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The Civil War ... Today

It dawned on me this morning that I should learn more about the Civil War, since I have a few family members who particiapted in one way shape or form. Since admittedly it was not an area of history that came up much in my schooling, I will be refrencing History.com quite a bit to start with with. I truely believe to understand genealogy one has to at least appreciate history! And so begins my attempt ...

On this day in 1865, Union General William T. Sherman and his army encountered resistance as it trounced through the Carolinas on its way to join General Ulysses Grant's army at Petersburg, Virginia. Confederate General William Hardee tried to block one wing of Sherman's force, commanded by Henry Slocum, but his Rebel force was swept aside at the Battle of Averasboro, North Carolina. In the end, The Union army lost approximately 95 men killed, 530 wounded, and 50 missing, while the Confederates lost about 865 total and Sherman continued on his march.

Sadly, I have to admit I had no clue where Averasboro, NC is so I Google Map'd it (see above). It is south of Raleigh and a tad north of Wilmington. It is also called Averysborough, Smith's Mill and Black River.

This was the first tactical resistance to the infamous Sherman's march. The battle was fought on the plantation lands of the John Smith family four miles south of the Cape Fear River town of Averasboro, according to the Averasboro Battlefield & Museum site.


It was due to the Battle of Averasboro that First Lieutenant Henry I Smith, of Company B, 7th Iowa Infantry, was awarded the Medal of Honor. His act of valor was that he voluntarily and under fire rescued a comrade from death by drowning at Black River, NC, 15 March 1865. Smith had entered service at: Shell Rock Fall, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. Smith was born 4 May 1840, in England. His Medal of Honor was issued 7 September 1894, according to the Averasboro Battlefielf & Museum site.

Sources:
Averasboro Battlefield & Museum. http://www.averasboro.com/

Confederates swept aside at the Battle of Averasboro. (2013). The History Channel website. Retrieved 7:04, March 16, 2013, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-averasboro-north-carolina.

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