![]() Confederate Captain Bostick rode up to Kilpatrick as the general exited the headquarters in his nightclothes and asked for the whereabouts of the general. Kilpatrick’s headquarters was taken, but Kilpatrick avoided capture. The Confederates initially overwhelmed and routed the Union troops, released Confederate prisoners, and secured the Union’s artillery. Just before the assault began, Hampton gave command of the assault to General Wheeler as a gesture of good will.Ībout 5:30am on March 10, the Confederates attacked the Union camp while the Union soldiers still slept. Butler, Wheeler, and General William Wirt Allen all formulated separate plans to capture Kilpatrick. Wheeler’s men would attack from the center and south and cut off the Union escape. Butler and his men would attack the camp from the north in the early morning hours. It was decided that Butler would lead the main charge. Wheeler’s force was scattered with many just arriving after a long night of riding. General Hampton who formulated the plan while further scouting efforts confirmed the location of prisoners and provided further details about the location of Kilpatrick’s headquarters. Due to confusion, Kilpatrick’s force failed to establish a picket line in the rear allowing Butler and Confederate scouts to acquire intelligence on the camp. General Wade Hampton decided to launch a surprise attack at daylight on the morning of March 10. He was unable to inform Kilpatrick of the proximity of the Confederates. In an effort to reconnect with Kilpatrick, Atkins retraced his steps to find a way around Butler but ended up stuck in a swamp until after dawn. Atkin’s saw Butler was between his own men and Kilpatrick’s. Just before midnight, General Smith Dykins Atkins approached Butler’s force from the rear. Further reconnaissance informed Confederates of the Union camp and after capturing a Union scout, they learned specific details regarding the whereabouts of the camp and Kilpatrick’s headquarters. General Kilpatrick was with a second group of riders but escaped with his staff. Aware of approaching Union soldiers, Butler captured a group of about thirty Union cavalrymen without firing a single shot. The night was pitch black with heavy rain, but Butler’s scouts discovered Union soldiers were near after finding horse tracks only partially filled with water. However, General Butler’s cavalry were heading to Green Springs. On March 9, Kilpatrick camped at Green Springs, an open field just south of Monroe’s Crossroads, and intended to surprise Confederates racing to Fayetteville. To avoid aggravating a delicate situation, Hampton limited his commands to Wheeler. Hampton took charge as the commanding officer although he shared the same rank as Wheeler. Previously Hampton and Wheeler operated independently. On March 8, Hampton and General Matthew Butler joined forces with General Joseph Wheeler. However, bad roads and weather prevented Kilpatrick from succeeding. ![]() Learning that General Wade Hampton’s cavalry was approaching from the rear, Kilpatrick positioned his troops on three roads with the hope to capture Hampton. On March 8, 1865, General Kilpatrick captured numerous Confederates after attacking the rear of General William Joseph Hardee’s retreating column. During the march, Federals and Confederates constantly skirmished. Johnston hoped to defeat one wing of the Union forces to cut down on the overwhelming odds.īetween Maand March 10, 1865, the Federals advanced into North Carolina and toward Fayetteville. Sherman’s feint split his forces into two isolated wings. The Confederates knew the war was coming to an end, and Confederate General Joseph Eggleston Johnston focused his efforts on defending North Carolina, Johnston hoped to gain as many victories as possible to secure better terms for the eventual surrender. If Union troops did not arrive first, they would be in position to attack the Confederates crossing the river. If his strategy worked, Sherman would secure the bridges in Fayetteville and trap Confederates on the western side of the Cape Fear River. There, he planned to link up with the two Union armies already fighting over North Carolina’s coast. Sherman planned to secure Fayetteville and then move northeast toward Goldsboro. However, the bulk of the troops, led by Major General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick, marched east toward Fayetteville. Sherman divided his forces to make it appear that Union forces were advancing to Charlotte, North Carolina. Following the destruction of Columbia, South Carolina, on February 17, 1865, Union Major General William Tecumseh Sherman continued his Carolinas Campaign moving into North Carolina. ![]()
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