The occupation of Raleigh, North Carolina, by Union forces was a pivotal moment in the American Civil War, heralding the expanding control of Union troops in the South. Led by Major General William T. Sherman, the Union Army had made a strategic advance through North Carolina following its successful campaigns in Georgia and South Carolina. The capture of Raleigh occurred shortly after the fall of Richmond, the Confederate capital, and in the context of a deteriorating Confederate military situation. As Sherman's forces approached the city, local defenses were either abandoned or ineffective, allowing for a relatively easy takeover.

Arriving in Raleigh, Sherman’s troops encountered a city that was largely stripped of its former defenses. The locals, caught between the devastation of war and the resulting political and social upheaval, displayed a range of reactions from indignation to relief. This occupation signified not only a military success but also represented a hope for the end of hostilities and the restoration of order. The Union army set about establishing a military government, which would administer the city and oversee the transition from Confederate to Union control.

Moreover, the occupation had significant implications for the remaining days of the Civil War. It was a demonstration of the Union's continuing push into the heart of the Confederacy, impacting both the morale of Confederate soldiers and civilians. The symbolic capture of the state capital underscored the crumbling resistance of the Confederacy, foreshadowing the imminent conclusion of the war and the beginning of the Reconstruction Era.