On April 11, 1865, the 9th Michigan Cavalry Regiment was noted as being near the Raleigh and Smithfield Railroad in Johnston County (Turner 3-4). Depending on the route taken, the distance between Raleigh and Smithfield Railroad and the regiment’s last noted movement in Bentonville is 14+ miles (Google Maps). 

At this point, the regiment was traveling from Bentonville toward Raleigh in an attempt to finalize the end of the war after tiring out the remaining Confederate forces. The Confederates officially surrendered on April 9th at Appomattox despite Jefferson Davis' abandonment of the Confederacy, but some troops continued fighting. General William Tecumseh Sherman did receive some backlash for letting the Confederate forces escape after the Battle of Bentonville; however, General Sherman was not greatly concerned, realizing his own troops needed respite (Johnson 272).