North Carolina and the Civil War

2012-01-27T12:12:00.003-05:00

Check it out - opening at the Charlotte Museum of History tomorrow!

Author to Speak on a Slave Escape from a Durham Plantation

2012-01-26T07:39:00.002-05:00

RALEIGH - In 1848, Mary Walker fled slavery and the plantation that is now Historic Stagville in Durham, leaving behind her son and daughter. She spent 17 years trying to recover her family. Dr. Syd Nathans, professor emeritus with Duke University, tells of Walker's remarkable ordeal in the book "To Free A Family: The Journey of Mary Walker" at Historic Stagville on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m., and at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh, on Monday, Feb. 13, at 11 a.m. The programs are free.

The tale of Mary Walker is representative of the secret labors of hundreds of women escaping bondage and trying to reclaim their families in the South. The story is also the basis for the Addy Walker doll in the American Girl doll collection.

Two extraordinary collections provide the basis for the story -- the letters and diaries of Walker's former North Carolina slaveholders, and those of the northern family who protected and employed her. In spite of her persistence and the assistance of black and white abolitionists, she was not reunited with her children until the end of the Civil War.

The programs are sponsored by the N.C. African American Heritage Commission (AAHC), whose mission is to preserve, protect, and promote North Carolina's African American history, arts and culture for all people. The AAHC is affiliated with the Department of Cultural Resources.

For additional information call Michelle Lanier at (919) 477-7103. The Division of

State Historic Sites and the Division of State History Museums are within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Flag of the 16th North Carolina State Troops

2012-01-23T11:21:00.002-05:00

It seems that I've been making an annual January trip to Charlotte the past two or three years.The annual trip always seems to coincide with the annual meeting of the 26thNorth Carolina Troops, Reactivated. Last year it was to speak at the unveilingof the conserved flag fragments of the 58th North Carolina Troops. This year,it was simply to be a part of audience at the unveiling of the conserved flagof the 16th North Carolina State Troops.

The 16th North Carolina State Troops (6th North CarolinaVolunteers) was the first regiment entirely made up of men from western NorthCarolina. They were mustered into service on June 16, 1861, in Raleigh. Thisregiment spent the duration of their service connected with Confederate armiesin Virginia, and after mid--1862, members of the famed Light Division.

Following the battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, theregiment was issued a new flag, a 3rd bunting Richmond Depot, with unitdesignation in yellow and battle honors in blue. This flag was captured on July3, 1863, at the battle of Gettysburg, by Pvt. Elijah M. Bacon, Company F, 14thConnecticut Infantry. Bacon was later awarded the Medal of Honor. This flag wasone of many returned to the states by the Federal government in the early partof the 20th century.

As many of you know, for the past several years, the folksin the 26th North Carolina Troops, Reactivated, have been raising funds topreserve Confederate battle flags (among other projects). The flags that theyhave conserved include those of the 26th NCT, 58th NCT, and 1st NCST. We shouldall commend them for the great work that they do.

No, I was not speaking this time. I just went to observe.But I did get to stand on the stage and have my picture made before they rolledthe flag back into the vault. As I wrote on my facebook page, any day you getto stand beside a flag that bore the shell and shot ofthe battlefield, is a great day!

Off to Raleigh...

2012-01-20T16:10:00.002-05:00

I go to our state's capital three or four times a year, todo research or give lectures. Tomorrow, I'm going to just observe. Well, ok, Imight slip over to the archives for a few minutes.

Tomorrow afternoon, our friends in the 26th North CarolinaTroops, Reactivated, will be unveiling their latest, completed, project: theconserved flag of the 16th North Carolina Troops. I think the 26th NCT is doinga great job at preserving the past of the state of North Carolina. If you arefree about 2:30 pm, stop in and learn something about one of our greatregiments.

Two Colonels

2012-01-18T13:27:00.002-05:00

In the past few weeks, I've had a chance to reconnect withboth colonels of the 37th NCT. The first colonel, Charles C. Lee, is buried inCharlotte, a place where I've been spending a lot of time of late. The secondcolonel, William Barber, is buried in Wilkesboro, a place where I spoke acouple of Saturdays ago. So, I thought I would share a little.

Had he lived longer, Charles C. Lee would have become aConfederate brigade commander. Charles was born in February 1834 in Charleston,South Carolina. His father was Stephen Lee, who had attended West Point, andthen later taught at a military academy in South Carolina. Stephen Lee was theuncle of Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee. The family moved to Asheville at some point,where Stephen ran a boys school. Charles C. Lee also attended West Point,graduating in 1856. Charles served in the US Army until 1859, when he resignedand became a instructor at the North Carolina Military Institute in Charlotte,NC. On May 11, he became lieutenant colonel in the 1st North CarolinaVolunteers, and upon D. H. Hill's promotion to brigadier general, colonel ofthe 1st NC Volunteers. That regiment was disbanded in early November 1861, andLee was elected colonel of the 37th North Carolina Troops. He was a strict disciplinarian,and very pious, even preaching to the men. On two different occasions, he heldcommand of demi-brigades, and given his background, would have gone far.Charles was killed by a cannon shot on June 30, 1862. His body was returned toCharlotte and interred in Elmwood Cemetery. The entire city closed for hisfuneral. Lee "was as brave as a lion and gentle as a lamb."

Lee was replaced by William M. Barber. Born in Rowan County,North Carolina, in January 1834, William was educated by Peter S. Ney beforeattending St. James College in Maryland. There has always been some debate asto who Ney was, some claiming that he was Marshall Michael Ney of Napoleon'sArmy. William continued to study law, gained admittance to the bar, and movedto Wilkesboro to open his practice. Once the War came, Barber was electedcaptain of the Western Carolina Stars, which became Company F, 37th NorthCarolina Troops on November 20, 1861. That same day, William was elected to lieutenant colonel of theregiment. He was constantly in the thick of things, being wounded atFredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and captured at Spotsylvania Court House. Hewas a part of the Immortal 50, which predated the Immortal 600. William wasreleased, and went back to his regiment, where he was wounded again at DeepBottom. He had submitted his resignation, and before it could be acted upon,was mortally wounded at Jones Farm, September 30, 1864, dying on October 3,1864, in a hospital in Petersburg, Virginia. Barber was buried in Petersburg, andthen later reinterred at St. James Episcopal Church in Wilkesboro. His recordin the North Carolina Troops book spells his last name as Barbour. He spelled his name Barber until mid waythrough the War, when it changed to Barbour. His tombstone has Barber, andhence, that is the way I chose to refer to him in my bookon the 37th NCT.

Confederate Monuments in Charlotte

2012-01-13T10:56:00.001-05:00

For a long time, I've been collecting information on NorthCarolina's Confederate and Union monuments and markers. Just when I think I'vecollected something (photos, newspaper articles, etc) on each one of them, Ifind a new one - yes, a new monument. Or,at least a reference to a new monument.

For the past couple of days, I've been working on themonuments erected by the UDC in Charlotte, starting in 1910 with the marker forthe Confederate Navy Yard. To date,there were 10 monuments in the greater Charlotte area, probably more than anyother municipality in the state. Of course, not all of these were erected bythe UDC. Here is the list that I'm working on.

1887 - Monument, Elmwood Cemetery.
1910 - Iron Marker, Confederate Navy Yard, currently in storage?
1915 - Bronze Marker, Last Cabinet Meeting.
1927 - Bronze marker on boulder, marking North CarolinaMilitary Institute, also called the D. H. Hill School marker. Current locationunknown.
1938 - Stone archway to Mrs. Stonewall Jackson. Torn down bythe 1960s. Bronze plaque in the general area.
1930s - US Mint Marker (date and current location,unknown)
Davis/LincolnAssassination (date unknown, but stillin sidewalk)
Temporaryresidence of Atty. Gen. Davis (date and current location unknown)
JudahBenjamin. (date unknown, granite slab supposedly at 200 block, South Tryon. Unconfirmed).
1997 - City Hall.

Some folks might say "well,you should know all about this." And yes, I probably should. But I don't.Any information you might have would be great. I guess the next time I am intown, I'll need to get out and wander the streets of Charlotte. Maybe a friendor two will join me as we explore these mysteries.

First book signing of the year

2012-01-06T09:37:00.002-05:00

Friends - On Saturday, January 7, at the Wilkes CountyPublic Library, there is going to a Civil War Symposium. It starts at 9:45 am.Speakers include Skip Smith of the 26th North Carolina Troops reactivated,Clint Johnston, author of Touring the Carolina's Civil War sites, an me(Michael C. Hardy). I'll probably be speaking on the 37th North CarolinaTroops. If you are free Saturday morning (and the weather look's great!) come on out and join us!

Events Mark the Civil War Arrival in North Carolina in 1862

2012-01-04T20:51:00.002-05:00

This year marks the 150th anniversary of when the Civil War came home to North Carolina in 1862. Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside captured Roanoke Island in February, New Bern in March and Fort Macon in April. Takeover of North Carolina's coast was meant to stop supplies to the Confederate Army through the state's ports.

On the 150^th anniversary, those events and many others will be reviewed in a series of programs at historic sites and museums statewide.

"The Lights of the Great Armada: The 147th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Fisher," Jan. 21-22, will focus on the Navy and Marines and the maritime war. Small arm and artillery demonstrations, presentations by U.S. Coast Guard Chief Historian Dr. Robert Browning, U.S. Marine Corps Historical Company representatives Larry Bopp and Steve Bockmiller, and N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Deputy State Archaeologist Mark Wilde-Ramsing, are among activities scheduled.

Two programs in Durham focusing on the enslaved are scheduled for February. At Historic Stagville on Feb. 12, "To Free A Family"; will include a free lecture and book signing by Dr. Sydney Nathans, Duke University history professor emeritus. At Bennett Place on Feb. 16, Reginald Hildebrand, UNC-Chapel Hill historian, will lecture on "The First Year of Freedom in North Carolina: Pursuing Freedom with the Hoe and the Sword, the Book and the Lord"; admission will be charged.

A symposium, "Thunder in the East: The Civil War in Eastern North Carolina will be presented by Tryon Palace and the New Bern Historical Society on March 10, featuring Civil War historians Ed Bearrs and Mark Bradley, and Hari Jones, curator of the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum in Washington, D.C. It is one of the events in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration (Civil War 150).

A Civil War medical program, "War So Terrible," at Bentonville Battlefield in Four Oaks on March 17-18, will compare and contrast medical practices of the Civil War to 21st century treatment in Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Army and Marine Corps triage units will participate dependent on availability. Candle light tours of the Harper House, which served as a field hospital in 1865, will allow visitors to see the medical setting and experience the search for a loved one at that time.

The exhibit, "Watched by Sound and Sea: Occupied Beaufort, 1862" continues at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort through September 2012. It features artifacts from the period, and will present a speaker each month.

The April 26-28 "Flags Over Hatteras" Symposium will feature historians James McPherson, Ed Bearss, Craig Symonds, and others, speaking at the Hatteras Village Civic Center. A Civil War Trails marker will be unveiled during the weekend, and the "Flags Over Hatteras" exhibit will continue through July at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.

Other lectures and programs will occur during the year, and through April 2015. A traveling photography exhibit "Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: The Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit" is visiting libraries and museums in the state through May 2013.

The N.C. Office of Archives and History oversees the state's sesquicentennial observance, which includes production of posters, symposia, a vehicle license plate, an atlas and other books, and other commemorative activities through 2015. The Office of Archives and History is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Civil War Charlotte update.

2012-01-02T08:20:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope your 2011 was grand - mine was. And Ihope you are looking forward to 2012 - I am.

Top project on my list for the first three months of 2012 isto finish Civil War Charlotte. So, Ithought I would give you an update. I'm still researching, going throughpost-war newspapers right now. And, I'm finding lots of great stuff concerningthe veterans movement following the war. I'm using an online search engine togo through the Charlotte Observer,using the simple keyword "Confederate." The downside is that it picksup every time the word "Confederate" is used: like advertisements forspecial rates for veterans going to national reunions in distant states, andthe obituaries of prominent veterans from places like Atlanta and Richmond. Each year (I'm in 1914 right now) produces between500 and 700 hits. No, I'm not reading every one.

But there is some great information - like the annualveteran picnics at Mt. Zion in Cornelius, the Confederate memorial day programsat Elmwood Cemetery, and the monthly UCV meetings. There are also occasionallyveteran reminiscences about war-time service, or reminiscences about war-timeCharlotte.

I've been working exclusively on this chapter so far. Thereis nothing like it in any history of Charlotte that I've come across so far. I'vegot about 2,000 words on paper for this chapter, out of a projected 5,000.

I've also been working on photographs to illustrate thebook. I ordered a watercolor of Camp Exchange, the temporary Union prison campin Charlotte towards the end of the war.

Well, it is time to get back to work. I hope you have agreat January!

