph Hooker's men are arriving to reinforce Thomas, as soon will be 4 divisions commanded by Gen. William T. Sherman from Mississippi.

The timing for sending Longstreet away couldn't have been worse for Bragg's Army of Tennessee.


* Not surprisingly, Longstreet had his own opinion about what to do with Bragg. Following a meeting with some of Bragg's other lieutenants (Polk and Hill, both of whom Bragg fired), Longstreet wrote to Secretary of War Seddon, summing up his (and probably the other generals') concerns about the leadership of the Army of Tennessee: "... I am convinced that nothing but the hand of God can save us or help us as long as we have our present commander." Longstreet's remedy for the leadership crisis was to replace Bragg with Robert E. Lee. Of course, that idea went nowhere with the high command in Richmond.

Sources: Official Records, Vol. 31, Pt. 3; Stonewall of the West, Craig L. Symonds; The Army of Tennessee, Stanly, F. Horn; General William H. Hardee: Old Reliable, Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes, Jr.

"Old Reliable" Gen. Hardee

As one historian observed, compared to Corinth, camp life at Tupelo in 1862 was serene, even dull. The weather was hot and dry. The Confederate army’s morale improved along with the standard of hygiene and the quality of the rations. The army, including the 32nd Mississippi Regiment, also finally had time to properly drill under "Old Reliable" Gen. Hardee’s direct supervision.

Gen. William J. Hardee

Born in Georgia, William Joseph Hardee was a career U.S. Army officer by the time the war broke out. Earlier in the Mexican-American War, Hardee, like many officers in the Army of Tennessee, served under Zachary Taylor, who in 1848 would be elected President of the United States. After the Mexican-American War, Hardee returned to West Point, serving as a tactics instructor, then as commandant from 1856 to 1860. Among other accomplishments he published the best-known drill manual of the Civil War, popularly known on both sides as Hardee's Tactics.

Hardee resigned his U.S. Army commission in January 1861, after his home state of Georgia seceded. Joining the Confederate army as a colonel, by 1862, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant general. Hardee was leading a force in Arkansas when he was ordered to join Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston's army as a corps commander, the position he held in the Battle of Shiloh.

Hardee continued to serve in the Army of Tennessee through most of its famous campaigns and battlefields—Perryville, Murfreesboro, Tullahoma, Missionary Ridge, and the Atlanta Campaign—until September 1864. After leading forces against U.S. Gen. Sherman and his March to the Sea, Hardee rejoined the remnants of the Army of Tennessee under Joseph Johnston in its final days of fighting in the Carolinas Campaign. He participated in the Battle of Bentonville in March 1865, where his 16-year-old son was mortally wounded. Hardee surrendered under Johnston along with the surviving elements of the army at Durham Station on April 26, 1865.

The "Hardee Flag"

The famous "Hardee Flag" first flew over the corps at the Battle of Shiloh. From then on, units of Hardee's Corps each flew a version of the battle flag pattern. Flying over one such unit—Patrick Cleburne's Division—was the flag Union soldiers remarked that they most dreaded to see on the battlefield. Great Grandfather Oakes's 32nd Regiment was one such unit that proudly served under that renowned flag in Cleburne's Division.

Sources: The Third Battalion Mississippi Infantry and the 45th Mississippi Regiment: A Civil War History, David Williamson; The Confederate Veteran, Vol. 17 (January 1909-December 1909)