Bentonville Confederate order of battle facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Battle of Bentonville was one of the last major battles of the American Civil War. It took place in North Carolina in March 1865. This article lists the different units and commanders from the Confederate States Army who fought in this important battle. Knowing who fought where helps us understand how the battle unfolded. The list for the Union Army is found in a separate article.

Understanding Military Ranks and Terms
- What Do the Ranks Mean?
- Other Important Abbreviations
The Confederate Forces at Bentonville

Understanding Military Ranks and Terms

To make it easier to understand the lists, here are some common military terms and abbreviations used:

What Do the Ranks Mean?

Gen = General: The highest rank, leading entire armies.
LTG = Lieutenant General: Commands a large part of an army, often called a corps.
MG = Major General: Commands a division, which is a big group of soldiers.
BG = Brigadier General: Commands a brigade, a smaller group of soldiers.
Col = Colonel: Leads a regiment.
Ltc = Lieutenant Colonel: Second in command of a regiment.
Maj = Major: An officer rank, usually commanding a battalion (a smaller unit than a regiment).
Cpt = Captain: Leads a company, a small group of soldiers.
Lt = Lieutenant: An officer rank, usually assisting a captain.

Other Important Abbreviations

w = wounded: The person was injured during the battle.
mw = mortally wounded: The person was injured so badly they later died.
k = killed: The person died during the battle.

The Confederate Forces at Bentonville

The entire Confederate force at Bentonville was led by General Joseph E. Johnston. His army was made up of several different groups, including the main Army of Tennessee and other units from different military departments.

The Army of Tennessee

This large part of the Confederate army was commanded by Lieutenant General Alexander P. Stewart. It was divided into several smaller groups called corps.

Lee's Corps: Led by Major General D. H. Hill

This corps included several divisions, each with its own brigades:

Division	Brigade	Key Regiments and Commanders
Stevenson's Division MG Carter L. Stevenson	Palmer's Brigade BG Joseph B. Palmer	Soldiers from Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Pettus's Brigade BG Edmund W. Pettus (w)	Soldiers from Alabama.
Cumming's Brigade (Arrived March 20) Col Robert J. Henderson	Soldiers from Georgia.
Clayton's Division MG Henry D. Clayton	Stovall's Brigade Col Henry C. Kellogg	Soldiers from Georgia.
Jackson's Brigade Ltc Osceola Kyle	Soldiers from Georgia, including sharpshooters.
Baker's Brigade BG Alpheus Baker	Soldiers from Alabama.
Hill's Division Col John G. Coltart	Deas's Brigade Col Harry T. Toulmin	Soldiers from Alabama.
Manigault's Brigade Ltc John C. Carter	Soldiers from South Carolina and Alabama.

Stewart's Corps: Led by Major General William W. Loring

Major General Loring became ill on March 20, and Major General Edward C. Walthall took over command.

Division	Brigade	Key Regiments and Commanders
Loring's Division Col James Jackson	Lowry's Brigade Ltc Robert J. Lawrence	Soldiers from Mississippi.
Scott's Brigade Cpt John A. Dixon	Soldiers from Alabama and Louisiana.
Featherston's Brigade Maj Martin A. Oatis	Soldiers from Mississippi.
Walthall's Division MG Edward C. Walthall	Reynolds's Brigade BG Daniel H. Reynolds (w)	Soldiers from Arkansas and Tennessee.
Quarles's Brigade BG George Doherty Johnston	Soldiers from Alabama and Tennessee.

Cheatham's Corps: Led by Major General William B. Bate

This corps also had several divisions, with some brigades arriving later in the battle.

Division	Brigade	Key Regiments and Commanders
Cleburne's Division BG James Argyle Smith	Govan's Brigade Col Peter V. Green	Soldiers from Arkansas.
Smith's Brigade Cpt John R. Bonner	Soldiers from Georgia.
Granbury's Brigade (Arrived March 20) Ltc William A. Ryan	Soldiers from Texas, Tennessee, and Louisiana.
Lowrey's Brigade (Arrived March 21) Ltc John F. Smith	Soldiers from Mississippi and Alabama.
Bate's Division Col D. L. Kenan (w)	Tyler's Brigade Maj William H. Wilkinson (k)	Soldiers from Georgia and Tennessee.
Finley's Brigade Ltc Edward Mashburn	Soldiers from Florida.
Brown's Division (Arrived March 21) BG Roswell S. Ripley	Gist's Brigade Col Hume R. Field	Soldiers from Georgia and South Carolina.
Maney's Brigade Ltc Christopher C. McKinney	Soldiers from Tennessee.
Strahl's Brigade Col James D. Tillman	Soldiers from Tennessee.
Vaughan's Brigade Col William P. Bishop	Soldiers from Tennessee.

