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Bennett Place State Historic Site
Bennett Place is located in North Carolina
Bennett Place
Bennett Place is located in the United States
Bennett Place
Location4409 Bennett Memorial Rd., Durham, North Carolina
Coordinates36°1′45″N 78°58′32″W / 36.02917°N 78.97556°W / 36.02917; -78.97556
Area30.5 acres (12.3 ha)
Built1789
NRHP reference No.70000452[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 26, 1970

Bennett Place is a former farm and homestead in Durham, North Carolina, which was the site of the last surrender of a major Confederate army in the American Civil War, when Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to William T. Sherman. The first meeting (April 17, 1865) saw Sherman agreeing to certain political demands by the Confederates, which were promptly rejected by the Union cabinet in Washington. Another meeting had to be held (April 26) to agree on military terms only, in line with Robert E. Lee’s recent surrender to Ulysses S. Grant. This effectively ended the war.

History

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Original road connecting Durham Station and Hillsborough, NC. The Confederate General Johnston and Union General Sherman met on this road and asked the Bennett family if they could use their house to hold a meeting to discuss terms of surrender.

After Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea, he turned north through the Carolinas for the Carolinas Campaign. Confederate President Jefferson Davis met his General Joseph E. Johnston in Greensboro, North Carolina, while Sherman had stopped in Raleigh.

Robert E. Lee's beleaguered Army of Northern Virginia surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. Though Davis wished strongly to continue the war, Johnston sent a courier to the Union troops encamped at Morrisville Station, with a message to General Sherman, offering a meeting between the lines to discuss a truce. Johnston's army was still an active fighting force with an available line of retreat along which, according to Davis, "ample supplies" had been placed.[2]

Johnston, escorted by a detachment of about 60 troopers of the 5th South Carolina Cavalry Regiment, traveled east along the Hillsborough Road toward Durham Station in Durham, Orange County. Sherman was riding west to meet him, with an escort of 200 men from the 9th and 13th Pennsylvania, 8th Indiana and 2nd Kentucky Cavalry. The farm of James and Nancy Bennett at Bennett Place, sometimes known as Bennett Farm, was a convenient place for privacy.

The first day's discussion (April 17) was intensified by the telegram Sherman handed to Johnston, informing of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. They met the following day, April 18, and signed terms of surrender. However, on April 24, Grant arrived and informed Sherman that the terms had been rejected by the presidential cabinet in Washington because they exceeded the terms that Grant had given Lee and included civil matters.[3] The opposing generals met again on April 26, 1865, and with the assistance of Gen. John M. Schofield, agreed to new terms omitting the controversial sections.[4] The agreement disbanded all active Confederate forces in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, totaling 89,270 soldiers, which was the largest group to surrender during the Civil War.

Largest surrender of the American Civil War

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The Bennett Place marker

The difficulty in reaching a surrender agreement lay in part in Johnston's desire, influenced by President Davis, for more than the purely military surrender that Major General Sherman offered. Sherman's original terms matched those offered by Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant to General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, but Johnston along with General John C. Breckinridge, also serving as Secretary of War for the Confederacy, insisted on resolutions of political issues, including the reestablishment of state governments, return of some weapons to state arsenals and civil rights after the war. Sherman, in accordance with Lincoln's stated overall wishes for a compassionate and forgiving end to the war, agreed on terms that included the political issues. Sherman was unaware that on March 3, Lincoln had given Grant orders to discuss only military matters with Lee. Lincoln was later assassinated.[5]

After reading the original Sherman–Johnston terms of surrender, United States Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, taking a position in accordance with Lincoln's instructions to Grant, persuaded a unanimous Federal cabinet to reject the terms. Sherman was instructed to call Johnston back to the table and request the military surrender of Johnston's army.[6] In response, Jefferson Davis ordered Johnston to disband his infantry and escape with his mounted troops. However, Johnston disobeyed his orders and agreed to meet again with Major General Sherman at Bennett Farm. The second negotiation session took place on April 26, 1865. The opposing generals agreed to new military surrender terms that were substantially identical to the ones Grant had given to Lee, supplemented with corollary implementation terms written by Schofield pertaining to rations and return of the paroled soldiers to their homes.[7] The surrender agreement ended the war for the 89,270 soldiers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Three more primary surrenders would follow in Citronelle, Alabama; Galveston, Texas; and Doaksville, Oklahoma.

