Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site
Located in southern Johnston County, the small hamlet of Bentonville is home to the largest Civil War battle fought in North Carolina. The Battle of Bentonville took place over the course of three days, from March 19 -21, 1865, when Union General William Tecumseh Sherman and his 60,000 men clashed with Confederate General Joseph Johnston and his army of 20,000 men in a battle resulting in nearly 4,200 casualties, 411 of those casualties deaths.
As these thousands of soldiers were seriously injured, army surgeons on both sides established multiple field hospitals near the battlefield to care for as many as possible. The eight room farm home of John and Amy Harper would see nearly 600 men flow in and out over the course of the three day battle, as their home was commandeered by medical staff of the United States Army Fourteenth Corps to be used as a field hospital.
The Battle of Bentonville often overshadows the fact that before the battle took place, Bentonville was a home to nearly 1,000 people, including hundreds of enslaved people. The Harper family, while not a plantation, did enslave numerous men and women, and children over the course of three decades, whose stories all contribute to the creation and continuation of the community of Bentonville before and after the battle.
“Bentonville was Home Before it was a Battlefield”
Carolyn Cole
Enslaved Harpers
Though the exact number of people that were enslaved by John and Amy Harper is unclear, through the use of U.S. Census Records, Records of Sales, and Wills, it is believed that the Harpers enslaved around 10 people throughout the course of their time in Bentonville.
Lucy
Lucy was only 16 years old when she and her young child Alexander were sold in December 1838. Prior to being sold to John Harper, Lucy would have been familiar with his young wife, Amy, as John had purchased Lucy from Amy’s father, James Woodard. As was common for the time, Amy would have grown up with Lucy, the two of them possibly being “friends” or Amy simply knowing of Lucy’s existence as another person enslaved on her parents farm. It would not be outlandish to imagine that Lucy and Amy were familiar with each other, and that Lucy specifically was sold to accompany Amy as she moved away from her family, to establish a new life with her husband.
By the time 17 year old Amy was married, Lucy was 16 and had just had her son, Alexander. It is striking to imagine the simultaneous fear and relief Lucy may have felt, knowing that she was being sold and sent to an unfamiliar home, but that she had also been granted the privilege of having her child sold alongside her.
Alex and Clarsey
The 1838 records of sale for Alex and Lucy are soon followed by the 1840 Johnston County Census Record, where it is documented that there are now three people enslaved on the Harper Farm. The third person, unnamed and possessing no Record of Sale, is assumed to be Alex’s future wife, Clarsey.
Two years younger than Alex, Clarsey would have only been an infant on the 1840 Census Record. While Eliza and Oliver arrive and later disappear from records, along with the addition of Tilla and Arnold, throughout the years there are three constant figures on the farm; Lucy, Alex, and Clarsey . Laws common in the south making it illegal to teach enslaved people how to read or write have made research on the perspectives of the enslaved population difficult, including those enslaved by the Harpers. What little that is known about Alex and Clarsey can only be found in impersonal census records following the end of the Civil War.
Alex and Clarsey had two or three children between the years of 1860-1865 while still enslaved by the Harpers. Following the battle in 1870, Alex and Clarsey are documented living with each other and their 6 children in Sampson County, neighboring Johnston County. Alex working as a farm laborer made money for his family , while Clarsey took on the task of “keeping home.” Their six children, Martha, John Alex, Joseph, Levins, Rancey, and Rebecca, would go on to have over a dozen grandchildren. The dates of Alex and Clarsey’s deaths are unknown.
For more information on those enslaved on the Harper Farm, click on the names below.
Eliza & Oliver
Little is known about Eliza and Oliver except that 27 year old Eliza and 8 year old Oliver were purchased from Calvin Jernigan in 1843. Past the 1850 census record neither Eliza or Oliver are found living with the Harpers. While no record of sale exists it it likely that the two of them were sold to a new farm or plantation sometime in-between 1850-1860. Following their disappearance from the Harper family Slave Schedule Census Records there are no records about the pair.
Tilla & Arnold
Tilla and Arnold never show up on any of the Harper’s slave schedule census records, however it is stated that alongside a feather bead, bedstead, furniture, and any choice of clothing, Tilla and Arnold, along with any children they may have, are now in the ownership of Amy Harper, per her mother’s 1864 Will. Similar to Eliza and Oliver, there is no confirmed information relevant to their lives following their emancipation from slavery.
Life on the Harper Farm
Between 1838-1865, Lucy, Alex, Clarsey, Eliza, Oliver, Tilla, and Arnold would have labored on the Harper’s property. The four women, Lucy, Clarsey, Eliza, and Tilla’s, time enslaved by the Harpers would have been predominantly spent within or around the home doing jobs such as cooking and cleaning. They may have also watched over the younger Harper children, as it was common at the time for women enslaved as domestic workers to be tasked with the role of nannies. Along with working in the home it was not unusual for both men and women to be working side by side with the men during seasons of high yield.
“Our home was one of those very large, perfectly square two story buildings, of ye olden time, when the servants prepared the meals away down in the kitchen and took them up to the ‘Big House.'”
