Civil War Bugle mouthpiece recovered at the Bentonville NC Battlefield (SOLD)

This is another nice piece being offered, it is the mouthpiece from a Civil War bugle. It is made of brass and is approximately 2 ¾” long. It was recovered in Bentonville, North Carolina.

The Battle of Bentonville was fought March 19 – 21 in Bentonville, North Carolina, near the town of Four Oaks. It was the last battle between the armies of Union General William T. Sherman and Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston.

As the right wing of Sherman's army under command of General Oliver O. Howard marched toward Goldsboro, the left wing under command of General Henry W. Slocum encountered the entrenched men of Johnston's army. On the first day of the battle, the Confederates attacked the XIV Corps and routed two divisions, but the rest of Sherman's army defended its positions successfully.

The next day, as Sherman sent reinforcements to the battlefield and expected Johnston to withdraw, only minor sporadic fighting occurred. On the third day, as skirmishing continued, the division of General Joseph A. Mower followed a path into the Confederate rear and attacked. The Confederates were able to repulse the attack as Sherman ordered Mower back to connect with his own Corp. Johnston elected to withdraw from the battlefield that night.

Because of the overwhelming Union strength and the heavy casualties his army suffered in the battle, Johnston surrendered to Sherman little more than a month later at Bennett Place, near Durham Station. Coupled with Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender on April 9, Johnston's surrender represented the effective end of the war.

In Civil War Relics of the Western Campaigns, by Charles Harris, there is a bugle which was dug at Bridgeport, Alabama which has the same type of mouthpiece (see pictures). There is also a dug example in “Civil War Relics & Artifacts – A Guide for the Historian”, by Howard Crouch (see pictures). This artifact is in very nice condition and is just as found, only the dirt cleaned off.