Bennett Place State Historic Site

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Unity Monument at Bennett Place
Unity Monument Inscription

James and Nancy Bennett, owners of the meeting place, were simple yeoman farmers who had suffered tremendously during the four years of war. They lost a son and son-in-law: Lorenzo, who served in the 27th North Carolina, buried in Winchester, Virginia; and their daughter Eliza's husband, Robert Duke, who died in a Confederate Army hospital and is buried in Lynchburg, Virginia. Their 3rd child, Alfonzo, was not in the war but died during the Civil War years (1864). The Bennetts never fully recovered from the war, and in 1878, James Bennett died and the family moved to the new community of Durham to begin a life without him.

The farm was abandoned and fell into ruin; a fire finally destroyed the farmhouse in 1921. In 1923 the Unity monument was dedicated on the site. Among the many contributors to the preservation of this historic landmark were the Duke, Everett, and Morgan families.

In 1960 the site was fully reclaimed and restored by local preservationists. It was reconstructed as a two-story log structure covered by weatherboards with a gable roof and a shed addition. Also on the property are a log kitchen and smokehouse.[8] It was then turned over to the State of North Carolina and made a state historic site.

The Bennett Place State Historic Site now belongs to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and is located in the west end of Durham, near Duke University. The site is open to the public, Tuesday-Saturday, 9am-5pm, with a visitor center, museum, theater presentation, "Dawn of Peace", gift shop, and the reconstruction of the Bennett farm. Living history programs and the commemoration of the surrender take place throughout the year. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.[1]

On April 15, 2010, the Bennett Place Historic Site unveiled a new painting by Civil War artist Dan Nance, entitled "The First Meeting". On the same day, the site gave its first William Vatavuk Scholarship, a yearly scholarship for students who wish to major in history in college. The scholarship honors the late William Vatavuk, who wrote Dawn of Peace, the first guidebook for the historic site.

References

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Further reading

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Bennett Place

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Bennett Place is a historic farmhouse and farmstead in , owned by civilian farmer John Bennett and his wife Nancy, which served as the site of surrender negotiations between Confederate General and Union Major General William T. Sherman in April 1865. On April 26, 1865, Johnston signed terms at the site formally surrendering approximately 89,270 Confederate soldiers—the largest such capitulation of the —encompassing armies in the , Georgia, and , thereby ending organized Confederate military resistance east of the . The negotiations commenced on April 17 under a flag of truce, prompted by Johnston's awareness of General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox earlier that month, and unfolded amid Sherman's ongoing , which had positioned Union forces to threaten remaining Confederate strongholds. Initial terms proposed by Sherman proved overly lenient and were rejected by the Union government following President Abraham Lincoln's , leading to a second agreement modeled after those at Appomattox that guaranteed for surrendering troops and preservation of . This event at the unassuming Bennett homestead, strategically located between the retreating Confederate forces and advancing Union troops, marked a decisive close to major hostilities in the Eastern Theater. Today, Bennett Place operates as a State Historic Site, featuring reconstructed buildings, interpretive exhibits, and annual commemorations that highlight its role in the war's conclusion without glorifying either side's cause, emphasizing instead the human and logistical realities of . The site's preservation underscores its significance as the locus of the Civil War's largest troop disbandment, distinct from more publicized surrenders like Appomattox due to its scale and regional scope.

Historical Context

The Bennett Farm Before the War

The Bennett farm, situated in (now Durham County) in the region, was established in 1846 when James Bennett, aged 40 and born in 1806 in neighboring Chatham County, relocated there with his wife Nancy and their three children. Having moved to Orange County in the 1820s, Bennett acquired 325 acres of land, on which the family built a modest style , , and outbuildings typical of . As a small-scale operation, the farm emphasized subsistence without owned slave labor, distinguishing it from larger Tidewater plantations. The Bennetts grew principal cash and food crops including corn, , and oats, alongside produce such as sweet potatoes, cantaloupes, and watermelons, while raising like hogs, , and for household use and local markets. James Bennett maintained detailed ledgers documenting these activities, including occasional hiring of free workers and enslaved individuals from adjacent properties—such as a named Jake referenced in 1848, 1849, and 1850 entries—for seasonal tasks like harvesting. This model sustained the growing Bennett family, which by the 1850s included additional children, through amid the antebellum South's agrarian economy, where small farms comprised the majority in upland counties like Orange. Limited capital and transportation constrained expansion, keeping the enterprise focused on local self-sufficiency rather than export-oriented .

