2018 Oak Grove Plantation Civil War Reenactment Battle of Black River
Relive history at the 4th Annual Oak Grove Plantation Civil War Reenactment Battle of Black River on February 23-25, 2018 at the Oak Grove Plantation in Godwin, North Carolina. Cancelled for 2019. Known to the Federal Army as Averasboro, the Locals called it The Battle of Black River. The event starts with a Friday “School Day”. Saturday and Sunday include battle reenactments with over 200 Union and Confederate reenactors. The Oak Grove Plantation Civil War Reenactment include house tours, indoor fireplace cooking, caring for farm animals and making tar pitch. Reenactors will be on hand for afternoon tours of their military camps. Later, for a fee, visitors can join the soldiers for an authentic camp dinner.
The Oak Grove Plantation Civil War Reenactment Battle of Black River on the Averasboro battlefied will be a weekend of Civil War battle reenactments, diverse 19th century demonstrations, exhibits, live music, food and wares vendors, and much more. Take the family out for the day to the Oak Grove Plantation Civil War Reenactment Battle of Black River, where the home was once used as a Union Army hospital during the Civil War. This annual event is a weekend packed full of activities: battlefield reenactments, house and camp tours, tar pitch and turpentine-making demonstrations, food vendors, bonfire (Saturday night), live bands, and a church service (Sunday morning).
Gates open Saturday at 10 a.m., with a battle at 2 p.m. Dinner is 5 p.m., and the evening battle begins at 6:30 p.m. A bluegrass concert will follow. Guests should bring their own chairs or blankets. Gates open Sunday at 9 a.m. for a church service at 10. The final skirmish will take place at 2 p.m.
Battle Reenactment Times
Thundering canon fire, from both sides of the field, will alert the crowds watching from lawn chairs and blankets around the battlefield edges, that the fighting was about to commence!
Saturday 2:00 p.m. Battle of Black River Reenactment
Saturday 6:30 p.m. Night Battle Reenactment
Sunday 2:00 p.m. Battle of Black River Reenactment
Battle of Black River Reenactment Schedule (tentative)
Friday
School Day: The goal is to give them a first-hand introduction to plantation and rural life in the mid-19th century.
Saturday
10:00 a.m. Gates Open
Blacksmith Plantation Tours, 1800s Cooking Demo, Suttlers (period vendors), Food Vendors, other demonstrations.
1:00 p.m. Classic Country Band
2:00 p.m. Battle of Black River Reenactment
4:00 p.m. Live Music
5:00 p.m. Supper (Public Welcome $7)
6:30 p.m. Night Battle Reenactment
7:30 p.m. Live Music (bring a chair)
Sunday
9:00 a.m. Same activities as Saturday.
10:00 a.m. Church Service
1:00 p.m. Classic Country Band
2:00 p.m. Battle of Black River Reenactment
4:00 p.m. Close
Location
Oak Grove Plantation at Averasboro Battlefield
8640 Burnett Rd
Godwin, NC 28334
Call (910) 323-1903
For More Information: Call 910-489-2907
About the Oak Grove Plantation
The Oak Grove Plantation, still a private residence, sits off Burnett Road near Godwin, just off Interstate 95. Oak Grove served as a Confederate hospital during the Civil War. In March 1865, the plantation became a Union hospital during the Battle of, part of the larger Battle of Averasboro. Cannon and bullets have scarred the building. It is considered one of the oldest houses in Harnett County.
About the Battle of the Black River & Battle of Averasboro
The Battle of the Black River was part of the larger Battle of Averasboro. The Battle at Averasboro was intended to slow Gen. William T. Sherman’s army down so the Confederates could organize at Bentonville. The Battle of Averasboro was fought March 16, 1865, in Harnett and Cumberland counties, North Carolina, as part of the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War, was a prelude to the climactic Battle of Bentonville, which began three days later. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman was moving his army north towards Goldsboro in two columns. The right column (Army of the Tennessee) was under the command of Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard and the left column (Army of Georgia) was under Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum.[su_accordion][su_spoiler title=”Read More”]
Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston sent Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee’s corps to attack Slocum’s left wing while it was separated from the rest of Sherman’s forces. Slocum’s troops had crossed the Cape Fear River at Fayetteville and were marching up the Raleigh plank road. Near Averasboro, they encountered Hardee’s corps. On the morning of the March 16, troops of the Union XX Corps under Maj. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams were driven back by a Confederate assault. When reinforcements arrived, the Union forces counter attacked and drove back two lines of Confederates, but were stopped by a third line. By this time, units from Maj. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis’s XIV Corps began to arrive on the field. Outnumbered and in danger of being flanked, Hardee’s troops withdrew.
The Confederates had not held up the Union Army as long as they had hoped. Each side suffered about 700 casualties; however, these were losses the Federals could afford while the Confederates could not. The Battle of Averasboro was fought on the grounds of Oak Grove, near Erwin, North Carolina.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Mark your calendar today so you don’t miss the next Oak Grove Plantation Civil War Reenactment Battle of Black River in February at the Oak Grove Plantation in Godwin, North Carolina.
Tags: Oak Grove Plantation Civil War Reenactment Battle of Black River, Oak Grove Plantation Civil War Reenactment, Battle of Black River Reenactment, Battle of Averasboro Reenactment