Documenting the American South

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

Source:  Civil War Horses Memorial, Bentonville Battlefield, Four Oaks. Photo courtesy of Rusty Long

  • Monument Name

    Civil War Horses Memorial, Bentonville Battlefield, Four Oaks

  • Type

    Bust

  • Subjects

    Animal Monuments

    Civil War, 1861-1865

  • Creator

    Cary J. van Dansik, Netherlands, Sculptor

    Granite base: Edgerton Memorials, Dunn, NC, Builder

  • City

    Four Oaks

  • County

    Johnston

  • Description

    The memorial to Civil War horses depicts the head of a moving horse in artillery gear. It has a Confederate States insignia on one side of the head and a United States insignia on the other side and was cast in bronze. The head rests on a three piece granite base. The bottom section is a square block; the center section is cylinder shaped piece about two feet tall with a slab several inches thick on top.

    Images: Rear view | Right side view | Left side view | Commission inscription

  • Inscription

    Front: REMEMBERING THEIR COURAGE AND LOYALTY, / NEVER FORGETTING THEIR SACRIFICE. / 1861 – 1865

    Rear: 2012

  • Custodian

    Larry Laboda

  • Dedication Date

    2012

  • Decade

    2010s

  • Geographic Coordinates

    35.303630 , -78.315920 View in Geobrowsemap pin

  • Series

    Bentonville Battlefield

  • Supporting Sources

      Groeling, Meg. The Aftermath of Battle: The Burial of the Civil War Dead (Philadelphia, PA: Casemate Publishers, 2015), 41, (accessed April 30, 2016) Link

      “Bronze Horse Sculptures by Cary Van Dansik,” VanDansik.com, (Accessed May 1, 2016) Link

  • Public Site

    No

  • Materials & Techniques

    Bronze, granite

  • Sponsors

    Larry Laboda

  • Nickname

    Cannonball

  • Subject Notes

    The sculptor, Cary J. van Dansik, specializes in equine bronze portraiture and bronze sculpture. From the sculptor's website, by clicking on “Galery of the past” and scrolling down one may view photos of the horse during its creation and installation.

  • Location

    The memorial is located on a private property with public access, about 100 yards off Harper House Road at the battlefield driving tour stop A: Confederate High Tide. A brick walk leads from the parking area to the statue of General Joseph Johnston. An unpaved walk to the statue's right, in front of an unoccupied house, leads to the Civil War horse memorial. Further down the walk is a memorial to the 123rd Regiment New York State Volunteers.

    Other memorials at Bentonville Battleground include Bentonville Battlefield Memorial, Texas Soldiers Monument, Union Monument, North Carolina Confederate Soldiers, and Confederate Monument.

  • Landscape

    The memorial stands along a wood line facing a large open field that is still part of a working farm located on the Bentonville Battlefield. In the middle of this field is a small private memorial by Morris Farm to those who fought a Bentonville.

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.