Documenting the American South

Doc South header logo Home
Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
Commemorative Landscapes banner

Source:  Confederate Dead Marker, Chicora Cemetery, Dunn. Photo courtesy of Rusty Long

  • Monument Name

    Confederate Dead Marker, Chicora Cemetery, Dunn

  • Type

    Marker

  • Subjects

    Civil War, 1861-1865

  • City

    Dunn

  • County

    Harnett

  • Description

    A bronze plaque attached to a large granite boulder marks the third line of Confederate defenses at the 1865 Battle of Averasboro.

    Images: Plaque | View of Chicora Civil War Cemetery

  • Inscription

    IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF / THE BRAVE MEN WHO SLEEP / IN CHICORA CEMETERY / THEY FOUGHT THEIR LAST FIGHT / MARCH 16, 1865 / ON THIS THIRD LINE BREASTWORKS / OF AVERASBORO BATTLEFIELD / ERECTED 1926 BY / CHICORA CHAPTER / UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY.

  • Custodian

    Averasboro Battlefield Commission

  • Dedication Date

    May 10, 1926

  • Decade

    1920s

  • Geographic Coordinates

    35.263920 , -78.672920 View in Geobrowsemap pin

  • Series

    Averasboro Battlefield

  • Supporting Sources

      "Chicora Cemetery," The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed October 4, 2015) Link

      Averasboro Battlefield & Museum website. Averasboro Battlefield Commission, Inc., http://www.averasboro.com/Home.aspx, (accessed September 21, 2015) Link

      Faulkner, Ronnie W. 2006. "Battle of Averasboro," NCPedia.org, (accessed September 21, 2015) Link

      Smith, Blanche Lucas. North Carolina's Confederate Monuments and Memorials (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, 1941), 99-100

  • Public Site

    Yes

  • Materials & Techniques

    Bronze, granite

  • Sponsors

    Chicora Chapter United Daughters of the Confederacy with funding from the State Historical Commission

  • Monument Cost

    Total cost unknown. $100 was contributed by the State Historical Commission.

  • Subject Notes

    The Battle of Averasboro was a delaying action fought on March 15-16, 1865 against the Union army commanded by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman. The Union army of 60,000 men was moving northward after having occupied Fayetteville and burning the arsenal located there. The 6,000 Confederate troops of Lt. General William Hardee were ordered to engage the enemy, giving General Joseph E. Johnston time to consolidate his forces for the major battle that took place at Bentonville on March 19-21, 1865.

  • Location

    The marker sits to the left of the wrought iron fence that encloses Chicora Civil War Cemetery at the Averasboro Battlefield site (NC Highway 82, also known as Burnett Road). The marker is in front of the South Carolina Memorial and close to the North Carolina Memorial, McLaws Division Marker, and Battle of Averasboro Confederate Memorial. The Union Soldiers Memorial is also in the walking distance. The entire area, along with nearby plantation houses, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Averasboro Battlefield & Museum site is located nearby, on the other side of NC Highway 82.

  • Landscape

    The landscape is primarily agricultural, with sloping hills, streams and wide vistas. The marker sits on the grass behind the iron fence.

  • Death Space

    Yes

  • Post Dedication Use

    The site continues to be used for Confederate Memorial Day services and battle anniversary events and re-enactments.

Icon for reporting missing/incorrect information Know anything else about this monument that isn't mentioned here? If you have additional information on this or any other monument in our collection fill out the form at the Contact Us link in the footer. Thank you.