Battle of Monroe’s Cross Roads

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There is no accurate number of Union casualties, and the existing accounts are confusing and contradictory. In his report to Sherman, Kilpatrick reported that he lost ‘4 officers killed and 7 wounded, 15-[19] men killed and 61-[75] severely and several slightly wounded, and 103 officers and men taken prisoner. The enemy left in our camp upward of 80 killed, including many officers and a large number of men wounded [about 30]…150 horses with their equipment.’ Kilpatrick also lost around 30 valuable horses from his headquarters, including four of his own personal mounts: ‘two fine stallions–one a little spotted horse, and a large gallant black–and a pie bald and a bay.’ What became of his female admirers is not known.

In a report to U.S. Assistant Secretary of War Charles Dana, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant stated: ‘Sherman from Fayetteville on the 12th. He says nothing about Kilpatrick’s defeat by Hampton. Hampton captured all the staff but two officers.’ This limited statement of fact was publicly released on March 17 to The New York Times, doubtless to Kilpatrick’s great chagrin.

Months after the battle, the remains of cavalrymen who had been buried hurriedly were partially exposed by the rain and wind. Fleshless faces peered up from one grave and bony hands stretched forth from others. Soon after the war ended, the Confederate dead were reburied by local citizens. Under the leadership of Captain John McKeller, John H. Currie and others, the bodies were given a proper burial. About 30 to 35 unknown Confederate dead who fell during the Battle of Monroe’s Cross Roads are buried in a mass grave at Longstreet Church Cemetery, marked with a simple marble shaft bearing the inscription ‘Confederate Soldiers.’ The remainder were removed and buried in the Fayetteville Cemetery.

The Federals killed during the battle were interred on the battlefield. In 1921, the Quartermaster Corps at Fort Bragg identified 33 Federal unknown graves with markers throughout the reservation. Today, the battlefield site is an artillery impact area at Fort Bragg. The farmhouse has since burned, and the gravestones are hidden throughout the woods. About 200 yards west of where the house and old road once were, 27 Union soldiers are buried in three graves. One soldier’s grave lies separate from the others in an isolated area on the opposite side of where the house stood. There is no explanation why this grave is by itself.

This article was written by William Mangum and originally appeared in the November 1996 issue of America’s Civil War magazine. For more great articles be sure to pick up your copy of America’s Civil War.

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Tags: 19th Century, America's Civil War, American Civil War, Historical Conflicts

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