Strategic Situation in Early 1865

In early 1865, the Confederate position in the deteriorated rapidly amid the broader collapse of Southern military resistance. T. Sherman's Union forces, numbering approximately 60,000 battle-hardened veterans organized into the , Army of Georgia, and Cavalry Corps, advanced northward from , beginning January 1, entering by mid-January and crossing into around March 8. This campaign exploited the Confederacy's overstretched resources, with Sherman's troops living off the land while destroying railroads, mills, and foundries to cripple Southern logistics and morale. Confederate President , recognizing the threat, restored General to command of the remnants and other departmental forces on February 25, 1865, tasking him with opposing Sherman using fragmented units scraped from depleted armies, state militias, and garrisons totaling fewer than 25,000 effectives. Johnston's strategy focused on concentrating his outnumbered forces to strike Sherman's divided wings before they could unite, but logistical constraints, poor coordination under General , and rampant desertions—exacerbated by news of Union victories elsewhere—limited his options. Initial clashes, such as the Battle of Averysboro on March 15–16, where about 6,500 Confederates delayed 10,000 Union troops under General Henry W. Slocum, bought time but inflicted disproportionate casualties without halting the advance. The pivotal on March 19–21 saw Johnston commit around 21,000 men against Slocum's isolated 28,000, initially routing two Union divisions and inflicting roughly 3,000 casualties, but Sherman's reinforcements under Generals Alfred H. Terry and John M. Schofield arrived by March 21, forcing Johnston's withdrawal after sustaining about 2,600 losses. These engagements highlighted the Confederacy's tactical resilience but strategic futility, as Johnston retreated toward Raleigh, leaving Sherman free to consolidate at Goldsboro by March 23, where he linked with Major General Jacob D. Cox's 30,000 reinforcements from New Bern and Wilmington, swelling Union strength to over 85,000. By late March and early April, the strategic imbalance intensified with the fall of Petersburg on April 2 and Richmond on April 3, followed by General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox on April 9, severing any hope of reinforcement or coordinated defense for Johnston's isolated command. Confederate desertions surged, with units dissolving amid food shortages, unpaid soldiers, and awareness of the disaster; Johnston's effective field strength dwindled to around 15,000–20,000 by mid-April, while Sherman's army, resupplied via rail from the coast, maintained offensive momentum toward Raleigh. This left the Confederacy without viable options for prolonged resistance, as Johnston maneuvered to cover remaining but faced inevitable or attrition in a theater where Union control of the seas and rivers ensured logistical dominance.

The Surrender Events

Preliminary Meeting on April 17

On April 17, 1865, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston and Union Major General William T. Sherman convened for their initial conference at the Bennett farmhouse near Durham Station, North Carolina, under a flag of truce along the Raleigh-Hillsborough Road. Johnston had initiated contact days earlier, proposing negotiations after receiving unofficial reports of Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox on April 9, despite lacking explicit authorization from Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The meeting occurred amid Sherman's advance through the Carolinas following the fall of Raleigh on April 13, with Johnston's Army of Tennessee—numbering approximately 30,000 effectives—retreating eastward to avoid encirclement. Prior to substantive discussions, Sherman presented Johnston with a telegram detailing the assassination of President on April 14, the stabbing of Seward, and attempts on other cabinet members, news that arrived via Washington dispatches and profoundly unsettled both commanders. This revelation shifted the atmosphere, prompting Sherman—acting without specific higher directives—to propose not only military terms akin to Ulysses S. Grant's lenient conditions at Appomattox ( for officers and men, retention of private horses and mules) but also broader political concessions, including restoration of state governments, amnesty for Confederate leaders, and protection of property rights short of slaves. Johnston, viewing the Confederacy's collapse as inevitable, consented to these provisional terms, which extended to all remaining Confederate forces east of the —potentially encompassing over 90,000 troops—and authorized Sherman to draft a memorandum outlining the agreement. The conference concluded with Johnston's signature on the memorandum and the establishment of a 48-hour truce to facilitate review by superiors, suspending active hostilities while couriers carried documents to Richmond for Davis and to Washington for Sherman’s approval. Held in the modest parlor of farmer James Bennett's home, the session emphasized mutual respect between the generals, who had known each other pre-war at West Point, though the expansive terms reflected Sherman's personal interpretation of Lincoln's recent advocacy for magnanimity toward the South rather than formal policy. This preliminary accord averted immediate battle but sowed seeds for later controversy, as the political elements exceeded military norms and clashed with emerging Union stances post-Lincoln.

