4th/2nd Corporal Allen Wooten enlisted in Company I [Onslow & Jones Counties], 66th North Carolina Infantry (State Troops)* June 8, 1863 at Goldsboro, died of a gunshot wound to the neck [Paralysis of whole body] at the Pettigrew General Hospital No. 13, Raleigh, N. C. March 28, 1865 having been admitted on March 21
* This company was formerly Company F, 8th Battalion North Carolina Partisan Rangers.
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BENTONVILLE
On the next day we took up our march for Goldsboro and to Bentonville, crossing the Neuse river near Smithfield. Here we joined General Stewart's Corps in the Army of the West, and took part in the memorable three days' fight at Bentonville, 19-21 March, 1865, the last well organized and well fought battle of the war in North Carolina.
This fight commenced I9 March near the little village of Bentonville. Kirkland's Brigade was well to the front, with its right resting upon a road that ran along the edge of a field, in which was situated a large white house, that was occupied by the sharpshooter of the enemy. This line was rather a crooked one, the Sixty-sixth Regiment being the farthest to the front, at the point of a bow. Here a very severe attack was made upon us in which we lost a number of men, among others the gallant Council Wooten, a young man from near Kinston, who was killed suddenly while bravely and defiantly waving the colors of the regiment in front of the enemy. The sharpshooters of General Sherman's army located in the trees got in their best work. and many a gallant soldier fell during the 19th and 20th from well directed shots of these sharpshooters. On the 20th it became necessary for Kirkland's Brigade to straighten its line and while in the act of so doing, a very severe attack was made by a Pennsylvania division. The men of Kirkland's Brigade were engaged in rolling together logs and making such defenses as they could when the attack was made upon us. The men were ordered to lie down behind such obstructions as they could find, and to wait the order to fire until the advance came very near to them. When the enemy got within, say 1OO yards, the order was given to fire; the men immediately raised upon their knees and fired a volley full in front of the advancing foe. Their ranks were mowed down like wheat before the scythe, and the attack was repulsed with great loss to the attacking division. Just at this moment an order was given by the commanding officer, Major Davis, to the writer, who was standing near him, to take the picket line to the front, the commanding officer of the picket line having been killed. When the line went forward, the whole front was covered with the dead and dying, and showed the effect of troops obeying the commands of their officers, to shoot low and wait until the enemy was near upon them.
Just at this time, it is said, that General Joseph E. Johnston paid a very high compliment to the troops of Hoke's Division, and Kirkland's Brigade in particular. General Johnston was lying somewhere in the rear, resting after his arduous labors of the three days, when some aide, riding rapidly up, said: "General, they are attacking Kirkland's Brigade." The General quietly rolled over on his pallet and said: "Let them attack. I know of no brigade in the Southern Army I would sooner they would attack."
During the three days' fight at Bentonville, Major Davis was commanding the regiment, Colonel Nethercutt having been assigned to the command of the brigade of Junior Reserves, which took so gallant a part in that fight.
On the 21st, General Sherman's army having been only slightly impeded in its march toward Goldsboro, made a flank movement in the rear of General Johnston's army, which necessitated its falling back during the night across the creek near which the little town of Bentonville was located. After we crossed the creek the enemy appeared in quite a force on the opposite side of the creek and some little skirmishing took place, but no actual harm was done.
They shortly vanished from our front. and our army quietly retired through Smithfield to a camp on the line of the railroad, near where Selma now is, and that was the last armed force that we saw in our front during the war.
http://www.angelfire.com/nc/twsj/history66thncinf.html
1860 Federal Census
Name: Allen Wooten
Age in 1860: 15
Birth Year: abt 1845
Birthplace: North Carolina
Home in 1860: Bear Creek, Lenoir, North Carolina
Gender: Male
Post Office: Mosely Hall
Value of real estate: View image
Household Members:
Name Age
Benja Warters 30
Susan Warters 72
John D Warters 35
Emma Warters 21
Francis Warters 1
Susan Jackson 18
Shade Wooten 19
Allen Wooten 15
James Wooten 1
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Name: Allen W Wooten
Age in 1860: 14
Birth Year: abt 1846
Birthplace: North Carolina
Home in 1860: Trent, Lenoir, North Carolina
Gender: Male
Post Office: Strabane
Value of real estate: View image
Household Members:
Name Age
Allen W Wooten 52
Tabitha Wooten 35
James B Wooten 17
Allen W Wooten 14
Needham W Wooten 12
Wm S Wooten 10
Richard L Wooten 8
Mary T Wooten 5
Nathan B Wooten 3
Benjamin Wooten 2
Sarah Wooten 3/12