Department of North Carolina

This group of soldiers was led by General Braxton Bragg. It included a key division from the famous Army of Northern Virginia.

Hoke's Division: From the Army of Northern Virginia

Major General Robert F. Hoke led this division.

Division	Brigade	Key Regiments and Commanders
Hoke's Division MG Robert F. Hoke	Clingman's Brigade Col William S. Devane (w)	Soldiers from North Carolina.
Kirkland's Brigade BG William W. Kirkland	Soldiers from North Carolina.
Hagood's Brigade BG Johnson Hagood	Soldiers from North Carolina and South Carolina, including artillery.
Colquitt's Brigade Col Charles T. Zachry	Soldiers from Georgia.
North Carolina Junior Reserves Brigade Col John H. Nethercutt	Young soldiers from North Carolina, called "Junior Reserves."
Artillery Ltc Joseph B. Starr	Various artillery companies from North Carolina and South Carolina.

Department of South Carolina, Georgia, & Florida

Lieutenant General William J. Hardee was in charge of these forces. He had a Chief of Staff, Ltc T. Benton Roy, and an Engineer, Ltc William D. Pickett, helping him.

Taliaferro's Division: Led by Brigadier General William B. Taliaferro

Division	Brigade	Key Regiments and Commanders
Taliaferro's Division BG William B. Taliaferro	Elliott's Brigade BG Stephen Elliott, Jr. (w)	Heavy artillery and militia from Georgia and South Carolina.
Rhett's Brigade Col William Butler	Regulars and heavy artillery from South Carolina.

McLaws's Division: Led by Major General Lafayette McLaws

Division	Brigade	Key Regiments and Commanders
McLaws's Division MG Lafayette McLaws	Conner's Brigade BG John D. Kennedy	Soldiers from South Carolina.
Fiser's Brigade Col John C. Fiser	Regulars and Reserves from Georgia.
Harrison's Brigade Col George P. Harrison	Soldiers from Georgia.
Hardy's Brigade Col Washington Hardy	Soldiers from North Carolina, including heavy artillery.
Blanchard's Brigade BG Albert G. Blanchard	Reserve battalions from South Carolina.
Battalion Artillery Maj A. Burnet Rhett	Artillery batteries from Louisiana and South Carolina.

Cavalry Command: Led by Lieutenant General Wade Hampton III

Cavalry units were important for scouting and quick attacks.

Butler's Division: From the Army of Northern Virginia

This division was led by Major General M. C. Butler (who was wounded), and then by Brigadier General Evander M. Law.

Division	Brigade	Key Regiments and Batteries
Butler's Division MG M. C. Butler (w) BG Evander M. Law	Young's Brigade Col Gilbert J. Wright	Cavalry units from Georgia and Mississippi.
Butler's Brigade BG Evander M. Law BG Thomas M. Logan	Cavalry units from South Carolina.
Horse Artillery	Artillery batteries from South Carolina.

Wheeler's Cavalry Corps: From the Army of Tennessee

Major General Joseph Wheeler led this cavalry corps.

Division	Brigade	Key Regiments and Commanders
Humes' Division Col Henry M. Ashby	T. Harrison's Brigade Col Baxter Smith	Cavalry from Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas.
Ashby's Brigade Ltc James H. Lewis	Cavalry from Tennessee.
Allen's Division BG William W. Allen	Hagan's Brigade Col David G. White	Cavalry from Alabama.
Anderson's Brigade BG Robert H. Anderson	Cavalry from various Confederate units and Georgia.
Dibrell's Division BG George G. Dibrell	Dibrell's Brigade Col William S. McLemore	Cavalry from Tennessee.
Breckinridge's Brigade Col W. C. P. Breckinridge	Cavalry from Kentucky.

All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:

Bentonville Confederate order of battle Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.