The Lights of the Great Armada: Fort Fisher

2011-12-27T14:07:00.002-05:00

KURE BEACH - As part of the state's observance of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources' Fort Fisher State Historic Site will host "The Lights of the Great Armada: The 147th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Fisher" on Jan. 21-22, 2012.

This two-day event will highlight the war's largest amphibious assault with a Navy and Marine living history program that includes small arms and artillery demonstrations, a period torpedo exhibit, as well as special presentations focusing on the Union and Confederate sailors and marines who fought at Fort Fisher in January 1865.

Among the guest speakers will be Dr. Robert M. Browning Jr., Chief Historian for the U.S. Coast Guard. The author of several books and dozens of articles on the Civil War, Browning will present "None can be more vigilant than we are...the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the Civil War." Also presenting will be Dr. Mark Wilde-Ramsing, Deputy State Archaeologist with the N.C. Office of State Archaeology, who will discuss the blockade runner Modern Greece, and Larry Bopp and Steve Bockmiller of the U.S. Marine Corps Historical Company and Ship's Company.

Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. The program is free both days; donations are appreciated.

All Fort Fisher programming is made possible by support from the Friends of Fort Fisher, a nonprofit group, and 2012 sustaining members Mike McCarley and James M. Taylor.

2011-12-22T17:09:00.001-05:00

As this year draws to a close, I must stand back and say,what a year! It's been a privilege to get out and visit so many places and talkto so many of you. As a way to wrap up the year, I thought I would look back ata couple of highlights.

This year, I'vehad the chance to do 55 lectures and/or book signings. These have been inalmost every corner of the state, from Fort Fisher, to Charlotte, and OldSalem, to Asheville and Waynesville. I started this year at the North CarolinaMuseum of History, speaking at a program that centered around the flagfragments belonging to the 58th North Carolina Troops. April was the Allatoonawas the 29th and 39th NCT's Monument dedication, and in May, I was back at theMuseum of History, speaking at a Civil War Sesquicentennial. Also in May, I wasin Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, signing books at book the Reliance Saloon (Beer anda Book) and at the American History Store. The Fort Fisher event in July wasgreat (love to hear that 32-pounder sound off). The event in October at OldSalem was really great. I spent the first half of the year speaking and signingNorth Carolina Remembers Gettysburg, andthe last few months speaking and signing NorthCarolina in the Civil War.

Next year is looking even better - if that is at allpossible. I'll start off speaking in Wilkes County on January 7 (at thelibrary, I think). In February I'll be in Greenville, Tennessee, and theCaldwell County Public Library. I'm already scheduled to speak at the Civil WarRound Tables in Burlington and Durham this year, and in Hanover Court House onMay 27. I'm sure I'll be back in Gettysburg at least once, maybe twice.

One series of special events that I am really lookingforward to is a series of book signings with friend and New York Timesbest-seller Sharyn McCrumb. Earlier this year, Sharyn asked me to write aforward to a re-release of her novel, Ghost Riders. This tome follows the war-timelives of Keith and Malinda Blalock. I'm really looking forward to this event.

So, it's been a great year. I've enjoyed all of the placesand events and people. Next year, with the release of Civil War Charlotte, isgoing to be even better.

“Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” Civil War Photo Exhibit on Display at N.C. Maritime Museum and Wilkes County Library

2011-12-20T14:28:00.000-05:00

RALEIGH – Heroic tales and valiant feats are depicted in images that reflect North Carolina’s dedication to the war in the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit” (www.nccivilwar150.com). The N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort and the Wilkes County Public Library in North Wilkesboro will host the free display from Jan. 2-29, 2012, sharing images and stories that capture the history and people of the Civil War (1861-1865).

“The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography,” explains Dr. Jeffrey Crow, Deputy Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. “The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’ exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now.”

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources will display 24 images from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org) and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org) on simultaneous eastern and western routes. Between April 2011 and May 2013, 50 libraries will showcase “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” offering visuals that present gallant women, African American triumph and the perseverance of Confederate soldiers. A notebook accompanies the exhibit with further information and seeking viewer comments.

One of the images portrays a poignant letter from Colonel Isaac E. Avery that embodies the courage and passion of the Confederate forces. Born Dec. 20, 1828, in Burke County, North Carolina, Avery served in the 6^th NC Troops and led the attack on Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg, Pa., in July 1863. As his final act, Avery wrote a message to Major Samuel McDowell Tate reading, “Major. Tell my father I died with my Face to the enemy. I. E. Avery,” and he marked it with his blood.

For information on the exhibit in Beaufort call the museum at (252) 728-7317; in Wilkes County call the library at (336) 838-2818. For information on the statewide tour visit call Cultural Resources at (919) 807-7389.

Brothers versus brothers.

2011-12-15T10:52:00.001-05:00

We are all familiar withthe idea of the War being a War in which brothers fought against brothers. Buthow often do we actually come across those stories? In my research for Civil War Charlotte, I've actually foundon such tale. Ok, I kind of knew this story before, but not all of the details.So, here are the details.
     In 1838, Dr. John H. Gibbons became chiefassayer at the new United State Mint in, or near, Charlotte, North Carolina.The first gold rush was rapidly expanding the town. Previously, the Gibbonsfamily had lived in Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia to be exact. There were ten Gibbonschildren.
     One of those sons was John Gibbon (no, Idon't know why he does not have the s). John was eleven when the family moved,and went on to spend about five years in the Queen City. John graduated fromWest Point in 1847, and served in the Mexican War and the Seminole War, andtaught artillery tactics at West Point. When the Civil War started, John became chief of artillery for IrvinMcDowell. In 1862, he was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers andassigned command of a brigade of Wisconsin Men. Later, this brigade was knownas the Iron Brigade. John later commanded the 2nd Division, II Corps, and atGettysburg, commanded the Corps during part of the battle. It was on his frontthat the Picket-Pettigrew-Trimble charge landed on July 3. He was also woundedthe second time. Gibbon would later command the XVIII Corps, and then the XXIVCorps. Following the War, he served out West, battling the Sioux , Cheyenne,and Nez Perce. He later commanded the Army of the Pacific Northwest, beforeretiring in 1891. He died in Baltimore, Maryland, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
     An older brother was Lardner Gibbon. Lardnerwas a Lieutenant in the United States Navy and was sent by the US government toexplore the Amazon River. On July 2, 1861, he was appointed a captain in theConfederate States Artillery. He is listed as ordinance officer and commanderof corps artillery in the 2nd Military District of South Carolina, Georgia, andFlorida. He later resigned on August 5,1863. Just what his role was after his resignation is unclear. An interestingaside is that both John and Lardner served as best men in the wedding of DanielHarvey Hill. Lardner died on January 1, 1910.
     Yet another older brother to John wasRobert Gibbon. He was born in 1822 and graduated from the Jefferson MedicalSchool in Philadelphia. He returned toCharlotte where he was living when the War commenced. Robert was appointedsurgeon of the 28th North Carolina Troops on or about September 25, 1861, andserved in this capacity until appointed senior surgeon of James H. Lane'sbrigade on January 29, 1864. Once the War ended, Robert returned to Charlotteand practiced surgery in the Queen City. Two of his sons founded PresbyterianHospital. Robert died on May 14, 1898.
     The last brother was Nicholas Gibbon. Hewas born in 1837 and was attending lectures at the Jefferson Medical School inPhiladelphia when the war commenced. He returned to Charlotte and enrolled inthe North Carolina Military Institute, under the command of family friend D. H.Hill. Nicholas served as a private inthe 1st North Carolina Volunteers. Once that regiment mustered out of service,Nicholas was appointed Assistant Commissary of Substance in the 28th NorthCarolina Troops (under the command of James H. Lane, another North CarolinaMilitary institute professor). Nicholas served in this capacity until resigningon September 17, 1863. He then served on Cadmus Wilcox's staff and in otherpositions until returning to North Carolina to look for deserters. Nicholasmarried into the Alexander family and farmed in Mecklenburg County after theWar. He died on October 17, 1917.
     There you have it,brothers fighting brothers. By the way, two of the Gibbon sisters also marriedConfederate soldiers, and somehow, they are all related to James J. Pettigrew.

Stonewall Jackson's Death - Union Soldier Tells How That Great Leader Was Shot.

2011-12-12T15:00:00.002-05:00

Folks - I dug thisout of the Charlotte Observer (11.06.1910). Since I wrote the book on the 37thNCT, the regiment that fired on Jackson and his party first, driving them tothe other side of the Orange Plank Road and into the guns of the 18th NCT, I'vebeen interested in the story of Jackson's mortal wounding at Chancellorsville. Orcourse, we know that Jackson was under fire twice. However, Hay's story just confirmsthat there was much confusion going on that evening. After reading this story,what do you think?

Springfield Republican

John Hays, a Northernsoldier, who belonged to the third division of the Second Army corps in thecivil war, visited the battlefield of Chancellorsville recently and afterlooking over the lay of the land closely, has since come to the conclusion thathe was directly responsible for the shooting of "Stonewall" Jacksonon May 2, 1863, which resulted in his death a few days later. The cavalry towhich Hays belonged was ordered to report to General Berry during the battle,but Berry could not be located, and Hays was sent out as a scout to find him.

He found General Couch, and asked him wherethe brigade should go, and received the reply, "Damn it, go where thefighting is!" So Hays started back, but could not find his brigade. Itwas dusk, and while riding down a lonely road he noticed a little group ofmounted men. Thinking they were Union soldiers, he had started toward them whena volley of musketry ripped out from all sides of him. His horse never havingreceived a baptism of fire, wheeled and bolted down the road.

Hays turned as he went and saw a commotionamong the horsemen, and came to the conclusion that the volley had taken effecton them instead of killing him. A few days later he heard that General Jacksonhad been fatally shot by his own men at this place. Upon his recent visit tothe field he relocated the old landmarks, and a Confederate officer, who waswith Jackson, bore out his theory.

Holiday Open House at Fort Fisher

2011-12-06T09:01:00.001-05:00

KURE BEACH - Tap into the Christmas spirit and share holiday cheer as Fort Fisher State Historic Site in Kure Beach sponsors its Holiday Open House on Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Enjoy seasonal refreshments, decorations, and entertainment throughout the day, including the elementary school chorus from Leland Christian Academy at 11 a.m., followed at 12 noon by songs and stories of Civil War blockade running by noted historical entertainer John Golden (aka Captain Roberts) and actor/interpreter and storyteller Joyce Grear (aka Harriet "Moses" Tubman), telling stories of the African-American experience and Christmas cultural traditions in the Cape Fear region.

The Murray Middle School Jazz Band will cap off the festivities at 1:30 pm. with selections from their holiday repertoire.

For the history lover on your shopping list, special discounts will be offered on all Fort Fisher Museum Shop merchandise. Be sure to try the new Battery Buchanan coffee, especially blended for the Friends of Fort Fisher.

This free event is hosted by the Friends of Fort Fisher and Fort Fisher Chapter No. 2325, United Daughters of the Confederacy. For information, contact Paul Laird at 910-612-7067 or plaird@friendsoffortfisher.com.

The Confederate Dead

2011-12-05T20:47:00.001-05:00

In my research today, I came across this little piece:

The Confederate Dead -The Confederate dead are being removed from the Chickamauga battle field andreinterred in the Confederate cemetery at Marietta, GA. The Journal says that about two hundred bodies arrivedthere during the past week. (Daily Carolina Times June 19, 1869).

The process of disinterring and then reinterring the earthlyremains of soldiers has always held some fascination for me. I've always triedto include these details in the books and articles that I've written. This coincideswith the second most-asked question: where is my ancestor buried? Of course,you probably know the most-asked question: do you have a photograph of myancestor? Of the two regimental histories that I've written, I only have about10 percent of the men captured in a photograph, and few of the ten percent arein uniform.

So, what does this have to do with NC and the War? Therewere several North Carolina regiments that fought at Chickamauga. In the 58th regiment alone there were 57killed or mortally wounded. A few were disinterred and returned home, like Lt.Col. Edmund Kirby (Richmond, VA) and Pvt. John Eben Childs (Columbia, SouthCarolina). The vast majority of them lie either still on the field, or at the MariettaConfederate Cemetery in Georgia.

Book signings for December

2011-12-02T11:16:00.001-05:00

Folks, right now, I have three events on the calendar. Moremy follow.

Saturday, December 3, 2012, I'll be speaking at the historicFt. Defiance just north of Lenoir in Caldwell County at 1:00 pm. Everyone iswelcomed to stop by and enjoy the festivities!

On Tuesday, December 6, I'll be speaking at the ConcordHistory Museum in Concord at 7:00 pm.

On Thursday, December 8, I'll be speaking to the StonewallJackson Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp in Charlotte, NC. They meet atRiverview Fish Camp at 6:00 pm.

Another one of those "pesky" black Confederates.

