I’ve always believed the most powerful places in North Carolina don’t shout—they whisper. You just have to pull off the road, step out of the car, and let the silence do the talking. Averasboro Battlefield is one of those places.

Just outside Dunn, tucked along NC Highway 82, there’s a quiet patch of farmland where the past still whispers. 

At first glance, it looks like any other countryside—wide open fields, a few old trees, a breeze that never seems to quit. But standing there, looking out across the landscape, it’s impossible not to feel the weight of the fierce battle that once raged there.

The Battle of Averasboro broke out on March 16, 1865—just days before the larger Battle of Bentonville. It wasn’t the biggest fight of the Civil War, but it mattered. 

A lot.

Sherman was marching north through the Carolinas, and Confederate General Hardee was doing everything he could to slow him down. He set up defenses near Averasboro with a simple goal: stall Sherman’s troops long enough for General Johnston to gather forces up in Smithfield.

And it worked. After a long day of brutal fighting—Union forces attacking again and again, the Confederates digging in tight—Hardee’s men finally pulled back, their mission complete. The delay gave Johnston time to prepare for what was coming next.

More than 1,400 men were wounded, missing, or killed that day. And though the battlefield is still now, you can’t stand there without thinking about them—young, scared, stubborn, brave—fighting for what they believed in.

It’s thanks to the folks at Averasboro Battlefield & Museum, Inc. that this site is so lovingly preserved. You’ll find a small but meaningful museum, a gift shop, and several walking trails marked with stories from the past. The old Lebanon Plantation house still stands up the road. It’s not part of the battlefield but the Chicora Civil War Cemetery is.

The battlefield was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 and later became a National Historic Landmark—a well-deserved recognition for a place that still has so much to teach us.

It’s not a state park, officially, but it’s got that kind of soul. The kind of place where you bring a picnic, walk slow, and just let yourself listen. No admission, no fuss, just history in its rawest form.

So if you’re ever passing through Harnett County, take a little detour. Stop at Averasboro. You won’t find crowds or flashy signs—just a little patch of earth with a whole lot to say.