Initial Terms and Northern Rejection

On April 18, 1865, Union Major General William T. Sherman and Confederate General convened a second time at the Bennett farmhouse near Durham Station, , to negotiate surrender terms following preliminary discussions the previous day. Johnston, having received telegraphic authority from Confederate President to control all remaining Confederate military forces east of the , sought a comprehensive agreement that extended beyond mere military capitulation to include political guarantees for the South. Sherman, influenced by President Abraham Lincoln's informal instructions from the in February 1865—which emphasized leniency to facilitate rapid reintegration—drafted a that proposed generous provisions, including the immediate cessation of hostilities, disbandment of Confederate armies with officers retaining sidearms and enlisted men keeping their horses and mules for farming, and a commitment to no further persecution of individuals for past actions. The agreement's political clauses were particularly expansive, stipulating recognition of existing Southern state governments pending new elections under the U.S. Constitution, a general for citizens, abolition of via the impending , and federal guarantees against confiscation of property beyond slaves, with restoration of upon oath-taking. These terms effectively treated the Confederacy's dissolution as a restoration rather than unconditional submission, allowing provisional governors like in to maintain authority temporarily. Both generals signed the document, with Johnston representing approximately 90,000 Confederate troops under his command, marking the largest surrender of the war. Sherman forwarded copies to Washington via Major General and others for approval, expecting ratification based on Lincoln's prior guidance. The memorandum reached federal authorities amid the chaos following Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865, which shifted policy dynamics under the new administration of President and the influence of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. On , a cabinet meeting unanimously rejected the terms, viewing the political recognitions as exceeding authority and potentially legitimizing rebel governance without congressional oversight on Reconstruction. Stanton, distrustful of Sherman's motives and interpreting the clauses as a that could undermine Union objectives, publicly denounced the agreement and ordered its nullification, accusing Sherman of overreach akin to negotiation with a foreign power. General was dispatched to Raleigh on April 24 with instructions to inform Sherman that only Appomattox-style surrender terms—focusing on arms, officers' paroles, and cessation of combat without political concessions—would be accepted, resuming hostilities if Johnston refused. This rejection stemmed from concerns over Stanton's Radical Republican leanings and the administration's intent to impose stricter Reconstruction measures, contrasting with Lincoln's more conciliatory approach; Sherman's terms, while militarily effective in ending resistance quickly, were deemed politically naive or sympathetic to the by critics in Washington. Johnston, informed of the disapproval, briefly considered evacuation but agreed to renewed talks, leading to a revised military-only surrender on April 26. The episode highlighted tensions between field commanders' pragmatic efforts to conclude the war and Washington's centralized control over postwar policy.

Final Surrender on April 26

On , 1865, following the U.S. government's rejection of the expansive political and military terms initially agreed upon on April 18, Generals and William T. Sherman convened a third time at the Bennett farmhouse near Durham Station, , to negotiate a revised surrender. Sherman, acting on directives from Lieutenant General conveyed via Major General John M. Schofield, presented standardized military terms modeled after the Appomattox agreement, excluding any guarantees on civil governance or Confederate political rights that had drawn ire in Washington after President Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Johnston, commanding the depleted and associated forces, accepted the conditions without further contention, recognizing the futility of continued resistance after Robert E. Lee's capitulation at Appomattox on April 9. The surrender document, titled "Terms of a Convention," was executed in the parlor of the Bennett home by Johnston on behalf of the Confederacy and by Schofield as Sherman's representative for the Union, with Sherman's endorsement and Grant's subsequent approval. It mandated an immediate halt to hostilities by all Confederate units under Johnston's authority, the deposit of arms and public property at , and the compilation of duplicate rolls of all officers and enlisted men, who would pledge not to take up arms against the until properly exchanged or released. Officers were permitted to retain their sidearms, private horses, and personal baggage, while all personnel could return to their homes unmolested by Union authorities provided they adhered to their paroles and obeyed state and federal laws. This agreement encompassed approximately 89,000 to 90,000 Confederate troops across , , Georgia, and —the largest single capitulation of the —effectively dissolving organized resistance in those regions and accelerating the demobilization of the Confederacy's eastern forces. Although Johnston asserted broader authority over remaining Confederate armies, the terms applied specifically to units under his direct command, prompting subsequent surrenders elsewhere, such as in and . The paroled soldiers' dispersal marked a pivotal step toward national reunification, though implementation faced logistical challenges amid widespread desertions already thinning Confederate ranks.

