Bentonville’s ‘Heavy Thunder’ To Feature Cannon And Musket Demonstrations

FOUR OAKS – The sounds of one of the final Civil War battles in North Carolina will echo again this weekend.

Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site will recreate the noise eyewitnesses described as “one continuous peel of heavy thunder,” with cannon and rifle fire demonstrations Saturday, Aug. 19 with the program “Heavy Thunder.”

Costumed interpreters will show how artillery and infantry units functioned during battles like the one that occurred at Bentonville. Demonstrations will take place at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.

Additional activities will occur throughout the day, including interpretive talks that will explain the role of artillery and infantry in the battle of Bentonville and the Civil War. The Harper House, which served as a field hospital for the XIV Corps of the U.S. Army, also will be open for tours.

This annual program will commemorate the Battle of Bentonville which was fought March 19-21, 1865, and was the largest Civil War battle fought in North Carolina. The event runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and is free to attend.

Food vendors will be on site.

About Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site
Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site interprets the battle and the Harper House, a farmhouse used as a field hospital where surgeons treated nearly 600 men wounded in the battle. The site is located at 5466 Harper House Road, Four Oaks, NC 27524, three miles north of Newton Grove on S.R. 1008, about one hour from Raleigh and about 45 minutes from Fayetteville.