Foreword

Sharyn Kane's and Richard Keeton's book, Fiery Dawn, the Civil War Battle at Monroe's Crossroads, North Carolina, tells the story of the battle within the larger context of earlier cavalry actions fought by the participants. Although written for the general reader, this book will also be of great interest to the professional soldier seeking an understanding of the operational art of war. The authors draw from earlier works to illustrate the impact of a commander's personality upon his leadership style, and the human cost of combat. Monroe's Crossroads serves as an object lesson of a near disaster averted by soldiers' valor.

The Battle of Monroe's Crossroads took place during the Carolinas Campaign near the end of the American Civil War. The engagement occurred on what is now the Fort Bragg Military Reservation during the morning of Friday, March 10, 1865. At dawn, Confederate cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant General Wade Hampton, C.S.A., conducted a deliberate attack against a poorly guarded bivouac of Federal cavalry, commanded by Brevet Major General Judson Kilpatrick, U.S.A. Initially overrun, the Federal troops rallied, counterattacked and recaptured their camp. After a fight of about three hours, the Confederates disengaged from the action and withdrew in the direction of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Approximately one hundred soldiers, perhaps more, were killed outright or died later of wounds received in the action.

The outcome of the engagement delayed for a day the capture of Fayetteville by Federal troops. This interval permitted Confederate Lieutenant General William J. Hardee to withdraw his corps of infantry by conducting an organized crossing of the Cape Fear River. Once safely across, the Confederates burned the bridge before the Federal troops could close in and force a battle. Lieutenant Generals Hardee and Hampton reinforced Confederate General Joseph Johnston's command in eastern North Carolina. Because of Monroe's Crossroads, the U.S. Army had to fight Hardee's and Hampton's troops again in the delaying action at Averasboro (March 16, 1865) and the combined Confederate force in the three-day Battle of Bentonville (March 19-21, 1865). The action at Monroe's Crossroads has been known by various names including the Fayetteville Road Fight, and, among the Federal infantry, Kilpatrick's Shirttail Skedaddle. Whatever the engagement is called, it was a desperate struggle and a sharp fight which affected the rest of the campaign.

The National Park Service produced this book for the XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg. Funding came from the Legacy Resource Management Program, a cultural and natural resources grant program of the Department of Defense.

William H. Kern
Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

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