Bentonville battle to be re-enacted this weekend

The Bentonville Battlefield is marking its 145th anniversary with a re-enactment of the only full-scale offensive to stop Union Gen. William T. Sherman's march north from Georgia.

Posted 8:03 a.m. Mar 20, 2010 — Updated 1:07 p.m. Mar 20, 2010

FOUR OAKS, N.C. — The Bentonville Battlefield is marking its 145th anniversary with a re-enactment of the only full-scale offensive to stop Union Gen. William T. Sherman's march north from Georgia.

The re-enactments will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the battlefield in Four Oaks. They are the only anniversary events that require tickets. Other events including demonstrations, lectures and house tours are free.

A statue to Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston will be dedicated Saturday.

Johnston's attempt to stop Sherman was one of the last major battles of the Civil War. The Confederate troops, numbering between 20,000 and 25,000, at first surprised the 62,000-strong Union army, but were eventually forced to retreat over the course of the three-day battle.

Bentonville is the largest Civil War battlefield in North Carolina.

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