2011-11-30T08:19:00.001-05:00

I came across this newspaper piece while researching CivilWar Charlotte, and I thought I would share. Make sure you see my commentsbelow.

Old Negro in DestituteCircumstances.

William Winters, a mulatto about 70 yearsold and helpless, lies at his home on Poplar street, between Trade and Fourthstreets, in destitute circumstances. Winter has had a rather interestingcareer. He was born a free negro and during the war was a soldier in theConfederate forces. He left home as the valet and cook for Col. Charles Fisher,of the Sixth North Carolina Regiment, who was killed in the first battle ofManassas. Winters was with Col. Fisher when he was shot and assisted in gettinghim off the field. He remained with the Confederate army during the war andafterwards cooked in Charlotte hotels and cafes until about 10 years ago whenhe became too feeble to work. He has always been a good negro and has had manyfriends among the white people, especially among the old veterans. (CharlotteObserver 01.04.1906)

Now I know that this type of story is not popular amongcertain groups of historians. Regardless of the predisposed assumption thatthere no blacks in the Confederate army, they did exist, as evidenced by thestory above. Of course, I have frequently mentioned the Cousins/Cozzensbrothers of Watauga County, who served in the 37th NCT. Franklin Cozzens a freemulatto, voluntarily enlisted in the Confederate army and was killed at SecondManassas in August 1862. Unlike Franklin and William Henry Cozzens, William Winters does not appear to have acompiled service record. Many would argue that since he spent the war workingas a cook, he was not a legitimate soldier. That's an old (obsolete?) argument.William Henry Cozzens served most of the War as a teamster, and when it cametime to apply for a pension, he had no problems obtaining one. I could find nopension for Winters, nor do I know of the disposition of his remains. It willbe an interesting story to follow.

A Look Around the Old North State

2011-11-29T11:47:00.001-05:00

It been sometime since I looked at what's going on in thenews related to North Carolina and the War - sorry for being behind.

For information on North Carolina Civil War sites with holiday-themedprograms, check out this piece from South Carolina here.

The Virginia Pilot recently reported here that the bell ofthe CSS Albemarle has been returned to North Carolina.

Information about arms manufacture during the War in theJamestown area can be found here.

Interested in original Confederate imprints? Check out thisarticle on a exhibit at UNC Chapel Hill.

Playing the role of tourist

2011-11-23T07:55:00.001-05:00

Every once-in-a while, I get to go and play a tourist - I'mnot out researching, or trying to give a talk, or selling a book. A couple of weekends ago, I got to spend a little time in Harrisonburg, Virginia. My darlingwife was presenting a paper at James Madison University, and we got to tagalong.

After a morning spent at children's museum in Harrisonburg, weheaded up the interstate to New Market. Often I drive up I-81 through the Shenandoah Valley and literally passthrough the New Market Battlefield. I cannot recall if I had ever actuallyvisited the area; if I had, it would have been in the mid- to late 1980s,possibly during the trip to Gettysburg in 1988.

On arriving in town, "Thing Two" was asleep in thebackseat, and so we drove around and visited the two large cemeteries in town: EmmanuelLutheran Cemetery, and then over to St. Matthew's Cemetery. Both are great oldcemeteries and hold the remains of Confederates from the battle. St. Matthewshas a large Confederate monument marking the burial spot for many Confederateskilled or mortally wounded during the battle, and was also the final restingplace of the cadets from the Virginia Military Institute before beingreinterred on the campus of VMI.

Figuring that Thing Two had had enough of a nap, we headedto the battlefield. We toured the museum, looking at the uniforms and flags anddifferent displays. It would have been nice to see a little more about thebattle, but I understand that they are trying to reach a broader audience. Wealso watched "Field of Lost Shoes," the short documentary on the 1864battle. Overall, it was really good, with great interpreters. I was a little concerned with the whole slaverunning away bit - it seemed unnecessary and gives into the whole "theUnion army got close and the slaves sought freedom" part of popularculture. Was this actually based on a true story from one of the local farmsteads?Is there proof that slaves did run away from their homes on the approach of theUnion army getting ready to fight at New Market? How about information on theslaves that chose to remain behind and not run away? Or, is this simply a NorthCarolina phenomenon? Oh well...

We spent time touring the battlefield and walking about theBushong Farm. It was late in the day, and rather cool, so there will be otherplaces to explore in the area on a return visit.

On Saturday, we had a chance to visit Dayton, Tennessee, andthe area where Lt. John Meigs, the son of Federal general Montgomery Meigs, waskilled. Meigs was out on a scout when he and his companion ran into Confederatescouts. In the very brief skirmish that followed, Meigs was killed. His fellow soldierreturned to camp and informed the Federal command Phil Sheridan, that Meigs hadsurrendered and was killed later. Sheridan ordered one of subordinates, GeorgeA. Custer, to burn all the town of Dayton and all of the houses in a three mileradius of the site. Much of the town survived, but many of the farms in thearea were torched.

Overall, a great weekend of just touring Civil War sites.Time to get ready for the next adventure.

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Catawba County Library Will Display Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit in December

2011-11-22T09:55:00.001-05:00

RALEIGH – Determination, commitment and pride are among many characteristics of North Carolinians depicted in the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit” (www.nccivilwar150.com). The exhibit commemorates the role our state played in the Civil War (1861-1865), a defining period in United States history. It will visit the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras and the Catawba County Library in Hickory from Dec. 2-29 on simultaneous eastern and western routes.

“The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography,” explains Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. “The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’ exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now.”

Images gathered from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org), and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org) will illustrate valiant members of the Confederacy, African Americans fighting for freedom, and daring women dedicated to the South. A total of 24 images will be exhibited by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) in 50 libraries and four museums throughout the state from April 2011 to May 2013. A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further info rmation and seeking viewer comments.

Among the photos is an image of Parker D. Robbins, who was listed in an 1850 census as a mixed-race mechanic (Chowanoke Indian, black, and white). He served in the 2^nd United States Colored Calvary and later served as one of the first Black Republicans in the North Carolina Constitutional Convention of 1868.

For info rmation on the December displays call the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum at (252) 986-2995 or the Catawba County Library at (828) 294-2343. For more info rmation on the statewide tour visit www.nccivilwar150.com or call the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources at (919) 807-7389.

Silver Dollars

2011-11-21T12:26:00.001-05:00

Dug this out of the CharlotteObserver (02/01/1903) this afternoon - wish I would have came across itsooner, or maybe even found the Mexican dollar!

Major G. W. F. Harpershowed your correspondent a Mexican silver dollar, which was his pay forservice in the civil war. As many know, the Confederates were paid off at theclose of the way for their services, some receiving $1.25, while others only received$1.14; the latter amount being the price paid Major Harper. On this dollar,Major Harper has had engraved, "Bounty for G. W. F. Harper, Major,Fifty-eighth Regiment, April 1st, 1865, for three years' service in theConfederate States army."

Duke Homestead to Host Lecture About Slavery

2011-11-17T11:46:00.001-05:00

Durham -- On Saturday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m., Duke Homestead State Historic Site will host a lecture on the practice of slave leasing in the south as part of the Civil War 150 programming series. Professor Heather Williams of UNC-Chapel Hill will shed some light on this often misunderstood and under recognized part of the institution of slavery. This event is free.

Williams holds undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University and is currently Associate Professor of History at UNC- Chapel Hill where she teaches several courses including U.S. History to the Civil War; African American Life and Culture in Slavery; and other courses relating to the antebellum and Civil War periods.

On the road (yet again).

2011-11-15T08:04:00.001-05:00

Friends, I'll be out signing twice this week. Tonight(November 15), I'll be speaking to the Capt. Jonas Cook Camp, SCV Camp. Theymeet at the St. John's Lutheran Church near Mt. Pleasant, NC, at 7:00 pm.

On Saturday, November 19, I'll be speaking at the Ladies Teaat the Annual Raid on the Suwannee Reenactment, held at the Spirit of the SuwanneeRiver Music Park in Florida. Not sure about the time yet. I'll be around at theevent most of the weekend.

More please?

2011-11-14T09:47:00.001-05:00

Col. L. O'B. Branch was given this order November 18th:"The Governor directs that you arrest Lieut. Col. Bowman, U.S. A., andconfine him in some cell in the jail at Raleigh reserved for prisoners accusedof infamous crimes and treat him as such so long as the enemy continues so totreat the prisoners of war captured by them at sea and now held for trail innew York as prisoners. You will release Lieut. Col. Bowman from his parole andexecute this order with as much regard for his feelings as practicable." Thiscame from the adjutant general' letter books, found in the Charlotte Observer onMarch 9, 1902. Sometimes you just want more of the story. Who was Lieut. Col.Bowman? And why was he in Raleigh?

Thoughts on Hanover

2011-11-09T11:54:00.001-05:00

So what drew me to the story of the battle of Hanover CourtHouse/Slash Church? When I was working on my work on the 27th North CarolinaTroops, I came across this battle - it was the second battle that the 37th NCTfought, along with the other regiments in Branch's brigade. As I was working,all I could really find was an essay by Robert E. L. Krick on the battle and amaster's thesis by Jerry Coggeshall from 1999. I believe that the story of thisbattle needed to be told. In reading larger histories of the PeninsulaCampaign, Hanover barely got a mention - just a couple of paragraphs in Sear'streatment of the battle. As I was working through the role of the 37th NCT atthe battle, I believe that this action had a greater role in the overallPeninsula campaign that which had been previously told. With a portion of IrvinMcDowell's army advancing south from Fredericksburg, and Fitz John Porter'sCorps sitting just a little to the northeast of Richmond, the capital city ofthe Confederacy stood poised to fall to the Federals. Who was there positioned northof the city and able to stop them? The demoralized brigade of Branch. Ofcourse, we all know the outcome: McDowell returned to Fredericksburg and Porterwas soon on his way back to the main elements of the Army of the Potomac.

I try and get back to the Hanover area once or twice a year,often just to sit and reflect about this battle, a battle overshadowed by SevenDays and then the bloodletting a month later. But I would argue that Hanoverneeds to be remembered. The sacrifices of the Confederate and Union soldiersaround the Kinney Farm and just north of Peake's Turnout were just as real asthose of later battles.

So the next time you are in Hanover County, traveling northalong US 301 towards the Court House, and pass by the intersection of Peake'sRoad and Georgetown Road, remember those who fought at the battle of HanoverCourt House.

Cannon from Latham's battery, captured during thebattle of Hanover Court House. Photo taken in the camp of the 17th Michigan.

Battle of Hanover Court House reissued as softback.

2011-11-07T08:49:00.000-05:00

Good news - The Battleof Hanover Court House: Turning Point of the Peninsula Campaign hasrecently been released in paperback.

Follow along as Federal general George B. McClellan advancesnorth from the Peninsula and Irvin McDowell advances south from Washington, D.C., with orders to meet in Hanover County, Virginia. Sent to guard the railroadbrigades in the area is the brigade of Brig. Gen. Lawrence Branch. His Tar Heelbrigade is composed of the 7th, 18th, 28th, 33rd, and 37th Regiments of NorthCarolina Troops. These men, along with the 12th North Carolina State Troops andLatham's battery, pitch into the Federals of Fitz John Porter's V Corps. Whilethe Confederates are heavily outnumbered, they fight valiantly, at timesdriving the Federals back. In the end, massive Federal reinforcements arriveand force the Tar Heels to retreat to Ashland, Virginia. Federal losses were355; Confederate losses amounted to 798.

This is the only book-length treatment of the battle, and in2007, won the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award from the North CarolinaSociety of Historians. You can order your signed copy today for $27.50 (plusshipping and handling) by visiting www.michaelchardy.com/books.html or throughyour local book seller.

As an aside, I've been contacted by some folks in theHanover area about doing a tour of the area on May 27, 2012. Keep watching formore details.

How a Boy Won His Spurs at Antietam

2011-11-05T16:32:00.000-04:00

I came across this story a few days ago and I thought Iwould share. It is from ConfederateVeteran, March 1913. This one makes me want to quit working on Civil WarCharlotte and write a history of the 35th NCT...

HOW A BOY WON HIS SPURS AT ANTIETAM.

FROM SKETCH BY MRS. B. A. C. EMERSON, DENVER, COLO.

