Taking a break from my usual posts to cover some North Carolina history. I love Civil War history, and have had an ongoing love affair with this chapter in American history since I was in my early 20’s. Often, I found myself among old white men at Civil War reenactments, lectures, etc. When I moved to Raleigh, I was thrilled to be within driving distance of multiple battlefields, even if the drive is up to six hours long when I go to Gettysburg.
Just a little over 45 minutes south from downtown Raleigh is a small, but important battlefield. Located in Dunn, North Carolina, the Averasboro Battlefield was the site of a one-day battle between the Union and Confederate Army. It is noted as the first “deliberate, tactical resistance” to the march of Federal forces through the Carolinas and Georgia. Many know this as Sherman’s March. It took place three days for the infamous Battle of Bentonville and one month before the Battle of Morrisville.
The Battle of Averasboro took place about 4 miles south of the Averasborough township. The goal of the battle was to delay, do damage, and slow the progress of General Sherman’s progress, and it worked. Sherman’s troops had just decimated Fayetteville, and they were heading to Raleigh. The Confederate forces behind it all were under the command of William J. Hardee. They were able to slow down General Slocum and his men in Averasboro.
If you participated in the weekend ghost hunts in Fayetteville at the Sandford House that my team hosted in October, the name Slocum should sound familiar! During the Battle of Averasboro, the Union lost about 682 men while the Confederates lost about 500.
At the Averaboro Battlefield & Museum, they have quite the collection of artifacts that were nothing but impressive. I admit that I enjoy the smaller Civil War history museums, as their artificats usually come from donations from local families. You also get to learn stories that you won’t hear in the larger museums.
Just down the road is the Chicora Cemetery, which holds the remains of 54 unidentified Confederate soldiers. There is also an recreation of a house from the Civil War era along with several monuments.
Another thing I particularly appreciated and treasured during this visit was the chance to hold actual bullets from the battle. The kind gentleman working behind the desk brought them out to me. I got to feel how heavy they were, and I couldn’t help but think about the soldiers that had to lug these around. This was unexpectedly emotional for me. I couldn’t help but wonder who it was that shot these bullets, who or what these bullets hit, and what they look like today.
One question I do want to address…is Averasboro haunted? The short answer is I don’t know. I haven’t had the opportunity to investigate it yet. I also haven’t seen much in terms of reported hauntings. If there was weird activity occurring, I would probably assume there is something there. However, the lack of reports make me question whether something is there. I will say that when I visited the battlefield, it was very peaceful.
I do plan on visiting the Averasboro Battlefield. This is a wonderful piece of North Carolina Civil War history that is just a short drive away from the Triangle. While the battle was short, its impact continues to last to this day over 155 years later.
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