Confederate North Carolina Junior Reserve Line
In front of you is where the North Carolina Junior Reserves stood as the Army of Tennessee made its last grand charge against Carlin’s division at the Cole plantation on March 19, 1865. Three regiments and one battalion of Junior Reserves were assigned to Hoke’s Division – the 70th, 71st, and 72nd North Carolina regiments (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Junior Reserves); and Millard’s (20th) Battalion.
The Junior Reserves, assigned to Hoke’s Division, numbered nearly 1,000 muskets in the field. Called the “seed corn of the Confederacy,” eight battalions of North Carolina Junior Reserves (boys 17 to 18 years old) were created in the summer of 1864. The Junior Reserves saw action at Weldon, Fort Fisher, and Wise Fork. Despite that service, they were still underestimated for their fighting skills and Gen. Braxton Bragg did not use them in the main Confederate assault on March 19. However, when the Confederate line was realigned on March 20, the Junior Reserves – with only makeshift breastworks – fought against the Union skirmishers and held their position for the rest of the battle.
Marker is at the intersection of Harper House Road (County Route 1008) and Bass Road (County Route 1194), on the left when traveling east on Harper House Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