Early in the morning of the battle ofAntietam Colonel Ransom's brigade of North Carolina regiments was sent to the aid of Stonewall Jackson's hard-pressed lines. In this brigade, in the 35thNorth Carolina, was William S. Hood, the boy whowon his spurs on that day. The incidents aredetailed by Capt. W. H. S. Burgwyn, of the 35th:

"During a lull in the battle General Jackson, with Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, visited our lines, which were in the famous 'West Woods.' GeneralJackson had on an old worn uniform, his slouch hat was pulled down overhis eyes, and he was riding Little Sorrel. He rode up to where Colonel Ransomwas standing and said he wanted him to take a batterythat was in sight. Colonel Ransom replied that hewould try if ordered, but was afraid he would fail. Jacksonreplied that he had just witnessed his charge upon that battery, and hethought that if he would try again he could take it. Colonel Ransom said he hadtried it, and when he got on top of the hill he sawwhat he thought was the greater part of McClellan'sarmy behind it. Jackson asked: 'Have you a good climber in yourcommand?' Colonel Ransom called for volunteers, and Private William S. Hood, ofCompany H, jumped up and said he could climb. Jackson pickedout a tall hickory tree and told him to go up it.Hood pulled off his shoes in a jiffy and went uplike a squirrel.

"When Hood wasnear the top, Jackson, sittingon his horse under the tree, asked him: 'How manytroops are over there?' Hood, uttering an exclamation of amazement, replied:'Oceans of them.' Jackson sternly said: 'Count the flags, sir!' Hood began, 'One, two, three, four,'etc., General Jackson repeating after him the numbers until he had counted thirty-nine, when Jackson said: 'That will do; come down.' All this time the enemy's sharpshooters were firing at Hood."

When this sketchappeared in the newspapers before its publication in the State's history (North Carolina regiments), itbrought a communication from Capt. D. G. Maxwell,Company H, 35th North Carolina, of Charlotte, which is so creditable to the gallant boy, Private William S. Hood, that it isincorporated as part of the record of this regiment.It states:

"In regard to the battle of Sharpsburg there are several additionalincidents I shall relate. When going into action that morning, Colonel Ransomhimself carried the regimental colors, but was notwounded. His command captured the battery whichthey had charged, but were afterwards forced to fall back and take theiroriginal position at the foot of a hill in the woods. Justhere a Yankee officer mounted on a bobtail horse rode up to the abandonedbattery, apparently to view our position, when I suppose one hundred guns werefired at him. He sat unconcernedly on his horse, when Colonel Ransom cried out:'Cease firing; don't shoot that brave man.' The Yankeeofficer withdrew as deliberately as he came.

"Shortlythereafter, the firing having ceased in our immediate front, and before Private Hood hadvolunteered to climb the tree for General Jackson, Colonel Ransom came and ordered me todetail the best man in mycompany to go forward and ascertain the positionand movements of the enemy. Immediately young Hoodsprang to his feet (we were all lying down) and asked permission to go; and ashe struck a 'turkey trot' across the field with his gun at a trail, I could see a smileof admiration on the face of theold Roman as he asked the name of the boy soldier and commanded me to lie down and reportto him on Hood's return.

"Hood was gonefor at least an hour, which was a long time under the circumstances, so long that both Colonel Ransom and Iwere uneasy as to his fate. Finally he returned and gave such a satisfactory account of all he had seen that ColonelRansom complimented him and ordered him to return to his company. Hood told methat on the field among the deadand wounded he found a Federal officer badlywounded and crying for water. He gave the officerhis canteen. The wounded man offered to give Hoodhis gold watch and chain and all the money he hadto carry him within our lines for treatment. Hood told him that it was animpossibility; but when he encountered the Yankeepickets he informed them of this officer's condition and proposed to conductthem to the place where he was lying, whichproposition was readily accepted. The officer wasplaced upon a stretcher and carried within the Federal lines. Hood could easily have been captured;but his magnanimity to this wounded officer gained for him the admiration of the Federalpickets, who treated him kindly, gave him coffee, and allowed him to return.

"A short time afterHood's return General Jackson made his request for a man to climb the tree. Hoodagain volunteered, as Colonel Burgwyn states, except that he did not 'take offhis shoes in a jiffy,' from thefact that he had no shoes on his feet, they being so sore that he couldnot wear any. He was not only barefooted but ragged and dirty. His condition,however, was not an exception.

"After ourretreat across the Potomac, Gen.Robert Ransom left an order with me forPrivate Hood to report to him. Soon thereafter we resumed our march towardMartinsburg, Va. I saw nothing more of Hood until late inthe afternoon, when General Ransom passedour regiment in a gallop, Hood following him on oneof the General's horses, with spurson his bare feet. He lifted his old cap and saluted as he passed. He remained with Gen. Robert Ransom as courier until Col. Matt Ransomwas promoted to brigadier general. General Mattthen took Hood on his staff of couriers.

"William S.Hood was only sixteen years old when he enlisted. He was ahandsome boy with black eyes, long blackhair, and fair skin—indeed, a noble type of a Southern lad. He wrote a beautifulhand, and was often detailed to assist in makingout reports, pay rolls, etc. He was a son of A. I.Hood, of Mecklenburg County."

In the assault on Fort Steadman on March 25, 1865, Gen. MattRansom commanded his own and Wallace's South Carolina Brigade. In his report of this brilliant but disastrous attack General Lee said: "The twobrigades commanded by General Ransom behaved mosthandsomely." The 35th lost largely in killed, wounded, and prisoners. Here Hood was killed. General Ransom clothed the bodyof the brave boy in a general'suniform and laid it tenderly in a grave far from the home of his childhood, in oldMecklenburg County

2011-10-31T09:08:00.002-04:00

RALEIGH – The pitchers in the World Series probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the Civil War. But a little-known fact is that a form of the curve ball, one of the hardest pitches to hit in baseball, was first thrown in 1862 by Union soldier Alphonse “Phoney Ball” Martin, 9^th NY Infantry.

As the nation observes the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, military and social aspects of the time are being officially commemorated in the state by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (www.nccivilwar150.com) through 2015.

While stationed at Fort Reno on the northern end of Roanoke Island during the occupation of North Carolina ’s Outer Banks, Union soldiers often had free time. Martin, a native New Yorker, had played on a pre-war team called the Unions, one of 16 teams that competed regularly in the metropolitan New York area. Union soldiers brought baseball down South during the war, as it had originated in Maine as “town ball” and spread through New England .

Martin was known for a slow, curved pitch that was incredibly difficult for batters to hit, and he earned the name “Phoney Ball.” After the war, Martin returned to New York and pitched for the New York Mutuals and the Brooklyn Eckfords. Although Martin pitched the curve during the Civil War, Arthur “Candy” Cummings is credited with inventing the pitch in 1867, playing for the Brooklyn Excelsiors.

A plaque for Cummings at the Baseball Hall of Fame states “Inventor of the Curveball,” but Cummings admitted to baseball historian Alfred H. Spink that he felt Martin had first pitched a curve ball. Cummings reportedly said of other pitchers, “But none of those pitchers knew they had a curve, and I suppose it is fair to say I was the first to find out what a curve was and how it was done.”

About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. Cultural Resources champions North Carolina ’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy. To learn more, visitwww.ncculture.com.

Lawyer in “Separate but Equal” Case Is Subject of Symposium Nov. 4

2011-10-27T09:55:00.000-04:00

RALEIGH – A former Union soldier, Albion Tourgée returned to North Carolina to settle in Greensboro in 1865. A lawyer, judge, novelist and activist, he worked for racial equality in the post-slavery South.

The symposium “A Radical Notion of Democracy: Law, Race, and Albion Tourgée, 1865-1905” on Nov. 4, at the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Building in Raleigh, will examine his legacy.

Tourgée achieved national fame when representing Homer Plessy in the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) case before the U.S. Supreme Court. He lost, and “separate but equal” facilities and the practice of racial segregation were established.

Through Tourgée’s efforts, the North Carolina constitution of 1868 guaranteed free public education. That and other achievements will receive special attention in the symposium, along with his lasting contributions to the national discourse on civil rights through the concept of a “color-blind” society argued in the Plessy v. Ferguson case.

An opening keynote address will be by Mark Elliot of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, author of “Color Blind Justice: Albion Tourgée and the Quest for Racial Equality from Civil War to Plessy v. Ferguson.” The closing keynote will be by Blair Kelley of N.C. State University, author of “In Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson.”

Eight panel discussions with distinguished scholars of law and history are planned. A dramatic presentation in the State Capitol of portions of the Constitutional Convention of 1868, will conclude the program, followed by a reception.

Registration is required for the free symposium, which also offers education credit to teachers and lawyers. Register at http://tinyurl.com/3oeuct7. The major sponsors of the symposium are the UNC Center for the Study of the American South and the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources’ Office of Archives and History.

About the UNC Center for the Study of the American South

A research arm of UNC-Chapel Hill, the Center for the Study of the American South (http://www.uncsouth.org/) is the region’s premiere institution for original research, teaching, and public dialog on the history, culture and contemporary experience of the American South.

About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy. To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com<http://www.ncculture.com>.

Good News!

2011-10-26T09:59:00.002-04:00

Great news! The North Carolina Society of Historians, this past Saturday, honored two of my books, The Fifty-eighth North Carolina Troops: Tar Heels in the Army of Northern Virginia (2010) and North Carolina Remembers Gettysburg (2011) with the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award. This makes the seven and eight times that I have been honored by the Society for my books. Awards were also presented to several of my articles that appeared in Carolina Mountain Life, and one of my articles in the Tar Heel Junior Historian; these were given the D. T. Smithwick Newspaper and Magazine Article Award. Thanks to the Society for the honors.

One other piece of personal news: I was recently elected to serve on the board of the Friends of Mountain Heritage Board, a organization made up of museums and historic sites in western North Carolina. I am looking forward to getting involved!

On the Road, again...

2011-10-25T08:22:00.001-04:00

My little break is over and it is time to hit the roadsagain. I hope to see you at one of these events.

Tuesday, October 25, Sherrill's Ford Public Library (CatawbaCounty), 6:30 pm.

Thursday, October 27, Black Bear Books (Boone), 7:00 pm.

Saturday, October 29, Blue Ridge Books (Waynesville), 3:00pm.

Six footers

2011-10-24T13:55:00.001-04:00

We often hear that people back during the war years were smaller,not as tall as people today. I've often argued against that, largely due to thefact that I found a number of people in the 37th NCT who were each over six feettall. Earlier today, while working through the Charlotte Observer (12/16/1899), I found this piece. Both Marks andLeon served in the 53rd North Carolina Troops:

An Old Confederate Here.

Mr. Sam Marks, of Shelby, is here, attendingcourt. Mr. Marks is about six feet six inches high. There were in his company-- Capt. Joseph Harvey White's-- 81 men over six feet. He, messers. Louis Leonand W. R. Cochrane were in the same company. Mr. Marks and Mr. Cochrane savedMr. Leon's life once in carrying him across the Potomac when all wasn't"quiet." Marks said yesterday: "If Lee had had 500 men likeLouis Leon, Bill Cochrane and myself the war would have been going onyet.."

Civil War Charlotte Update

2011-10-20T10:43:00.000-04:00

If you follow this blog regularly, you know that I've beenon the road lately. A lot. All of this travel, in support of the new North Carolina in the Civil War, hastaken me away from the Civil War Charlotte project. I have been reading,recently finishing the book on Philly and the War, and currently reading volumeone of Blood and War at my Doorstep.I've also started to go through ConfederateVeterans. Yesterday, I was back to reading the Charlotte Observer, finishing up the year 1897. I have found lotsof great info about reunions and war stories. I'm not sure how much of it willmake it into the book, but some interesting pieces nevertheless.

Stay tuned for more information - the next few weeks are notnearly as hectic as the last few, and I'll have more time to get things sortedthrough.

North Carolina Celebrates American Archives Month with Civil War Documents

2011-10-19T08:32:00.002-04:00

RALEIGH – Colonel Isaac Avery lay dying on the Gettysburg battlefield that sweltering July day. Struck in the neck by an enemy bullet, his writing hand was paralyzed, yet he was determined to record his last thoughts for his family. Found next to his body, scrawled in pencil and written with his left hand, was a scrap of paper with the words: "Major: Tell my father I died with my face to the enemy. I. E. Avery."

This is one of thousands of treasures in the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources’ State Archives. Some rarely exhibited items will be taken from the vault and displayed on Monday, Oct. 24, 9:30 a.m-3 p.m., as the State Archives celebrates American Archives Month. Archivists will be available to provide context for the documents. Diaries, letters, sheet music, government documents, a map of Gen. William T. Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign, and more will be displayed, as will a Civil War letter from home:

Francis Poteet was conscripted into the 49th North Carolina Infantry Regiment in 1863, leaving behind his wife, Martha, and their children. In a letter to her husband posted June 16, 1864, she writes to him, “My baby will be 4 weeks old Saturday Night she was born the 21 of May write to Me what to name her.” Enclosed with the letter is a paper cut-out of the baby’s tiny hand.

Promoted by the Society of American Archivists, American Archives Month raises awareness about the value of archives and archivists through public events and activities. North Carolina ’s theme, “Not Just A List of Names,” focuses on Civil War-related documents as the nation commemorates the war’s sesquicentennial.