Mary Harper
The men that were enslaved by the Harpers would have done all of their work in the fields. Unlike a plantation level homestead, Yeomen farmers would have worked in the fields with the people that they enslaved. Working side by side with their masters did not mean equal work. Alex, Oliver, and Arnold would have been working longer days, for more days, and harvesting a much higher yield than John Harper and his sons. As can be seen in the visual above, the 100 acres used for farming produced large amounts of produce, that would required around the year care.
For more information about life in Bentonville click on the titles below.
Proximity to the Family
A common misconception people have regarding slavery is that enslaved people that took on more domestic roles were better off than enslaved field workers. In small farms like the Harper’s the men and women that they enslaved would have been in extremely close proximity to the family that owned them. Such close proximity allowed for much closer surveillance to be placed over them. Alex, Oliver, and Arnold would have been working side by side with the man or the sons of the man that owned them. As Lucy, Clarsey, Eliza, and Tilla would have been in the home, they would have had to follow a strict set of rules . Additionally necessary to acknowledge the fact that for enslaved women working in the home, sexual abuse at the hands of their owners was a constant fear.
Other Prominent Slave Owning Families
Cole
The Plantation of Willis Cole played a major role in the Battle of Bentonville, but this plantation and this family would impact the surrounding area long before and after the battle. Unfortunately, because the Cole plantation was destroyed following the battle, many precious documents were never properly preserved, limiting the amount of information known about the Cole Plantation today. What is know is that the plantation was the home of 23 enslaved people in 1860, all of them living in three cabins. The names of the people enslaved on by Willis Cole are unknown but their ages ranged from 62 – 1 years old . Many people enslaved on the Cole plantation took on the Cole last name, and today there are still African American Coles that call Bentonville home. Carolyn Cole one of the decedents of the enslaved Coles reflects on growing up in Bentonville and the connection she feels to the land in the video beneath
Morris
There is even less information pertaining to Reddick Morris and his farm. Buying the 200 acres of his land in 1842, Reddick Morris is documented as having enslaved 9 people on his farm in 1860. Similar to the Cole plantation, the names of the people enslaved by the Morris’ is unknown but their ages, as documented on the 1860 Johnston County Census Record, range from 35-1 years old. The nine people enslaved by Reddick Morris would have all been living in one cabin on the property.
Sanders
John F. Sanders came from the large and very wealthy Sanders family. Like many other wealthy white southerners, John maintained his wealth through the utilization of slave labor. Overshadowed in history(historical record?) by his brother, Baldy’s historical collection, the little information available documents the fact that John F. Sanders enslaved nearly 70 people in 1860. Fortunately, both the names and ages of at least 65 of the people enslaved by John are available. The oldest enslaved person in 1863 was a 70 year old woman named Sarah, and the youngest being four infants all under the age of one. The people enslaved on the Sanders plantation were all housed in 11 cabins.
Individual Stories
To read more about some of the individuals in the area, slide the arrows in the center to the left.
Martha Monroe
Rachel Rose
Dr. Alexander Telfair
Creating Community: Before and After
Church
For freed and enslaved African Americans, church served as a place of solace. Ideas of good triumphing over evil aided greatly in maintaining hope in one day achieving freedom. Church also served as a means to create communities within and across different plantations.
Depending on the type of setting enslaved African Americans were in, their practice of Christianity differed.
The Harpers, a family with deep ties to local churches, may have taken the people that they enslaved with them to Church.
Limited and monitored access to Christianity did not stop enslaved people from seeking it out. Outside of sanctioned visits to church, enslaved people practiced Christianity in relative secrecy. Referred to as “Invisible Churches,” these meetings were held in secret and attended by enslaved people from multiple different farms and plantations. With preachers personally selected by the enslaved people themselves, invisible church services were not restricted in the same way that white monitored services were. These church services allowed enslaved people to take time for themselves to make community bonds and cultural traditions away from the eyes of watchful overseers.
John James Harper (Click for more Information)
John James Harper, the oldest son of John and Amy Harper, was one of the first Reverends of the Bentonville Disciples of Christ Church, a black church established in 1872. In the Church’s earlier years, along with his brother-in-law Rev. Nathan Hood, he preached to the members of the church under a brush arbor.
Greatly influenced by long kept West African religious traditions, enslaved peoples version of Christianity included a more spiritual performance of worship. White preachers, like J.J. Harper believed in a more reserved, puritanical iteration of Christianity. Because of his more conservative beliefs surrounding the practice of Christianity, J.J. Harper most likely took on a paternalistic role in his church, by trying to teach the congregants (what he deemed) the “correct” displays of worship.
Family
Due to the nature of the institution of slavery, African Americans began to develop their own unique concepts of family. Families being sold to different owners, even different states was a common occurrence and because of this instability, the concept of family was analogous to a close connection more so than blood relations. Lucy, Alex, Eliza, Oliver, Tilla, and Arnold as a unit may have viewed each other as family, regardless of the absence of any shared ancestry. Elderly enslaved people held great importance in the family dynamics established amongst enslaved people. Too old to work or to have children, they took over the roles of matriarchs or patriarchs, helping take care of, raise and educate the children too young to work. The elderly also passed along cultural traditions through oral storytelling.
