In front of you is where the North Carolina Junior Reserves stood as the Army of Tennessee made its last grand charge against Carlin's division at the Cole plantation on March 19, 1865. Three regiments and one battalion of Junior Reserves were assigned to Hoke's Division - the 70th, 71st, and 72nd North Carolina regiments (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Junior Reserves); and Millard's (20th) Battalion.

The Junior Reserves, assigned to Hoke's Division, numbered nearly 1,000 muskets in the field. Called the "seed corn of the Confederacy," eight battalions of North Carolina Junior Reserves (boys 17 to 18 years old) were created in the summer of 1864. The Junior Reserves saw action at Weldon, Fort Fisher, and Wise Fork. Despite that service, they were still underestimated for their fighting skills and Gen. Braxton Bragg did not use them in the main Confederate assault on March 19. However, when the Confederate line was realigned on March 20, the Junior Reserves - with only makeshift breastworks - fought against the Union skirmishers and held their position for the rest of the battle.

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Show me all markers in:  Four Oaks, NC  |  Johnston County  |  27524  |  North Carolina  |  United States of America

Bentonville
Merging of the Armies
Main Confederate Line
N. C. Junior Reserves
Confederate Line Crossing the Goldsboro Road
First Union Attack
Fighting at the Cole Plantation: The "Battle of Acorn Run"
Fighting South of the Goldsboro Road: The "Bull Pen"
Cole Farmhouse
Fighting Below the Road

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