Bentonville Battlefield Free 2nd Saturdays Program

“A Patchwork of History: Quilts, Soldiers and North Carolina ’s Civil War Sacrifice”

FOUR OAKS -- Bentonville Battlefield will present “A Patchwork of History: Quilts, Soldiers, and North Carolina ’s Civil War Sacrifice” at the free 2^nd Saturdays program on Aug. 1 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Topics will include 19^th-century quilts and textiles, North Carolina ’s Civil War Death Study and the 58^th NC Troops. Visitors will enjoy music by Waterbound Dulcimers of Kinston throughout the day.

 11 a.m. 19^th Century Quilts and Textiles. Textile historian and conservator Lynn Lancaster Gorges of New Bern will present a detailed history of quilts and textiles production prior to the Civil War. Learn about the most popular quilt patterns and fabric colors found in the possession of a soldier or on the home front during the war. Following the presentation she will be available to evaluate quilts and textiles bought in by visitors. Visit her Web site at www.textilepreservation.com. Quilts of the 19^th century will be on display.

1 p.m. North Carolina’s Civil War Death Study. N.C. Office of Archives and History Research Historian Josh Howard has painstakingly re-examined official military records, and records from hospitals, cemeteries, churches, prisoner-of-war camps, as well as news paper accounts, letters, diaries, and census info rmation, to establish the first official count of North Carolina’s Civil War dead. Learn about his research journey and surprising findings! For more info rmation, visit www.nccivilwar150.com.

 3 p.m. The 58^th NC Troops. Civil War historian and author Michael C. Hardy will present info rmation on the 58^th NC Troops, one of the few North Carolina regiments that served in the western theater (from Alabama to Kentucky ) of the Civil War. The 58^th was in Palmer’s Brigade with remnants of the Army of Tennessee at Bentonville on March 19-21, 1865. Hardy will sign and sell books throughout the day. For info rmation on the award-winning North Carolina historian visit www.michaelchardy.com.

The Battle of Bentonville involved 80,000 troops and was the last Confederate offensive against Union Gen. William T. Sherman. Bentonville Battlefield is located at 5466 Harper House Road , Four Oaks, NC 27524, three miles north of Newton Grove on S.R. 1008. For more info rmation, visit www.nchistoricsites.org/bentonvi/bentonvi.htm or call (910) 594-0789.

 Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. 2nd Saturdays is a series of more than 100 free events that bring together artists, history and authentic North Carolina culture at all 37 of the Department of Cultural Resources’ museums and Historic Sites. For more info rmation on Cultural Resources, visit www.ncculture.com.