Terms of Surrender and Controversies

Key Provisions of the Agreements

The final military convention signed on , 1865, at Bennett Place established terms for the surrender of approximately 89,000 Confederate troops under General Joseph E. Johnston's command, encompassing forces in , , Georgia, and . Unlike the preliminary memorandum of April 18, which included political concessions rejected by Union leadership, these provisions focused exclusively on military capitulation, mirroring the Appomattox terms granted to . The agreement required all acts of war by Johnston's troops to cease immediately and mandated the deposit of all arms and at , for turnover to a ordnance officer. Duplicate rolls of all officers and men were to be prepared, with each individual signing a parole obligating them not to take up arms against the until formally exchanged or released; one copy went to the Confederate district commander, the other to a designated Union officer. Officers retained their sidearms, private horses, and personal baggage, while all personnel were permitted to return home without interference from authorities, provided they adhered to their paroles and obeyed existing laws in their home districts. Supplemental terms, negotiated by John M. Schofield and Johnston on April 27, addressed logistical details to facilitate . These included loaning field transportation such as wagons and ambulances to officers and men for their journey home and subsequent industrial use, with artillery horses or mules available to haul necessary camp equipage. One-seventh of and effective strength could be retained at state capitals for police duties, subject to state disposition; E.R.S. Canby was directed to arrange water transport from Mobile or New Orleans for troops originating from and ; paroles could be signed by immediate commanders on behalf of subordinates; and naval forces under Johnston's department were included in the surrender. The convention was signed by Sherman and Johnston, with approval from Lieutenant General , ensuring its alignment with Union policy.

Backlash Against Sherman's Initial Proposal

On April 21, 1865, President Andrew Johnson's cabinet unanimously rejected the memorandum of terms drafted by Major General William T. Sherman during his April 18 meeting with Confederate General at Bennett Place, viewing it as exceeding authority by granting political recognition to existing Southern state governments and offering protections for Confederate property and without federal oversight. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton led the criticism, denouncing the terms as a betrayal that effectively restored the Confederacy's political structure and potentially undermined Union reconstruction efforts, prompting him to order General to Raleigh to direct Sherman to resume hostilities if necessary. Stanton's dispatch to Grant emphasized that the agreement violated instructions to limit negotiations to surrender on the model of Appomattox and ignored President Lincoln's prior rejections of similar Confederate demands for political concessions. The backlash intensified amid suspicions of Sherman's motives, with Stanton and in Congress accusing him of leniency influenced by Confederate overtures or personal sympathy, fueling rumors of bribery with Southern gold and portraying the general as a potential traitor in Northern newspapers and political circles. This reflected broader tensions over postwar policy, as the terms' provisions—such as reinstating state legislatures without abolishing slavery's remnants or imposing loyalty oaths—clashed with emerging demands for punitive measures against former rebels, a stance championed by figures like Stanton to prevent a swift restoration of prewar power structures. Sherman defended his proposal as an extension of Grant's generous Appomattox terms aimed at swift pacification, testifying before a congressional committee in May 1865 that he had acted to end bloodshed efficiently, though cleared him of wrongdoing while highlighting Stanton's politicized exaggeration of the controversy. The rejection forced Sherman to notify Johnston on April 24 that the truce was void and the initial terms invalid, leading to a second agreement on confined to military demobilization without political guarantees, which Grant approved on-site to avert further conflict. Publicly, the episode damaged Sherman's reputation temporarily, contrasting his vilification with Grant's acclaim and underscoring divisions within the Union high command over balancing military victory with political reconstruction.

Comparative Analysis with Appomattox

The surrender at Bennett Place represented the largest capitulation of Confederate forces during the Civil War, involving approximately 89,270 soldiers from the departments of , , Georgia, and under General , in contrast to the roughly 28,000 troops of the that surrendered to General at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. This disparity in scale underscores Bennett Place's broader military impact, as it effectively disbanded remaining organized Confederate resistance across multiple states, whereas Appomattox primarily concluded operations in and demoralized the Confederacy's eastern theater. The terms of surrender diverged initially but converged in their final form. At Appomattox, Grant extended magnanimous provisions allowing paroled officers and men to retain their sidearms, private horses, and baggage, with no pursuit of individuals except for high-ranking leaders, emphasizing a swift return to civilian life without political concessions. Sherman's preliminary agreement at Bennett Place on , 1865, went further by proposing a general , restoration of property (excluding slaves), and guarantees of state political rights under the U.S. , reflecting his aim for rapid reconstruction; however, these were repudiated by the Union cabinet following President Lincoln's assassination, leading to revised terms on that aligned closely with Appomattox—purely military surrender, paroles, retention of , and dissolution of hostilities without political guarantees. In terms of historical perception and symbolism, Appomattox has overshadowed Bennett Place despite the latter's greater numerical scope, largely because Lee's surrender symbolized the of the Confederacy's premier and provided a of chivalric closure between Grant and , fostering myths in postwar memory. Bennett Place, occurring amid political turmoil—including the fallout from Sherman's initial leniency and President Andrew Johnson's hardline stance—lacked such romanticized optics and involved less prominent commanders, contributing to its relative obscurity in popular accounts, though it pragmatically accelerated the war's end by preventing guerrilla prolongation in the .
AspectAppomattox Court House (April 9, 1865)Bennett Place (April 26, 1865, final terms)
Troops Surrendered~28,000~89,270
Geographic ScopePrimarily NC, SC, GA, FL
Key ProvisionsParole, retain private horses/baggage; no political termsSimilar to Appomattox; initial broader but rejected
Symbolic RoleEnd of Lee's army; reconciliation iconLargest surrender; practical war termination

