Filming on Eastern Battlefields, Day 2

This week Save the Flags and our production team, Motion Possible and Thompson Photography LLC, are at the eastern battlefields filming for our upcoming documentary/film on the Save The Flags project.

Tuesday, December 10, 2024, was spent filming at the Battleground site of Bentonville, North Carolina. For three days, March 19-21, 1865, 80,000 American soldiers (60,000 Union, 20,000 Confederates) fought toe to toe in the storm of death amongst the fields and plantations of Bentonville. Over 4,000 casualties were the result of the fighting, and this engagement marked the largest battle to take place in North Carolina and also marked one of the final battles of the Civil War.  One of the first casualties was Colonel Willard Eaton of the 13th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment, who was fatally shot in the head while leading his men at the very start of the battle. 

Save the Flags would like to extend our thanks to the kind staff at the Bentonville Battleground, which is administered by the State of North Carolina. The staff (some of whom coincidentally have direct ties to Michigan) could not have been kinder and more accommodating.

Production team members, Matt Lamphere and Bradley Egen with the 13th’s replica flag, marking the spot very near where Colonel Eaton was killed.

Replica battle flag of the 13th Michigan Infantry Regiment. Our thanks to Bill Brennan for the use of this flag.

Commemorative ribbon, featuring Colonel Willard Eaton, 1908 Regimental Reunion. Ribbon is on display at the Bentonville Battleground Museum.