Also on display Oct. 24 will be documents telling the stories and names of the famous and not-so-famous. View a letter from Jefferson Davis to Gov. John W. Ellis dated May 23, 1861, congratulating him on North Carolina ’s succession; a Confederate soldier’s bloodied New Testament picked up from the Fort Fisher Battlefield; and a wooden pedestal hand-built by a Union soldier who came to possess the testament and where it came to rest.

The event is free to the public and will be held in the State Archives Search Room of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Building, 109 E. Jones Street , Raleigh , N.C. 27601 .

Old town, new stone

2011-10-18T12:22:00.002-04:00

Yet another busy and great weekend - I love fall in westernNorth Carolina. I got to spend Saturday in Old Salem, signing books at T. Bagge’swith Joe Mobley (Confederate Generals ofNorth Carolina). We (my family) then spent the rest of the afternoontouring the town and visiting the shops. If you have not been to old Salem, youneed to visit. It’s well worth the time and money. One story I will relate - wewere standing on the porch of the old tavern reading the menu when my wiferecognized a lady and her daughter whom we have not seen in 10 years. So, you never know who you will run into.

On Sunday, we were headed to the far western parts of NorthCarolina. Several weeks ago, I posted about raising money to purchase areplacement stone for Brig. Gen. John W. McElroy, the commander of the 1stBrigade, North Carolina Home Guard. Our local SCV Camp raised the funds, andpurchased the stone, and we were off to install the marker. McElroy is buried inthe Old Mother Cemetery in Robbinsville, Graham County. The stone wasinstalled, and I had a chance to address those gathered with a few wordsconcerning the life of this man. Thanks to the Col. John B. Palmer Camp, Sonsof Confederate Veterans, for making this happen.

Interestingly enough, I got an email this morning from aMcElroy researcher who said that all of my research was wrong - that John W.McElroy was in Arkansas in 1864. Oh well, I guess all the copies of letters Ihave between McElroy and Vance, written in 1864 about the conditions in westernNorth Carolina, are incorrect....

“Me and my pards” were then off to Cherokee County - beingso close, we decided to do a little more cemetery crawling. After about 45minutes on the road, we arrived at the Hanging Dog Baptist Church Cemetery.Like the Old Mother Church Cemetery, this burial ground is rather large - over1,000 graves. We came across the graves of numerous Confederate and a fewFederals. The grave we were hunting was that of Montreville Ray, a YanceyCounty resident that served one year in the 16th North Carolina Troops. Afterserving one year (to the day), Ray deserted. In April 1864, he helped lead araid on the town of Burnsville. Because he led the raid, some have claimed thatRay was a Unionist. However, there is no record that Ray ever joined the Unionarmy. He was in the column often labeled "other."

Overall, a great weekend, but I am glad to have a few daysoff.

The Weekend Update (without Dennis Miller)

2011-10-11T09:37:00.001-04:00

So, I thought it might be time for an update - yes, I'vebeen traveling all across our great state the past few weeks, talking todifferent groups about the war, and about my books (I'll be speaking tonight tothe Rowan History Club in Salisbury).

This past weekend, I dropped my pen and picked up my sword.It was the Mitchell County Sesquicentennial celebration. "Me and some pards"set up a Confederate camp along the Creek Walk in Bakersville. The campincluded several stations, including a civilian station, officer's tent,enlisted man's quarters (complete with a half-dozen dog tents), stations on uniforms,common soldiers, flags, small arms, and artillery.

On Friday, we had around 130 students - third, fourth, and fifth graders from Gouge Elementary-who visited our camp. They went througheach of these stations, learning about the War on both a local level, and aboutthe soldiers who marched away. The highlight was firing the 12lb Napoleon Cannon,provided by the Santee Light Artillery. The kids were all really excited whenthat big gun went bang! Well, almost all of them. One teacher, after stayingabout 10 minutes, thought her students would be better served by taking themback for P.E. So, you have some of the best interpreters in western NorthCarolina doing what they do best (not to mention North Carolina's Historian ofthe Year), and you think P.E. would be a better option? No wonder our nation'schildren are historically illiterate; teachers like this one think PE is moreimportant. If she was worried about their physical fitness, we could have chasedthem around with bayonets.

We continued Friday evening, providing candlelight tours ofthe camp, and once again focusing our talks on what happened locally. Firingthe cannon at night was another treat.

On Saturday, the new Mitchell County Confederate Monument,containing the names of 79 local men who died during the war, was dedicated. Aconservative estimate of one hundred citizens joined about twenty-five membersof the Col John B. Palmer Camp, SCV, and the Martha Reid Silver Confederate MemorialAssociation at the dedication. Several gave remarks, including Bakersvillemayor Charles Vines. I had a chance to deliver the dedication speech, the thirdtime I have had such an honor. The names on the monument were read, a wreath laid,and volleys fired. The afternoon was spent giving tours and talking to thegeneral public.

Overall, it was a great weekend! The weather was great, and Ireally like working with the students, making history "live" forthem.

2011-10-10T08:42:00.000-04:00

Folks - once again, I'll be on the road quite a bit thisweek. I hope you will make plans to attend one of these:

Monday, October 10, Maj. Charles Q. Petty Camp, SCV,Gastonia Police Department, 7:00 pm

Tuesday, October 11, Rowan History Club, Rowan HistoryMuseum, 7:00 pm

Thursday, October 13, Yancey County and the Civil War RoundTable, Town Center, Burnsville, 6:30 pm

Saturday, October 15, Old Salem Museum, Winston-Salem, noon.

Bennett Place Historic Site Hosts Civil War Sesquicentennial Event Oct. 8-9

2011-10-04T09:03:00.002-04:00

DURHAM -- A signature Sesquicentennial event of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources’ Bennett Place State Historic Site, “Road to Secession,” will capture the patriotism and fanfare of piedmont North Carolina at the outset of the American Civil War on Saturday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m-3 p.m.

The weekend-long event, “Road to Secession,” will include a recruiting station that recreates the enlistment of young men and gives demonstrations of military drill and musket firing; civilian ladies practicing period cooking, sewing, and preparing care packages for soldiers; and an exhibition 19th-century style baseball game by the Greensboro Patriots against the locals and new recruits.

Photographer Ronald Hudson will be on hand with period photography and portraits for sale. Mule-pulled wagon rides around the farm will be available. Vendors will have period products to showcase and sell, and the Huckleberry Brothers band will provide lively music.

Jeff Bockert, assistant curator for education with the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources’ Historic Sites, will speak on uniforms and equipment of the North Carolina soldier. He is among several historians and authors who will speak in the Visitor Center theater. Brenda McKean will present her two books, “Blood at Our Doorstep, Life of the North Carolina Civilian During the Civil War, Volumes I & II.” Michael Hardy will present his latest title, “ North Carolina in the Civil War.” and Keith Jones will speak on “Boys of Diamond Hill,” a series of letters of a South Carolina family that lost four of five sons in the Civil War.

The Sons of the Confederate Veterans Bennett-Duke Camp will show a genealogical research display.

The mission of Bennett Place State Historic Site is to interpret the meeting of Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston, whose goal in April 1865 was to bring a peaceful solution to the war and the surrender of 89,270 exhausted Confederate troops. The state historic site also interprets the lives of yeomen North Carolina farmers such as James and Nancy Bennett.

Bennett Place is at 4409 Bennett Memorial Road , Durham , NC , 27705 . For additional info rmation call (919) 383-4345 or visithttp://www.nchistoricsites.org/bennett/bennett.htm.

On the road this week

2011-10-03T09:05:00.002-04:00

Yet another busy week. Maybe I'll be in your neck of thewoods. If so, stop by and say hi!

Monday, October 3, 2011: SCV Camp, Barnardsville, NC, 7:00pm

Wednesday, October 5, 2011: Iredell County Public Library,Statesville, 7:00 pm

Saturday, October 8, 2011: Mitchell County SesquicentennialCelebration, Bakersville, NC, All Day!

Sunday, October 9, 2011: Bennett Place State Historic Site,Durham, NC, All Day!

North Carolina License Plate Initiative

2011-09-26T09:27:00.001-04:00

As part of the ongoing commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the North Carolina Office of Archives and History is working with the Division of Motor Vehicles to create a specialty license plate. Designed by Amy Sawyer of Historic Sites, the plate features silhouetted artillerymen as well as the commemoration's theme—Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory—and URL. The design conforms with the new regulations set forth by the legislature guaranteeing that a large, unobstructed central portion of the plate be reserved for the license number and that the name of the state be clearly visible. Furthermore, the URL adopts the .gov suffix in place of the previous .com, a reflection of the ongoing migration of state government websites to the former.

The intent is to market a plate over the course of the commemorative period at a cost to the vehicle operator of $30 per year. Funds received from the Division of Motor Vehicles will be directed to the Division of State Historic Sites and Properties for use in commemorative activities and for battlefield preservation, acquisition, and interpretation.

A completed application and check for $30 payable to the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources should be mailed by December 1, 2011, to Bridget Jordan, North Carolina Historic Sites, 4620 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-4620. Once 300 orders have been received, the plates will be fabricated by the Department of Corrections.

Application for a North Carolina Civil War License Plate (PDF)

Events this weekend

2011-09-23T12:18:00.002-04:00

There is much going on this upcoming weekend. We'll be atthe Olde Timey Days in Burnsville this Saturday, talking about the War in Yancey County. Please drop by andsee us.

This Sunday, we are participating in a tour at the site ofChildsville/Calhoun in southern Avery County. Childsville/Calhoun was the firstseat of the newly created Mitchell County in 1861. It is also the site of thegrave of Robert Sevier, who was mortally wounded during the battle of KingsMountain in 1781. This site is on private property, and is almost never open tothe public. Since it is the 100th Anniversary of the creation of Avery County,and the 150th Anniversary of Mitchell County, the owners made an exception.Tours start at 2:00 pm.

High Point, Wilmington Libraries Display Civil War Photo Exhibit in October

2011-09-22T22:55:00.000-04:00

RALEIGH – Destruction was felt around homes and communities as backyards were turned into battlefields in North Carolina during the Civil War (1861-1865). Widespread suffering impacted all North Carolinians regardless of race, class or gender.

The involvement of Confederate soldiers, African Americans and women is depicted in theFreedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit(www.nccivilwar150.com), which will simultaneously visit the High Point Public Library and the New Hanover County Public Library in Wilmington Oct. 1-29. The exhibit will educate and illustrate a difficult period in history that the nation moved beyond.

“The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography,” explains Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. “The Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now.”

The exhibit will honor North Carolinians and their dedication throughout the Civil War with images gathered from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org), and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org). A total of 24 images will be displayed by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) in 50 libraries and four museums throughout the state on western and eastern routes from April 2011 through May 2013. A notebook will accompany each exhibit with further info rmation and also seeking viewer comments.

The collection depicts those involved in the war including images of artifacts and official documents. One image shows a mourning ring made by a Confederate prisoner, possibly to trade for goods, and recalls a practice of Southern women to show that a loved one was off in the war or had died.

For info rmation on the High Point exhibit, call the library at (336) 883-3631. For info rmation on the New Hanover exhibit, call the library at (910) 798-6300.

For tour info rmation contact the Department of Cultural Resources at (919) 807-7389. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is the state agencywith the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 atwww.ncculture.com.

And the band played...

2011-09-21T12:31:00.003-04:00

I had a great question on Monday night while speaking inThomasville - did the band of the 26th NCT stand and play "Nearer My Godto Thee" on July 3 as the Confederate troops fell back after the failedPickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge. I could not remember at the time, so I camehome and looked it up and I thought I would share what I found.

My first go-to place was my own book - North Carolina Remembers Gettysburg. There is a post-war story fromSamuel T. Mickey, who served as chief musician of the band of the 26th NorthCarolina from November 1, 1862, until captured at Amelia Court House on April4, 1865. Mickey wrote:"I will say that on the second day of July, theTwenty-sixth and Eleventh bands were ordered to the front to play for ourbrigade, as they formed to go into action. Both bands consolidated and playeduntil we were ordered to stop and return to the hospital." (Charlotte Observer, September 23, 1894)

Next, I turned my attention to Rod Gragg's Covered with Glory. He also mentions the26th's band playing on July 2, with the band of the 11th NCST. "Rousing tunes like 'Luto Quickstep,' 'LouisaPolka,' 'Cheer, Boys, Cheer,' 'Old North State,' 'Dixie,' and 'The Bonnie BlueFlag' were among the repertory." (148) However, there is no mention of theband playing after the charge.

Craig Chapman's MoreTerrible than Victory, a history of the 11th North Carolina Troops, camenext. Chapman included this about July2: "During the afternoon, the 11thand 26th regimental bands entertained the troops with patriotic tunes. Themelodies of 'God Save the South' and 'When this cruel War is Over' soothed themen and cheered them a bit." (102) There was no mention of a band playingafterwards.