Immediate Aftermath and Military Impact

Demobilization of Forces

The terms of the military convention signed on April 26, 1865, at Bennett Place explicitly outlined the of Confederate forces under General Joseph E. Johnston's command, covering approximately 89,270 soldiers across the Departments of , , Georgia, and . These forces, which had been reduced by desertions and losses following the in mid-March, were to be disbanded systematically: armies conducted to their respective state capitals or designated points, where they would deposit arms, ordnance, and public property before fully dispersing. Individual paroles formed the core of the process, requiring officers and enlisted men to sign written obligations not to again take up arms against the government, after which they were permitted to return home. Officers retained their , private horses, and personal baggage, while enlisted men kept their private horses or mules—provisions mirroring those at Appomattox to enable rapid reintegration into civilian life and agriculture in the war-ravaged . Public transportation was pledged for officers and their baggage if needed, and rolls of all officers and men were to be made in duplicate, with one copy furnished to each side for verification. Implementation proceeded efficiently in the weeks following, with Union forces under John M. Schofield overseeing the surrender of arms and issuance of paroles at assembly points, though pre-surrender desertions—estimated in the tens of thousands—had already accelerated informal demobilization. By early May 1865, the bulk of Johnston's troops had stacked arms and dispersed, effectively dissolving organized Confederate resistance in the region without widespread disorder, as Johnston had feared potential marauding from unprovisioned disbandment. This surrender, the largest of the war by troop numbers, marked the mustering out of nearly all remaining Southern armies east of the .

End of Hostilities in the Southern States

The surrender agreement signed on , , at Bennett Place required Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston's forces—encompassing approximately 90,000 troops stationed across , , Georgia, and —to cease all hostilities against the , marking the effective end of organized Confederate resistance in these states. Union William T. Sherman promptly disseminated orders implementing a , coordinating with Confederate intermediaries to notify subordinate commands, including James H. Wilson's in , thereby halting Federal advances in the region. In the immediate aftermath, Confederate units under Johnston's Department of the South began stacking arms and dispersing, with paroled soldiers returning home under provisions allowing retention of private horses and one-seventh of for brigades to aid in postwar . This demobilization extended to naval forces and state militias in the affected territories, preventing further or pitched battles in the and Georgia, where Sherman's had already depleted Confederate capabilities. By early May 1865, reports confirmed widespread compliance, with remaining field units laying down arms in the weeks following, as news of the terms propagated through Confederate channels authorized by President via Secretary of War . While the Bennett Place accord extinguished major hostilities east of the in the core Southern states, isolated resistance persisted elsewhere; for instance, General Edmund Kirby Smith's forces in and did not formally surrender until June 2, 1865, and sporadic engagements, such as the on May 12–13, occurred before full compliance. Nonetheless, the agreement's scope—covering the largest single capitulation of the —accelerated the collapse of Confederate command structures in the Southeast, enabling Union occupation of key cities like Raleigh and Augusta without significant opposition and facilitating the reintegration of these states into federal authority.

The Bennett Family and Local Role

Profiles of John and Delia Bennett

James Bennitt (sometimes spelled Bennett), the farm's owner during the Civil War, was born around 1806 in and worked as a , cultivating corn, , oats, and potatoes while raising such as hogs, , and sheep on the 325-acre property he settled with his family in 1846 in what was then Orange County (later Durham County). He and his wife Nancy endured significant hardships during the war, including the deaths of their son Lorenzo (born 1832) in Confederate service, son-in-law Robert Duke (husband of daughter Eliza Ann, born 1834), and youngest son Alphonzo (born 1836) from illness in 1864, leaving the family economically strained and reliant on by war's end. James never owned slaves and represented typical small-scale Southern agriculture, with farm ledgers documenting modest operations focused on subsistence and local markets. Nancy Miles Bennitt (c. 1809–1885), James's wife, managed household duties amid wartime losses and hosted the Union and Confederate generals during the April 1865 negotiations without prior notice, providing meals from limited stores including eggs, chicken, and sweet potatoes. The couple's home became the site of the surrender due to its location along the Hillsborough Road, midway between the armies, though the Bennitts played no strategic role beyond accommodating the meetings. Historical records do not document individuals named John or Bennett as members or key figures associated with the farm during the surrender events; the known children were Lorenzo, Ann, and Alphonzo, with no verifiable links to those names in primary accounts or farm ledgers. Later Bennett descendants, such as through Eliza's line, inherited portions of the property, but preservation efforts centered on James and Nancy's era.

