By
mid-March, 1865, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman had moved his army into North
Carolina in pursuit of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Confederates. On the afternoon
of March 15th, Sherman's cavalry screen under Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick came
up against Lieut. Gen. William Hardee’s corps—consisting of Brig. Gens. William
B. Taliaferro’s and Lafayette McLaw’s infantry divisions, and Maj. Gen. Joseph
Wheeler’s dismounted cavalry—deployed across the Raleigh Road near Smithville.
After feeling out the Confederate defenses, Kilpatrick withdrew and called for
infantry support. During the night, four divisions of the Twentieth Corps from
Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum's wing of Sherman's army arrived to confront the
Confederates. At dawn on March 16th, the Federals advanced on a division front,
driving back skirmishers, but were stopped by the main Confederate line and a
counterattack. Around 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 Fourteenth Corps arrived 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. The armies of Sherman and Johnston would meet again three days later at
Bentonville.
