Murdoch Morrison Gun Factory

Murdoch Morrison Gun Factory (HM1GSO)

Location: Laurel Hill, NC 28351 Scotland County
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Country: United States of America
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N 34° 49.224', W 79° 31.769'

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Inscription

Guns and Smoke

— Carolinas Campaign —



(preface)

The Carolinas Campaign began of February 1, 1865, when Union Gen. William T. Sherman led his army north from Savannah, Georgia, after the March to the Sea. Sherman's objective was to join Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia to crush Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Scattered Confederate forces consolidated in North Carolina, the Confederacy's logistical lifeline, where Sherman defeated Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's last-ditch attack at Bentonville. After Sherman was reinforced at Goldsboro late in March, Johnston saw the futility of further resistance and surrendered at Bennett Place near Durham on April 26, ending the Civil War.



(main text)

The Murdoch Morrison Gun Factory was located just in front of you on Gum Swamp Creek, which provided it with water power. Until Union Gen. William T. Sherman army swept through here on March 9, 1865, it manufactured rifles modeled after the Buchanan Rifle pictured here, as well as other weapons for the Confederate army. Three millponds on Gum Swamp Creek also powered textile miles built before the Civil War.



When Sherman army entered North Carolina eight miles south of here, poor weather and wet bottomlands soon bogged it down. Marching was very difficult, especially in the direction of the Lumber River north of here. Part of the army bivouacked for the night on March 9, three miles from here at Laurel Hill Church.



Gen. Evander McNair, who was born in Laurel Hill, moved to Mississippi and then Arkansas. He led a Confederate brigade in major battles in the Mississippi River valley, Kentucky, and Tennessee.



"In our march through North Carolina we were in the home of the long leaf pine which has given turpentine to the country.? Here are extensive forests of trees from twenty inches to three feet in diameter and at least seventy feet without a limb, but spreading at the top with a dense mass of interlocking limbs, clothed in evergreen leaves so dense as to exclude the sun. The ground is covered from 4 to 6 inches deep with "pine needles."?(Sap-laden pine trees were ablaze), causing a smoke which could hardly escape through the green canopy above, but hung like a pall over our heads. ?A cabin ?by the side of a sluggish stream ?filled with barrels of resin and tar ?had been set on fire. The burning contents found their way to the water and floated winding down the stream like fiery serpents of ancient mythology. ?It seemed as though somehow I had got into ?Dante Inferno.?" — William D. Hamilton, Recollections of a Cavalryman of the Civil War, on the march through this region



(sidebar)

Old Wire Road, behind you was one of the earliest roads through the Carolinas. It was the main route from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans, La., and along its length was strung one of the first telegraph lines between the two cities. Laurel Hill developed as a regular stop along the road and hosted travelers between Fayetteville, N.C., and Columbia, S.C.



(caption)

The Murdoch Morrison Gun Factory produced rifles similar to the Buchanan Rifle; it was made by Morrison's father-in-law who taught him the trade. — Courtesy State Sen. William Pernell
Details
HM NumberHM1GSO
Series This marker is part of the North Carolina Civil War Trails series
Tags
Placed ByNorth Carolina Civil War Trails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014 at 1:37am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 634484 N 3854111
Decimal Degrees34.82040000, -79.52948333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 34° 49.224', W 79° 31.769'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds34° 49' 13.44" N, 79° 31' 46.14" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)910
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 10420 Old Wire Rd, Laurel Hill NC 28351, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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