Farm Life During Negotiations

The Bennett farm, spanning approximately 325 acres in what was then , operated as a modest subsistence operation centered on staple crops such as corn, , oats, and potatoes, supplemented by hog rearing for and production. James Bennett, the patriarch, diversified income through ancillary trades including tailoring, cobbling, distilling liquor, and vending tobacco plugs and horse feed to local travelers along the nearby Hillsborough Road. Daily routines in late April 1865 would have involved seasonal fieldwork—such as planting or early tending of spring crops—alongside , wood chopping for fuel, and household maintenance, all conducted manually by family labor amid the shortages typical of wartime Southern rural economies. The intrusion of Generals and William T. Sherman for surrender discussions on April 26, 1865, occurred within this unassuming setting, with the officers commandeering the parlor of the family's two-story log-and-frame dwelling for their deliberations. The Bennetts, lacking enslaved labor and reliant on members, likely continued essential chores like feeding and preparing meals from preserved or on-hand provisions—cornmeal, salted , and garden vegetables—while accommodating the visitors' requests for privacy and basic refreshments. No contemporary accounts detail significant disruptions to farm operations, suggesting the negotiations, lasting several hours, integrated into the family's routine without halting agricultural imperatives; the prior loss of sons Lorenzo (died 1862 of disease while serving in the 27th Infantry) and Alphonzo (died 1864) had already reduced household manpower, emphasizing self-reliant endurance. This juxtaposition of prosaic agrarian toil against pivotal military events underscored the Bennetts' status as peripheral, neutral observers—neither ardent Confederates nor Unionists—whose hospitality stemmed from practical courtesy rather than ideological alignment, as evidenced by their postwar shift to amid economic ruin. The farm's isolation and simplicity facilitated the secretive talks, yet daily life persisted, with women like Nancy Bennett managing domestic duties such as cooking over an open in the adjacent log kitchen and mending amid the era's fabric scarcity.

Preservation History

Early Memorialization Efforts

Following the departure of the Bennett family from the farmstead in the late 1880s, the site's structures fell into disrepair, with the rear portions of the house nearly collapsing by the early 1900s. In spring 1922, the original and burned under suspicious circumstances, prompting reconstruction using period-appropriate materials shortly thereafter. Renewed interest in Civil War commemoration spurred formal efforts in the 1920s. The North Carolina State Legislature established the Bennett Place Memorial Commission in 1923 to oversee preservation and erect a monument symbolizing national unity at the surrender site. That same year, a 3.5-acre plot encompassing the historic grounds was donated to the commission, a non-profit entity dedicated to maintaining the location. The commission's centerpiece, the Unity Monument, was dedicated in 1923 to highlight the site's role in ending hostilities rather than emphasizing Confederate defeat, reflecting post-war reconciliation themes prevalent in Southern memorialization. Influential local leaders commissioned the structure to educate visitors on the negotiations' , marking an early step toward institutional recognition before state involvement.

State Acquisition and Reconstruction

In 1923, R. O. Everett negotiated with state officials to secure North Carolina's commitment to erect a monument and maintain the Bennett Place site, in exchange for a 3½-acre land grant from the estate of Samuel T. Morgan, who had acquired the property in 1919. This arrangement culminated in the state legislature's passage of "An Act Providing for the Acceptance of the Bennett Place" (Public Laws, 1923), which established the Bennett Place Memorial Commission to oversee initial preservation efforts. The original Bennett farmhouse and detached kitchen, constructed around 1840, were destroyed by fire in 1921, leaving the site without its primary structures. Private initiatives in the early attempted reconstruction using available photographs and sketches, but these proved inadequate for long-term preservation. By 1960, state-led reconstruction addressed these deficiencies: a condemned of comparable age, size, and to the original was acquired, relocated to the site, and meticulously restored to replicate the 1865-era appearance, including period-appropriate materials and layout. The restored farmhouse and kitchen were formally dedicated as a State Historic Site in 1962, marking the site's transition to full public stewardship under the state. Subsequent enhancements included the relocation of an 1860 smokehouse to the property for authenticity and the construction of a in 1982, equipped with an , , and exhibit space to support interpretive programs. These developments ensured the site's structural integrity while emphasizing its role in Civil War history, with ongoing maintenance focused on historical accuracy rather than modern alterations.