Last Seen Ads (Click for more Information)
After emancipation for people that had been separated from their families, last seen ads became one of their last resorts. These ads, posted in newspapers across the country, allowed newly freed African American to ask for help in finding their family. Often times these ads would include, the persons name, age, appearance, and the last place they were seen or know to be enslaved
Putting it All Together
Click on the images above to enlarge
All of the stories covered here are exemplary of the culture and lifestyles lived by the people of this era. Enslaved people did not exist only as background characters in the lives of farmers and plantation owners, they had their own stories that when combined together form an image of a community. Through the creation of unique family groupings and secret meetings enslaved people were able to connect with each other and create their own unique cultural traditions, that persisted after emancipation despite continued hardship. As Carolyn Cole says “Bentonville was Home Before it was a Battlefield.”
Primary Sources
Johnston County Heritage Center. Enslaved Persons Index. https://www.johnstonnc.com/heritage2/hccontent.cfm?PID=slave
Johnston County Heritage Center. Census Records. https://www.johnstonnc.com/heritage2/hccontent.cfm?PID=census.
Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery, “Last Seen: Finding Family after Slavery.” https://informationwanted.org/.
Newspapers.com, “Historical Newspapers from 1700s-2000s.” Historical Newspapers from 1700s-2000s https://www.newspapers.com/.
Ross Elizabeth E and Zelda B Wood. 1993. Kinfolks of Johnston County : Abstracts of Deeds. Clayton N.C: E.E. Ross.
Smalls, Julia Telfair, n.d., “A Leaf from the Old South,” Johnston County, North Carolina, n.p., https://nccivilwarcenter.org/julia-telfair-smalls-a-leaf-from-the-old-south/
U.S. Census Bureau; 1840 US Federal Census, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3315599:8057tid=&pid=&queryId=c922451d3e971556796e532862cb4eef&_phsrc=oSw989&_phstart=successSource
U.S. Census Bureau; 1850 US Federal Census, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/12825229:8054
U.S. Census Bureau; 1850 US Federal Slave Schedule Census, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/91582181:8055?tid=&pid=&queryId=d9617a29812a76f41453d07db5d1c2a9&_phsrc=oSw983&_phstart=successSource
U.S. Census Bureau; 1860 US Federal Census, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/41434304:7667tid=&pid=&queryId=64f0d61fb2b7de742882b27fd31985c4&_phsrc=oSw977&_phstart=successSource
U.S Census Bureau; 1860 US Federal Slave Schedule Census, Ancestry.com, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=7668&h=93282820&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=6742&_gl=1150o6qs_gcl_awR0NMLjE2ODkzNDYzNzIuQ2p3S0NBanc1TU9sQmhCVEVpd0FBSjhlMXRuSzFTZmtWbkNCbGxFbHJIMmNtZ2pxTTk4eFlxelJRSnBCTGFaeWdnWV9FV3pIUFRUTUtob0Ntb2NRQXZEX0J3RQ.._gcl_dcR0NMLjE2ODkzNDYzNzIuQ2p3S0NBanc1TU9sQmhCVEVpd0FBSjhlMXRuSzFTZmtWbkNCbGxFbHJIMmNtZ2pxTTk4eFlxelJRSnBCTGFaeWdnWV9FV3pIUFRUTUtob0Ntb2NRQXZEX0J3RQ.._gcl_auNjA3MDQ5Mjk2LjE2ODQ1MjgwMDQ._gaMjczMjg5MTcuMTY3NDc2NjM4MQ.._ga_4QT8FMEX30*YjlkN2Y3MzItMjM4Yi00YTk1LWI1YTMtZTUyNjQxZWQ2ZDBkLjIxNy4xLjE2OTA1NTA0MDAuMTUuMC4w
U.S. Census Bureau; 1870 US Federal Census, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/34482740:7163
U.S. Census Bureau; 1880 US Federal Census, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/43245806:6742
Secondary Sources and Further Reading
Wiggins, David K. “The Play of Slave Children in the Plantation Communities of the Old South, 1820-1860.” Journal of Sport History 7, no. 2 (1980): 21–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43610352.
Kirti, Kamna. “The Tragic Plight of Enslaved Wet Nurses.” Medium, September 8, 2021. https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/the-tragic-plight-of-enslaved-wet-nurses-b1c80b73f290.
“Slave Narratives.” The Project Gutenberg eBook of Slave Narratives Volume XI, North Carolina Narratives, Part 1, Prepared by the Federal Writers’ Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of North Carolina. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22976/22976-h/22976-h.htm.
Jones-Rogers, Stephanie E. They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South. Yale University Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvbnm3fz.
Harris, J. William. “Portrait of a Small Slaveholder: The Journal of Benton Miller.” The Georgia Historical Quarterly 74, no. 1 (1990): 1–19. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40582098.
Article by Cassidy Joyner, 2023.