Stacking Arms: Stacking and Not Stacking Arms
Having done a lot of research into the lesser-known surrender in North Carolina, I want to share some of the more interesting stories I uncovered. One of the most famous, and memorable, aspects of the Appomattox surrender was the stacking of arms on April 12, 1865. That day, Union troops lined the road through the village as the Confederate infantry marched in, stacked their weapons and gear, and marched out, a process that took over five hours.
As part of the terms agreed to at the Bennett Place in Durham by Generals Sherman and Johnston, the Army of Tennessee was to stack some of its arms, but a percentage of troops could take arms home with them as a measure of protection, and deposit them in arsenals when they reached their home state. For the most part, the Confederates left their arms at their campsites around Greensboro and departed, with no Union troops present.
The only similar event to the Appomattox stacking arms ceremony in North Carolina was a small stacking of arms in downtown Greensboro. The two armies were fifty miles apart, the Confederates around Greensboro and the Federals in Raleigh. Only one Union regiment went to Greensboro to oversee the stacking of arms.
On May 3 the 104th Ohio watched as Confederate troops stacked their weapons. It was nothing like the large formal ceremony held nearly a month earlier at Appomattox. Four hundred men of 104th Ohio relieved Gen. John Kennedy’s men at 2 o’clock. These South Carolinians were the last troops of the Army of Tennessee to lay down their arms, and this was the only formal ceremony conducted during the surrender of this army.
A full division (of the V Corps) of the Army of the Potomac had been on hand to oversee the surrender of Lee’s army. Here a mere regiment represented the Union army at the Greensboro surrender.
Private Joseph W. Gaskill of the 104th Ohio wrote of the turnover:
A patrol guard of Union soldiers is placed on duty in the village to keep order while other detachments are sent to surrounding fields where rebel guards are relieved from duty over supplies surrendered to our forces. Among these details I am sent with a squad of men to relieve rebel guards on duty in a field parked with artillery and ammunition wagons. Relieving this guard from duty over their own property is a new experience and some what embarrassing yet the change is made without friction and apparent regret on the part of the rebel guards we are relieving. The “Johnnies” knew what we are there for, so after receiving instructions from the sergeant of this guard we march along the line when the rebel guard takes proper position, instructs the ‘yank’ who relieves him and drops in rear of the line until all are relieved. They are then formed in line by their sergeant and stack arms on which they hang a varied assortment of equipment, break ranks and their warfare is ended. A few of these boys seem to die hard, claiming they have been overpowered, overwhelmed and have worn themselves out “licking yanks” against great odds. They refer to General Lee who during the past eighteen months has “been whipping Yankees against great odds and worn themselves out on the job.” Of course, we let the boys have their say for it’s not hurting us a bit and seems consoling to them, yet ask them to point out any important battle they have won west of Virginia.
In another instance, guarding a train of bacon was Pvt. George Bussey of the 7th South Carolina Consolidated Regiment. He described the transfer ceremony:
It fell to my lot to be on post when the enemy came to relive us. Our regiment had gone out a few miles below town. A train load of Blue Coats rolled up beside our train of bacon. In a short time a detail was sent to relieve me. I simply gave the man direction as to what I was there for, and bade him adieu. They didn’t’ take my gun or anything that I had. I walked leisurely alone down the railroad in the direction our regiment had gone, meditating upon what had happened and that the terrible fight was all over with, as it could not be helped and we had done all that a brave people could do, and felt relieved and glad that we were going home. I felt great pride in the fact that though we had been overcome, as a people we almost always whipped in the individual fight. I threw my rifle over into a briar patch by the railroad and walked up into the camp where we stayed a few days.
Over the next few weeks, thousands of former soldiers from the Army of Tennessee marched home, some with flags flying, many with arms. These groups moved south and west from Greensboro to their homes all across the South. It is unlikely many of the weapons they carried ended up in state arsenals as intended.
Bert Dunkerly formerly worked at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, and is the author of To The Bitter End: Appomattox, Bennett Place, and the Surrenders of the Confederacy, and The Confederate Surrender at Greensboro.