In an essay entitled "'Tha Kill so Meny of us': TheTwenty-sixth North Carolina at Gettysburg" by Greg Mast, which appeared inCompany Front in 2008, we find that theregiment band of the 26th NCT was "Ordered to get their horns and play-andit was never done more faithfully all day long-and with more effect and thewriter till this day has never heard such music that cheered him so-a gloom hadsettled over the entire regiment at the loss of comrades and friends... but itwas soon entirely dispelled by the music and by 12 o'clock noon the commandcould raise a cheer." (17)

Assistant Surgeon George C. Underwood of the 26th NorthCarolina Troops, wrote in Volume II of Clark's North Carolina Regiments concerning the second day of the battle:"The regimental band (Captain Mickey's band) was ordered to play inspiringmusic to cheer the soldiers, whose spirits were depressed at the loss of somany of their comrades..." (362)

While I looked at several other sources (like Coddington)for information regarding the 26th NCT, I found not much to add. One finalplace I searched was Steven Cornelius's Musicof the Civil War Era. Cornelius quotes Julius A. Leinbach, a member of theband of the 26th NCT: "It was therefore with heavy hearts that we wentabout our duties caring for the wounded. We worked until 11 o'clock thatnight... At 3 o'clock [the next morning] I was up again and at work. The secondday out regiment was not engaged [because casualties were so high], but we werebusily occupied all day in our sad task [of caring for the wounded]. While thusengaged, in the afternoon we were sent... to play for the men, and thus,perhaps, [to] cheer them somewhat... We accordingly went to the regiment andfound the men much more cheerful than we were ourselves. We played for some time,the 11th NC Band playing with us, and the men cheered us lustily. Heavycannonading was going on at the time, though not in our immediate front. Welearned afterwards, from Northern papers, that our playing had been heardacross the lines and caused wonder that we should play while fighting was goingon around us. Some little while after we left, a bomb struck and exploded veryclose to the place where we had been standing, no doubt having been intendedfor us. " (206-207)

Based upon the above, I have concluded that the band of the26th NCT was not the band playing on July 3 while the Confederates retreated.However, Cornelius adds this in the next paragraph: "Terrible to imagine, but also infinitelymoving, is the performance by the Confederate band playing Lowell Mason's hymn"Nearer My God To Thee" as the grim survivors of Pickett's Chargefell back into their lines following the failed attack." Not sure abouthis source on this one.

Have you heard this story before? Do you have a source for whichConfederate band played this tune?

Comparing Sources

2011-09-19T13:19:00.002-04:00

Since I'm going to be writing a history of a city and theWar, I thought maybe I should read a couple of similar texts on other cities.So, I chose Anthony Waskie's Philadelphiaand the Civil War, along with Robert S. Davis's Civil War Atlanta, both published by the History Press. As adisclaimer, I have read several volumes on Richmond and the War and Leach's Reveille in Washington. However, thesources, primary and secondary, are legion when it comes to those two cities.And rightfully so: they were the two contending capitals.

What I'm interested in are the scores of materials that havealready been written on those two cities, regarding the war. Now I understandthat Atlanta is more important that Charlotte in the grander scope of things.But Charlotte was no light-weight. With its naval yard, gunpowder manufacturingfacility, and numerous other munitions and private war-time industry, it is themost important city in North Carolina (sorry Wilmington), and one of the mostimportant in the South.

With the books on Atlanta and Philadelphia in hand, I wentthrough the bibliographies, looking at the secondary sources related to thesecities and the war. For Atlanta, I counted 23 books, articles, and doctoraldissertations on the city (this does not include general histories). There aretour guides, looks at industry, civilians, dissidents, etc.

For Philadelphia, I went through the bibliography, lookingfor the same type of material: pieces related directly to the city and the War.The Philadelphia book is larger, and has a large bibliography. The numbers ofbooks and articles are about the same as those for Atlanta. Of course, thePhiladelphia sources go places that the Atlanta sources do not, namely, themaritime trade.

Given the importance of Charlotte, especially aftermid-1863, there is surprisingly little secondary information: three or fourhistories of Charlotte, and the small booklet On the Home Front: Charlotte During the Civil War, which at abouttwenty pages, well, not much to say there. In going through online sources likeJSTOR, there seems to be more on south Florida and the War, than the Charlottearea.

Needless to say, much of the work I am doing on this projectwill be from primary sources: newspapers, letters, diaries, and a few post-warreminiscences. Once again, I seem to begoing where no one has gone before.

"Will the real Tom Dooley please stand up?"

2011-09-14T15:38:00.002-04:00

This past Monday, I had theopportunity to speak at Wilkes Community College. The purpose of the gatheringwas to celebrate the release of Sharyn McCrumb's new ballad series novel, The Ballad of Tom Dooley. Sharyn and Ihave known each other for a over a decade, and it has been an honor to chaseConfederate (and a few Union) soldiers for her.

Below, please find a portion of the talk Igave on Monday.

Surprisingly, there are more men named Thomas Dula than men by any othername in the Confederate army. I believe that these different Thomas Dulas havegiven other researchers pause, in trying to cipher out which Tom Dula it wasthat killed Laura Foster in 1866. I also have had run-ins with Thomas Dula inmy own works. There was one in the 37th North Carolina Troops, and one in the58th North Carolina Troops, both regiments I have studied and on which I'vewritten histories. I don't recall if I ever suspected that the Thomas Dula inthe 37th North Carolina was the TomDooley or not - that was many years and many books ago. It could be that I wasnot familiar enough with the story so many years ago. More likely, I probably realizedthat that the Thomas Dula in the 37th Regiment, a native of Caldwell County, died of wounds sustained in the battle ofGaines Mill, Virginia, in the fall of 1862, making it a bit of a strain for himto murder Laura Foster in 1866. I do have the faintest recollection ofwondering how the Thomas J. Dula that enlisted in the 26th Regiment, and latertransferred to the 58th North Carolina Troops, would work into my post-warchapter of the 58th North Carolina Troops as someone hung for murder. A littleresearch showed me that this Thomas was not the right man. This Thomas enlistedin Caldwell County in March 1862 in the 26th Regiment, and transferred toCompany H, 58th North Carolina Troops upon being elected Captain of Company Hin May 1862. He was appointed to the rank of Major in April 1863, andtransferred to the field and staff. This Thomas was wounded in the thigh duringthe battle of Kolb's Farm, Georgia, on June 22, 1864, and then promoted tolieutenant colonel on July 6, 1864. He resigned on August 4, 1864, after beingelected solicitor of Caldwell County. Dula later moved to Wilkes County where hewas a judge for many years, and buried not far from where we are today. Whilesome solicitors and judges wind up on the wrong side of the bench, I soonlearned that this Thomas Dula was not the "right" Dula.

Thenthere is Thomas M. Dula, from Buncombe County, a corporal in Company K, 25thNorth Carolina Troops. This Thomas was discharged by reason of disability inMay 1862. And then we have Thomas W. Dula, a resident of Caldwell County, whoat the age of 30 enlisted in Company A, 22nd North Carolina Troops. He serveduntil March 8, 1865, just days before the war ended. This Thomas deserted andwent over to the Federal lines, where on March 10, he took the Oath and wasreleased. There is also another Thomas Dula, who at the age of 48, enlisted inthe 5th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves. This Thomas was classified asAWOL - absent without leave, at the end of the war.

Thatleaves us with just one: Thomas C. Dula. His record in the North CarolinaTroops books is simple, and reads: "Resided in Wilkes County where heenlisted at the age of 17, April 24, 1862, in Company K, 42nd North CarolinaTroops. Mustered in as Private. Promoted to Musician (Drummer) inJanuary-February 1864. Present or accounted for until captured at or nearWise's Fork, North Carolina, on March 10, 1865. Confined at Point Lookout,Maryland, March 16, 1865. Released at Point Lookout on June 11, 1865, aftertaking the Oath of Allegiance." Someone at the North Carolina Departmentof Archives and History was helpful enough to add to the entry: "Thissoldier is the famous 'Tom Dooley' about whom the ballad entitled "HangDown Your Head Tom Dooley" was written following his execution in 1866 forthe murder of Laura Foster." Of course, we know that the execution did nottake place in 1866.

So,let's dive a little deeper into his record, because there is more. Many peoplewant to give Tom more credit, or even combat experience. I read, just this week,a piece online, on Wikipedia no less, that stated that Dula "sufferedvarious injuries throughout the course of the fighting." Um, no, sorry,that is actually wrong. According toDula's compiled service record, the teenager spent time in three differenthospitals, not because of an injury, but because of a fever. He was in theConfederate States Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia, in November 1862, and theEpiscopal Church hospital in Williamston, North Carolina, in December 1862. Hewas sick in his quarters in January and February 1863, and was again reportedin a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, on August 10, 1864, for an undeterminedamount of time. Furthermore, a drummer boy, or musician, the position listedfor Tom Dula, often times did not go into combat with the other soldiers. Theregimental musicians were often detailed to the medical department as stretcherbearers once a battle began, swapping their musical instruments for canvas andwooden stretchers. Yes, they would have seen the horrors of war, the mangledbodies of friends and family, but the musicians were often behind lines, andnot in the front ranks. Tom would also have experienced the boredom of camp,and by his stays in different hospitals, been susceptible to the numerous diseases that swept through thecamps at different points during the war. The war undoubtedly changed ThomasDula: how could anyone who survived those awful years not be profoundlychanged?

Dula's regiment, the 42nd North Carolina Troops, started out the war asprison guards at Salisbury. The regiment was mustered into service in April1862, and in June was transferred to Virginia, again guarding prisoners andperforming garrison duty. In November, the regiment was back in North Carolina,and on November 5, skirmished for the first time with the enemy near Tarboro.Tom was in the hospital at the time. Almost all of 1863 was spent in some typeof garrison duty in the eastern part of North Carolina. It was not untilFebruary 2, 1864, that the regiment was involved in its first battle, albeit asmall one, at Newport Barracks, North Carolina. Tom was reported as being sickin camp. In May 1864, the regiment was on its way back to Virginia, and combat.They fought at Bermuda Hundred in May 1864, Cold Harbor and Petersburg in June,and New Market Heights in October. By the end of 1864, the regiment was back inWilmington, participating in the battles of Fort Fisher. The 42nd Regimentfought at Wise's Fork during the Confederate retreat, where Tom was captured.The fight continued at Bentonville, a last stand by the Confederate Army ofTennessee. The 42nd North Carolina Troops was surrendered on April 26, 1865, atthe Bennett Place, near Durham, and disbanded on May 2, 1865 at Center Churchin Randolph County, North Carolina.

So,how do we know all of this? Much of what I have told you about today comes fromthe 18 volume set of books entitled North Carolina Troops, released by theNorth Carolina Department of Archives and History. The pieces about Tom's lifecome from his Complied Service Records from the National Archives inWashington, D. C. Added to this are my almost 30 years of reading, researching,and writing about boys and men, just like Thomas Dula.

Thomas C. Dula was a teenager in the spring of 1862 when he voluntarilyenlisted in the 42nd North Carolina Troops. He was mustered in as a private, but soon promoted to musician, adrummer. Dula would have been the soldier who sounded revile of his drum everymorning to wake the men, and who kept the cadence when required to on themarch. On the approach of battle, Dula would have stowed his drum with otherregimental baggage to take up a stretcher, helping to carry men off the fieldwho were too grievously wounded to transport themselves. He would have taken these men back to somefield hospital in the rear. Dula would have shared in the hardships of camp,poor food, boredom, games of baseball and wrestling in camp, foot races, visitsby dignitaries and people from home, church services and all night singings.Like all other soldiers, Dula would have been susceptible to the many diseasesthat plagued the camp. These diseases, at least three times, required stays inConfederate hospitals. And toward the end of the war, Dula himself wascaptured, enduring a stay in a prison camp, which were often more deadly,killing more men than the minnie ball and artillery shell of the battle field. Thomas C. Dula endured and survived all ofthese, only to come home and run afoul of the law.

2011-09-13T09:32:00.001-04:00

Once again, I am spending much of this week on the road. Yesterday,I was at Wilkes Community College, speaking at the premier of Sharyn McCrumb'snew novel, The Ballad of Tom Dooley. The title of my talk was "Will thereal Tom Dula please stand up". I'll probably post some of that talklater.

I've got a couple of other trips this week. Tonight,(Tuesday, September 13) I'll be speaking to the Anderson-Tew-Bingham Camp, Sonsof Confederate Veterans. They meet at the LaFiesta Mexican Restaurant on MebaneOaks Roads.

Tomorrow night (Wednesday, September 14) I'll be speaking atthe Rowan County Public Library, in Salisbury, at the monthly meeting of theRowan Rifles Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, which meet at 6:30 pm.

This Saturday, weather permitting, I'll be at the Cove CreekFestival in Watauga County. More details to follow.

I hope to see you around this week!

News and Notes...

