Battle of Averasboro

During the last part of his march from Savannah to Fayetteville, Sherman was preceded by a force of retreating Confederates, whom he outnumbered ten to one and whose mission it was to watch and report his movements. These Confederates were commanded by an intrepid Georgian, General William J. Hardee, one-time commandant at West Point and author of Hardee's Tactics.

Hardee crossed the Cape Fear River shortly before Sherman entered Fayetteville and took position near Averasboro in Harnett County on the road leading from Fayetteville to Raleigh between the Cape Fear on the west and the Black River on the east.

At this juncture Sherman's Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps under General Slocum were to proceed by way of Averasboro and Bentonville, while his Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps marched on a parallel route.

General Joseph E. Johnston ordered Hardee to delay Slocum at Averasboro, so that he could complete the concentration of his forces and be ready to strike the Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps on their arrival at Bentonville.

These events precipitated the Battle of Averasboro, which is well described in Captain Samuel A. Ashe's History of North Carolina. His words quoted are "Hardee, on crossing the Cape Fear, took the road leading to Smithfield and Raleigh. On the fifteenth of March he occupied a position four miles from Averasboro, and that evening a Federal column, being the Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps, approached and there was some skirmishing. Hardee's position was well chosen, the Black River nearly approaching the Cape Fear at that point, and he made excellent dispositions, but had only six thousand men. Early the next morning the Federals, General Sherman being on the field in person, attacked with vigor, using their artillery to advantage; but their infantry was always repulsed. In the early afternoon they moved a heavy force farther to the east, completely flanking the left of Hardee's position, which necessitated a retirement of that wing about four hundred yards to the main line. Here again and again, every assault was repulsed. During the night the Federals proceeded to fortify their position and threw heavy columns across Black River; and Hardee, being thus flanked, fell back towards Smithfield, leaving Wheeler's men in position."

(NOTE: Later research indicates that although the Confederate right (west) was flanked on the 1st battle line, it is not established that the Federals flanked the Confederate left. The Confederate final withdrawal was planned, deliberate and orderly.)

Significance

Realizing that General Sherman’s left wing was isolated as it advanced between the Cape Fear and Black Rivers toward Averasboro, General Hardee initiated the classic and effective delaying action required by General Johnston in prelude to the Battle of Bentonville.
The Battle of Averasboro (also called Averysborough, Smith’s Mill and Black River) was the first deliberate, tactical resistance to the infamous march on federal forces through Georgia and the Carolinas. The battle was fought on the plantation lands of the John Smith family four miles south of the Cape Fear River village of Averasboro.

The Battle of Averasboro

Day One:  The Battle of Averasboro began on March 15, 1865. Soldiers under the command of Colonel Alfred Rhett of South Carolina occupied the Confederate first line of defense and attacked the Ninth Michigan. The Yankees drove the Confederates back into their breastworks but quickly withdrew when shelled by Confederate artillery. The Ninth Michigan constructed barricades in front of the Confederate position. Heavy fighting occurred there during the day. At nightfall, the two armies were in nearly the same positions they held throughout the afternoon.
Day Two: At 6:00 a.m. on the morning of March 16, the Yankees attacked. Heavy fighting occurred during the day, with many attacks and counter attacks taking place. Superior numbers allowed the Yankees to eventually force their way through enemy line forcing the Confederates to withdraw to their third line of defense. There, Confederate General William Taliaferro aligned his forces astride the Raleigh-Fayetteville Road to make a last stand.
The final Union attack occurred around 3:00 p.m. when a sharp attack was launched against the Confederate right. Confederate cavalry commanded by General Joseph Wheeler quickly stopped the attack by pouring a devastating fire into the Yankee advance. Union troops continuously attacked throughout the afternoon but were in each instance repulsed by the stubborn Confederates. Their mission accomplished, the Confederates began to withdraw during the night of the 16th. Continuous skirmishing occurred during the morning of the 17th until all troops had withdrawn.
Casualties for the fighting at Averasboro were high for both armies. The Yankees reported 477 casualties, while the Confederates lost approximately 500.
On the afternoon of March 15, Judson Kilpatrick’s cavalry came up against Lt. Gen. William Hardee’s corps—consisting of Taliaferro’s and McLaw’s infantry divisions and Wheeler’s dismounted cavalry—deployed across the Raleigh Road near Smithville. After searching out the Confederate defenses, Kilpatrick withdrew and called for infantry support. During the night, four divisions of the XX Corps arrived to confront the Confederates. At dawn, March 16, the Federals advanced on a division front, driving back skirmishers, but they were stopped by the main Confederate line and a counterattack. Mid-morning, the Federals renewed their advance with strong reinforcements and drove the Confederates from two lines of works, but were repulsed at a third line. Late afternoon, the Union XIV Corps began to arrive on the field but was unable to deploy before dark due to the swampy ground. Hardee retreated during the night after holding up the Union advance for nearly two days.
Thus ended the Battle of Averasboro, a fight in which Union casualties totaled 682 and Confederate losses approximated five hundred.
By his gallant delaying action at Averasboro, Hardee enabled Johnston to concentrate his total available forces of 25,000 men and boys at Bentonville. Here, on March 19, 1865, Johnston surprised Sherman's Fourteenth Corps.