Modern Historic Site

Site Features and Interpretations

The Bennett Place State features a reconstructed log originally owned by John Bennett, consisting of three furnished rooms including a parlor where the 1865 surrender terms were negotiated, a separate , and a smokehouse, all restored to reflect mid-19th-century rural Southern life. Adjacent gardens and outbuildings provide context for the site's agrarian setting during the Civil War era. The 39-acre property also includes outdoor elements such as walking trails through forested areas highlighting historical plant species and wildlife, benches for reflection, and boardwalks crossing Ellerbe Creek. Prominent monuments include the Unity Monument, dedicated in 1923 to symbolize peace and the reunification of the following the Civil War, featuring inscriptions emphasizing national healing. Additional structures comprise the Morgan Bench Memorial and a 1924 bandstand erected by the Durham Rotary Club, contributing to the site's commemorative landscape. The modern visitor center houses three exhibit rooms displaying Civil War artifacts, documents related to the Johnston-Sherman surrender, and an audiovisual theater screening the film Dawn of Peace, which narrates the site's pivotal in ending hostilities in the , Georgia, and by surrendering approximately 90,000 Confederate troops on April 26, 1865. A offers educational materials, with proceeds supporting preservation. Guided tours, available Tuesday through Saturday at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m., focus on the negotiation process, the Bennett family's hosting , and the daily experiences of residents including enslaved individuals like Jake, who labored on the farm. Self-guided options use site brochures to explore these elements. Interpretations at the site emphasize the causal sequence of the surrender as the largest troop capitulation of the war, securing the end of organized Confederate resistance in the Western Theater and facilitating demobilization, while underscoring the Bennetts' unintended centrality as neutral intermediaries between generals and William T. Sherman. Exhibits and programs highlight empirical aspects such as the farm's location on a key route between Confederate headquarters in Greensboro and Union forces in Raleigh, avoiding romanticized narratives in favor of documented and outcomes, including the assurance of slavery's legal termination across surrendered territories. Modern additions incorporate the perspectives of enslaved workers, drawing from historical to portray fuller site demographics without altering core military facts. events and trails reinforce these themes through immersive reconstruction rather than interpretive conjecture.

Visitor Programs and Education

Bennett Place State Historic Site offers guided tours daily at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m., each lasting approximately 50 minutes and covering the historic buildings, grounds, and key details of the Sherman-Johnston surrender negotiations. These tours, available Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., require paid admission starting August 1, 2025: $4 for adults (18-64), $3 for seniors (65+) and military, $1 for youth (3-17), with children under 3 free; groups of 10 or more must reserve in advance. Site admission remains free, supporting self-guided exploration via provided brochure maps of the 7.5-acre core area, including the reconstructed Bennett farmhouse, outbuildings, and monuments. Educational programming emphasizes the site's role in Civil War demobilization through field trips and interactive activities tailored for K-12 students throughout the school year. The Bennett Place School Day program, a recurring collaborative event with partnering historic sites and museums, features rotating stations with hands-on activities focused on 19th-century , Civil War events, and local life, accommodating groups via structured rotations. As of 2025, field trip fees align with guided tour rates, with resources for educators including virtual options, exhibits, and demonstrations to support curriculum standards on the war's end. Special events throughout the year, such as anniversary commemorations, incorporate public lectures and reenactments to broaden access to interpretive content on and surrender terms.

Recent Events and Developments

In April 2025, Bennett Place State Historic Site commemorated the 160th anniversary of the Civil War surrender with public programs on April 25-26, including demonstrations and discussions on the site's role in ending hostilities in the Southern states. These events highlighted the April 26, 1865, agreement between Generals and William T. Sherman, which accounted for the surrender of approximately 90,000 Confederate troops across multiple states. On September 5, 2025, the site hosted "The Promise of Peace: Slavery's End in ," a luminary program featuring illuminated pathways and focused on enslaved individuals' paths to following the war's conclusion. This event expanded interpretive efforts to include post-surrender narratives, drawing on local historical records of and Union Army influences in the region. Effective August 1, 2025, Historic Sites, including Bennett Place, introduced fees for guided tours and school field trips while maintaining free general admission to promote accessibility amid rising operational costs. This policy change supports ongoing maintenance of reconstructed structures like the Bennett farmhouse and exhibits. The site continues to offer regular events, such as seasonal markets and heritage tours, adapting schedules for weather and staffing, as seen in temporary adjustments during late September to early October 2025. These programs emphasize the farm's agricultural context during wartime negotiations, with digital resources enhancing virtual access for broader audiences.

References

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  52. https://www.facebook.com/bennett.place/
  53. https://www.facebook.com/bennett.place/photos/schedule-update-next-tuesday-september-30-through-friday-october-3-2025-we-will-/1171087591733269/
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