2011-09-08T09:51:00.002-04:00

Time for a look around the Old North State and what ismaking news...

In case you have not heard, the mayor/city council inReidsville, North Carolina, has removed the base of the Confederate monumentthat was struck by a driver earlier this year. It appears that the century-oldmonument will not returned to its original position. You can learn more here.

While on the topic of monuments, a new round of students areraising issues regarding the monument honoring former students from theUniversity of North Carolina (Chapel Hill). These "issues" seem tocome up every two or three years. You can learn more here.

Click here and here to learn more about artifacts capturedby the Union army during the March 1862 battle of New Bern are being returnedto North Carolina (temporarily).

The Salisbury Post has a piece on Stoneman's Raid - check itout here.

On the road....

2011-09-04T21:41:00.002-04:00

Looks like I'll be traveling a lot this week. On Tuesdayevening (September 6), I'll be visiting with the Yadkinville Gray Eagles Campof the SCV. They meet at the Old Stage Grill in Yadkinville at 6:00 pm.

On Thursday (September 8), I'll be speaking with the BlackRiver Tigers SCV Camp, which meet at Simon's Restaurant in Angier, NC at 7:00pm.

Then, on Saturday, (September 10), from 11:00 until 1:00 pm,I'll be signing books at Costco in Durham, North Carolina.

I hope to see you at one of these events. If you would likeme to come and speak to your group, or at your library, drop me a line, and wewill see what we can work out.

No Thermopylae for Him

2011-09-03T10:02:00.002-04:00

I dug this out of the Charlotte News (05/16/1890)recently - what do you think - was Clingman just blowing smoke?

Washington Letter: One of the octogenariansojourners in Washington is ex-Senator and General Clingman, of North Carolina.He tells this story of his fire-eating passion as a Confederate soldiers:"I heard General Joseph Johnston had said as soon as we heard of Lee'ssurrender, that he intended to give up the fight. I was ten miles away. I willnever forget that day. As I came dashing down to the headquarters of thegeneral commanding, on my gray charger, I said: 'General, by G-d, sah, we mustmake this a Thermopylae of the new world, and, if need be, I'll lead the van now,myself, sah!' 'Thermopylae!' said Johnston. 'That kind of talk might do for old'bucks' like you and me, Clingman, but for the young men in this army, who havewives and children to feed, and cotton to plant, and a living to make, it istoo late at this stage of the game for any Greek business at this end of theline.' 'I subsided,' said Clingman "and Joe Johnston sensibly surrenderedthe next day."

Civil War Charlotte on Facebook

2011-09-01T12:38:00.001-04:00

Many of you are friends on facebook, and I frequently post short notes about what I am working on or where I am off to. Today, I decided to set up a site just for my new project: Civil War Charlotte, to be released next year. This book will be published by the History Press, which also released North Carolina in the Civil War a few weeks ago. I'll use this site to give frequent, short updates about how I'm progressing on the book. So, if you are on facebook, let me encourage you to "like" Civil War Charlotte and follow me on this adventure.

Help Brig. Gen. John W. McElroy get a new tombstone.

2011-08-31T10:11:00.001-04:00

Greetings friends! The Col. John B. Palmer Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has embarked on a new project. John W. McElroy, a native to Yancey County, needs a new tombstone, and the Palmer Camp has taken it upon themselves to raise the funds to purchase this stone.

Life in western North Carolina was hard during the Civil War years. No one understood that better than John W. McElroy. The McElroy family were prominent citizens in the early days of Yancey County. John W. McElroy was a merchant, dealt in real estate, and served as clerk of court. The economic crisis of the late 1850s had forced McElroy out of business. He had sold his fine Burnsville home, and had moved to the Jack's Creek area to farm.

Prior to the War, McElroy had served as the commander of the Yancey County militia. Every county in North Carolina had a militia regiment, required by law to meet once a year to drill. Each county was composed of several militia districts, each with its own captain and lieutenants. These militia districts, found first on the 1860 census, would become townships by the 1870 census.

During the first months of the War, Colonel McElroy continued to perform his normal militia duties, which often did not amount to many responsibilities. But he had fewer and fewer men as they left to join the regular Confederate army. In the spring of 1862, the Confederate government passed the Conscription law, requiring men between the ages of 18 and 35 to enlist in the army. McElroy was responsible for mustering the militia and for getting these men off.

But many resented having to serve. Some hid out from the beginning, while others joined the army, and then later slipped back to check on their families or to join those already evading local authorities. Governor Zebulon B. Vance tried to use the militia to round up the outliers, but ran into legal problems. So Vance created the Guard for Home Defense. Their chief duty was to curtail the deserter problem. To lead the First Brigade of North Carolina Home Guard, Vance tapped John W. McElroy. While McElroy had limited military experience, Vance probably chose McElroy because of a family connection. Vance's older brother Robert had married McElroy's daughter, Harriett.

McElroy's task was not easy. Huge bands of deserters roomed the mountains, using their remoteness to their advantage. Of course, the only way these men could survive was by stealing what they needed. McElroy's command encompassed all of western North Carolina. He often made his headquarters in Mars Hill, using the buildings of the fledgling college.

In April 1864, dissidents under Mont Ray raided Burnsville. They were driven out by Confederate forces from Asheville, and as local ledged has it, McElroy's old house was used as a hospital. McElroy then returned for a short time to Burnsville, possibly using his old home as his headquarters. It is believed that at some point during the war, McElroy's home on Jack's Creek was ransacked and burnt.

After the war ended, McElroy made his way to Graham County, where he died in 1886, interred in the Old Mother Cemetery.

Recently, it came to the attention of the Col. John B. Palmer Camp. Sons of Confederate Veterans, that the tombstone marking McElroy's grave was in poor condition. At some point in the past, the stone had been broken, and then cemented back together. The Palmer Camp chose to take the steps to get McElroy a new stone. Since McElroy was a state-appointed officer, and not a regular Confederate soldier, he is not eligible for a stone from the Veterans Administration.

The Palmer Camp has decided to purchase a stone to mark McElroy's grave and is seeking donations to assist in procuring the stone. Donations may be sent to PO Box 317, Micaville, NC 28755.

After the stone returns from the stone cutter, the Palmer Camp is planning a memorial service in Graham County for John W. McElroy. An announcement will be posted with this information when the time and date have been set.

Weekend recap.

2011-08-29T11:18:00.004-04:00

We had a great time this past Saturday talking about Watauga County and the War. Chris Hartley, author of the new book on Stoneman's Raid, did a great job covering the events in and around Boone and Watauga County, while also setting the events into a greater context.

Then it was my turn: instead of focusing on Watauga County and the War as a whole (which I have done in the past), I chose to follow just two local men around. The two I chose to follow were Franklin and William Henry Cousins ( also spelled Cozzins). These two brothers both served in the 37th North Carolina Troops. Franklin was killed in the fighting at Second Manassas in August 1862, and William Henry as captured on April 2, 1865, just outside Petersburg. He survived his brief stay in the Federal prison, and then moved to Yancey County after the War. The truly remarkable part of this story is that both men were "free persons of color" - some of those elusive black Confederates.

I'll be speaking again in Watauga County at the library on September 20. The topic will be my new book, North Carolina in the Civil War. I hope you can make it.

Watauga County and the Civil War Symposium

2011-08-25T09:58:00.003-04:00

I will confess - I've been doing some type of program about the Watauga County area at the library in Boone for over a decade now. I recently came across something that I clipped from the newspaper from 1998.

I know I've written a lot about Watauga County in the past - of all the North Carolina counties, I probably know more about the war in Watauga than in any other county (Avery comes a close second). While my direct line had already passed on to Kentucky by the 1860s, I am related to large portions of the population. My Hardy line and the Council line had already mingled (some say three times) before the Councils came to the area and my Hardys went to Alabama. I'm also related to the Proffits, Hamptons, and Laws families, all early settles in Wilkes County.

Over the years, we've done a variety of different programs - lectures, displays of clothes and weapons, and round table discussions. This year, I thought I would put together other writers whose work has touched on the area. Matt Bumgarner wrote a book a few years ago entitledKirk's Raiders: A Notorious Band of Scoundrels and Thieves. This book is a history of the 2nd and 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry. Chris Hartley is the author of not only a biography on Brig. James B. Gordon from Wilkes County, but more recently, a great study of Stoneman's Raid, which passed through Watauga County in March 1865. Of course, I've written histories of the 37th NCT and the 58th NCT (both of which had large amounts of men from Watauga County) and a history of Watauga County itself.

The program starts at 10:00 am, and there will be ample time to ask questions. And I am sure there will be a few books for sale.

Bentonville Battlefield

2011-08-23T10:43:00.000-04:00

Friends, here is an image that I shot at Bentonville a week or so ago. It is of one of their new tombstones. I believe that they are still raising funds to purchase more of these. You can learn more about the battlefield by visiting: http://www.nchistoricsites.org/bentonvi/

New Project

2011-08-21T22:43:00.002-04:00

It is rare for me to be without a contract for some type of book. I mean, I turn in one manuscript, and often before I have proofs back, I am already working on something else. So for the past couple of months, I've not had a contract - that is not say that I've not been working. The History Press has a very quick turnaround time, weeks, as compared to months like some other publishers. I turned in North Carolina in the Civil War in May, and it was released on July 29.

Writing North Carolina in the Civil War has shown me some serious gaps in the coverage of our fair state when it comes to reading about the war. There are significant counties and cities that have no easily accessible War-related histories, and you are probably tired of me griping about the lack of regimental histories.

A couple of weeks ago, I submitted a proposal to The History Press, who published North Carolina in the Civil War. The new project, which they accepted and for which I signed the contract this past weekend, is for book tentatively titled Civil War Charlotte.

I have come to the conclusion that there is no other more important city in North Carolina during the War than Charlotte. Yes, I know Wilmington had the port, the last remaining port open to the Confederacy. Yet Charlotte had the Confederate Naval Works, a gunpowder making facility, uniform making facilities, the Confederate Acid Works, other facilities that made war goods, hospitals, ladies aid societies, and toward the end of the war, a prison. Of course, Jefferson Davis was in Charlotte (along with other refugees) at the close of the war, as was the Confederate gold, Confederate cabinet, and surviving papers of the Confederate War Department. Plus, the railroad that ran through Charlotte was, after mid-1863, one of the most important railroads for funneling supplies from the Deep South to the main Confederate army in Virginia.

Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are not new subjects to me. Two of the companies of the Thirty-seventh North Carolina Troops, the topic of my first book, hailed from Mecklenburg County; I touched on the area in both my book Remembering North Carolina's Confederates, and my history of the 58th North Carolina Troops; and, I wrote four articles in the Old Mecklenburg County Heritage Book on prominent Confederate officers from Mecklenburg County. And finally, there is a good bit of discussion on the Queen City in North Carolina in the Civil War. (That is not counting the series of lengthy blog posts that I wrote on Mecklenburg County last year.)

So there you have it: my next project will be on Charlotte, North Carolina, during the War for Southern Independence.

Watauga County and the Civil War Symposium

2011-08-19T15:10:00.000-04:00

I hope you will join us!

What they thought...

2011-08-19T09:04:00.002-04:00

I came up with an idea last night - how did the rest of the country perceive North Carolina's secession struggle. Here are some newspaper articles that I dug out. These are from the month of March 1861. I plan to go back and look at May 1861 next.

"Our returns from North Carolina are too meager to indicate the result yesterday, whether for Union or secession. Raleigh gives a splendid vote in favor of the constitution as it is." - 01 March 1861 Springfield Republican (MA).

"North Carolina. - The result of the North Carolina election may remain in doubt for some days, but the returns, so far as yet received, seem to us to be favorable, and to show a probability that no convention will be held. A glance at the map and at former election returns will show that we are hearing from the worst part of the State first, --that is, from the counties near the coast and in the southern part of the State. This, New Hanover seems to have voted for a convention by about the same majority which it gave to Breckinridge; Duplin seems to have gone for a convention, and gave Breckinridge over 1200 majority; Brunswick, a small county, and usually nearly balanced, it is reported to have voted for a convention, which is a gain to the wrong side. The chief county in the interior which has been heard from is Wake county (containing Raleigh), which, instead of 86 majority for Breckinridge over Bell (Douglas having 276 votes), now gives 1000 majority against a convention, and Wayne, somewhat nearer the coast, votes for a convention by rather less than Breckinridge's majority.

"The returns from the coast, as we anticipate, will be unfavorable, but in the interior and western parts of the State, the Tennessee feeling is very strong, and we anticipate there such noble majority against disunion as those by which Eastern Tennessee swamp the secession majority of the western part of that State. A few counties like will turn the scale, for in the State Breckinridge had only 3549 majority over Bell, 2701 votes being cast for Douglas." 2 March 1861 - Boston Daily Advertiser.

North Carolina for the Union for the Union- Convention Rejected.

"The returns received, says the Raleigh Register, warrant us in asserting that North Carolina has gone for the Union by an overwhelming majority, and in expressing the opinion that a majority of the people have refused to call a convention, and this, we believe, is the general impression herel for a though by our returns as published to-day, the Convention is ahead, there are counties yet to hear from, which it is believed, will turn the scale the other way.
"The result of the election shows the devotion of North Carolina to the Constitution and the Union of the States, and her utter detestation of the policy of the Ellises, Averys, the Persons, the Hokes, the Thomases, et id omne genus, which would have carried the State out of the Union and tacked her to South Carolina two months ago. But North Carolina's action on Thursday last must not be misconstrued into anything savoring of a declaration that she will submit to anything and everything for the sake of a so-called Union. To place such a construction on her action would be to make a great mistake.
"North Carolina declares that she has seen nothing as yet to justify the destruction of the Union, or make her turn her back on the blessings which she thinks she has enjoyed and is enjoying in it. This is what she has declared. But should the time unhappily come when the Constitution, which supports that Union, is so perverted that the rights which she contracted for are not recognized and respected, her action will be in accordance with the spirit which prompted her sons in 1775 to be the first on this continent to declare the great principles of human liberty. " - 8 March 1861 Philadelphia Inquirer.

"North Carolina.-If any body has entertained the idea that North Carolina would follow the bad example of her more Southern namesake, and declare her connection with the Union severed, that idea will now probably be dispelled. A telegram from Raleigh informs us that the State has voted against holding a convention by one thousand majority, and that the delegates elected to a Convention in case one had been ordered are two to one for the Union. - North Carolina has been confidently counted upon for secession, and her adherence to the to the Union is a gratifying evidence that the disunion movement has been effectually checked." 11 March 1861 Trenton State Gazette (NJ).

Why does no one remember Samuel Cooper?

2011-08-15T11:30:00.000-04:00

I had a great time signing books and speaking at the Bentonville Battlefield this past Saturday. A conversation with one of the patrons led me to this question: why does no one remember Samuel Cooper?

Ask the common rank and file on the streets who the highest ranking Confederate general was, and you usually get one, maybe two answers. Most people say Robert E. Lee. A few will say Joseph E. Johnston. Neither is right. The highest ranking Confederate general was Samuel Cooper.

Born in Dutchess County, New York, in 1798, Cooper graduated from West Point in 1815. He served in the artillery until 1837, when he became chief clerk at the War Department. After that he served as Assistant Adjutant General, until July 1852, when he was promoted to Adjutant General. For three days in March 1861, Cooper was Secretary of War ad interium. Cooper resigned from the United States Army on March 7, 1861, and a few days later, appointed Adjutant General and Inspector General of the Confederate Army. His appointment as a full general in the Confederate Army was dated May 16, 1861. Cooper died on December 3, 1876, and is interred at Christ Church Cemetery, Alexandria, Virginia.

The other ranks of the other top five Confederate Generals: Albert S. Johnston's commission as a full general dated to May 30, 1861; Robert E. Lee - June 14, 1861; Joseph E. Johnston - July 4, 1861; and, P. G. T. Beauregard - July 21, 1861. Of course, many of you are familiar with the story of Joseph E. Johnston, upset that he was not the highest ranking Confederate general, based upon his being promoted to quartermaster general in the regular army a year prior to the war.

So, what does this have to do with North Carolina and the War? In the last days of the conflict, as Jefferson Davis fled south into North Carolina, his cabinet followed him. Cooper traveled as far as Charlotte. When Davis chose to continue further south, Cooper, being 67 years old, chose to remain behind in Charlotte, supposedly watching over the papers of the War Department. Cooper was paroled in Charlotte on May 3, 1865.

So there you have it. The highest ranking Confederate general.

Bentonville Battlefield Free 2nd Saturdays Program

2011-08-12T07:09:00.000-04:00

“A Patchwork of History: Quilts, Soldiers and North Carolina ’s Civil War Sacrifice”

FOUR OAKS -- Bentonville Battlefield will present “A Patchwork of History: Quilts, Soldiers, and North Carolina ’s Civil War Sacrifice” at the free 2^nd Saturdays program on Aug. 1 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Topics will include 19^th-century quilts and textiles, North Carolina ’s Civil War Death Study and the 58^th NC Troops. Visitors will enjoy music by Waterbound Dulcimers of Kinston throughout the day.

11 a.m. 19^th Century Quilts and Textiles. Textile historian and conservator Lynn Lancaster Gorges of New Bern will present a detailed history of quilts and textiles production prior to the Civil War. Learn about the most popular quilt patterns and fabric colors found in the possession of a soldier or on the home front during the war. Following the presentation she will be available to evaluate quilts and textiles bought in by visitors. Visit her Web site at www.textilepreservation.com. Quilts of the 19^th century will be on display.

1 p.m. North Carolina’s Civil War Death Study. N.C. Office of Archives and History Research Historian Josh Howard has painstakingly re-examined official military records, and records from hospitals, cemeteries, churches, prisoner-of-war camps, as well as news paper accounts, letters, diaries, and census info rmation, to establish the first official count of North Carolina’s Civil War dead. Learn about his research journey and surprising findings! For more info rmation, visit www.nccivilwar150.com.

3 p.m. The 58^th NC Troops. Civil War historian and author Michael C. Hardy will present info rmation on the 58^th NC Troops, one of the few North Carolina regiments that served in the western theater (from Alabama to Kentucky ) of the Civil War. The 58^th was in Palmer’s Brigade with remnants of the Army of Tennessee at Bentonville on March 19-21, 1865. Hardy will sign and sell books throughout the day. For info rmation on the award-winning North Carolina historian visit www.michaelchardy.com.

The Battle of Bentonville involved 80,000 troops and was the last Confederate offensive against Union Gen. William T. Sherman. Bentonville Battlefield is located at 5466 Harper House Road , Four Oaks, NC 27524, three miles north of Newton Grove on S.R. 1008. For more info rmation, visit www.nchistoricsites.org/bentonvi/bentonvi.htm or call (910) 594-0789.

Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. 2nd Saturdays is a series of more than 100 free events that bring together artists, history and authentic North Carolina culture at all 37 of the Department of Cultural Resources’ museums and Historic Sites. For more info rmation on Cultural Resources, visit www.ncculture.com.

On the road this week

2011-08-09T08:17:00.002-04:00

Folks, I'll be speaking tonight in Clyde, North Carolina (at the Fire Department) at 7:00 pm, to Haywood County's Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp.

On Thursday August 11, I'll be moderating the Mitchell County and the Civil War Round Table. It will be held at the public library in Spruce Pine at 6:30 pm.

On Saturday, August 13, I'll be signing books and speaking at the Bentonville Battleground visitor center. I'll be there all day, and speaking at 3:00 pm.

I hope if you are in one of these areas, you will drop by and say hi!

An Interview

2011-08-08T08:56:00.003-04:00

A few days ago, I stumbled across an idea: ask you to interview me. So, I posed the question to my 1,200 facebook friends: what do you want to know - about me, about my writing process, etc. etc. Here are some of the answers to the questions you asked:

Paul Chrisawn asked a series of questions. His first was: "Which North Carolina soldiers or leaders stand out as having the most success and influence after the war was over." Zeb Vance would probably top that list. While the Reconstruction years were rough - never knowing if you could be arrested at any moment and tried for treason, struggling law practice in Charlotte, Vance was able to eventually rise again, served as governor of our fair state, and then as US Senator for three terms. I'm sure that there are others, but Vance kind of stands above the rest.

" What do you consider as North Carolina's greatest moment in the war?" Hmm.... economically speaking - the way that North Carolina took charge and purchased her own blockade runners, and supplied her own troops, and at times, troops from other states. Politically, it would be Vance's fight for freedom of speech. Even after Holden turned to the peace movement, it was Vance trying to stop people from ransacking Holden's newspaper's office. On the battlefield - First at Bethel, Furthest at Gettysburg and Chickamauga, Last at Appomattox...

" Your favorite North Carolina war site to visit and why?" Yet another hard question - Out of state? Probably Snodgrass Hill where the 58th NCT fought, or maybe the Sunken Road at Sharpsburg where the 4th and 14th NCST fought, or maybe Spotsylvania Court House, near the marker where the 17th Michigan is - that is where the 37th NCT saved the ANV for the second time in one day. I've written about many of these sites, and I've walked many of these site. I often try and take their letters with me and read them on the spot, trying to see, at least geographically, what they saw. In the state: I see the war everyplace in North Carolina - standing on the Blue Ridge Parkway overlooking the Globe area of Caldwell County; on the Bentonville Battlefield; or, among the remains of Ft. Fisher. If I am out in the field, with maps and letters and camera in hand, it is my favorite spot.

Matt Bumgarner asked: "What do you think would have happened had the idiot governor of SC waited a mere 3 days more for Ft. Sumter to have been given up voluntarily due to dwindling water and rations? It was Gov Ellis who used Lincoln's call for troops to march upon SC to rally the state for secession. I wonder what might have been had the shots on Sumter not actually occurred." I believe that by 1861, the war was bound to break out at some point. Remember, it almost started in Pensacola, Florida, in January 1861, and cooler heads prevailed. So if it is not Charleston in April 1861, maybe it is Pensacola in May 1861, or Fortress Monroe in June 1861. For the people who made most of the political decisions, their bridges were already burning behind them in the spring of 1861.

My darling Elizabeth asked: " What is your favorite/least favorite part of the writing process and why?" Well, I love the researching process the most - finding out these neat, little stories that have lain hidden for so many decades. And I really like the writing process, of putting all these things together. I do like meeting people and hearing their stories. I terribly dislike the traveling - pulling in all hours of the night, hotel rooms, etc., etc. Why do I dislike it? - I would really rather be at home.

Sandy Nutter asked: "Are you interested in researching/writing books on other historic battles, such as World War 2, or Vietnam?" The easy answer would be yes, and no. I have written about other time periods - I've been writing a series on local or High Country history for Carolina Mountain Life. These articles have ranged from the late 1700s to yesterday. One difficulty in writing in-depth about, say D-Day or the Tet offensive would be the learning curve. I have almost 30 years of interest/travel/experience behind me when I write about the Civil War. How long would I need to read and study on Vietnam in 1969? Here is another example. Even though I have written several books on different aspects of North Carolina and the Civil War, when it came time to start seriously working on North Carolina in the Civil War, I did nothing but read and take notes for six months prior to putting pen to paper. And I continued to read books and articles while I wrote.

Barbie Russ wants to know: " What has been your most exciting 'find' in your research? You know: the 'find' that you are so excited about that it kept you awake that night just thinking about it.........." There are several - finding the John B. Alexander letters at UNC-Charlotte caused me to rewrite several chapters of the book on the 37th North Carolina Troops. There were a lot of great finds with the battle of Hanover Court House project and the history of the 58th North Carolina Troops. One great "experience" was talking about the 1929 National United Confederate Veterans reunion in Charlotte, and meeting a man in the audience who was there -as a boy scout helping the old vets around town.

David Long inquires: " What has been your greatest challenge so far as one particular person that you have studied?" Biggest challenge - why did John B. Palmer, New York native, Detroit, Michigan, businessman, and colonel of the 58th NCT, move to present-day Avery County in 1858. I know so much about his life, yet this one piece of information escapes me.

Autumn Miner sent several questions. Her first was: " If you could choose one thing to change about the historical community, what would it be? How would that affect scholarship and the general public's reception of and participation in it?" Two things: I would do away with political correctness. It hurts the historians' work because they are afraid of hurting someone's feelings. Well my friend, all history is offensive to someone: my Scottish ancestors did not think too highly of the English, and my Native American ancestors did not think too highly of the United States. The second thing I would change would be this whole academic snobbery issue. Since I don't have a Ph.D , and don't write for that academic crowd, does that make me any less of a historian? For some, yes it does. But for those I write for, those in the communities, or who had ancestors in the regiments I write about, I am much more a historian than those far away in the hallowed halls of academia. Given those two answers, I leave you to figure out that follow-up question.

David Long asks: "What were the ramifications for the people of Western North Carolina, following the Confederate Conscription act of 1862?" I think the real ramification is this: the Conscription Act left North Carolina almost defenseless. All those who were willing to serve, and a few who were unwilling, were all drawn away to fight. In many cases, only the riff-raff was left, and the civilian population suffered.

Local Author Will Recount True Civil War Love Story at 2nd Saturdays Program at the State Capitol Aug. 13

2011-08-07T22:41:00.002-04:00

RALEIGH – On Saturday, Aug. 13, the Capitol will host a lecture by Suzy Barile, author of “Undaunted Heart: The True Story of a Southern Belle & a Yankee General.” The free lecture takes place at 1 p.m. in the historic Senate Chamber, the final event in this summer’s 2^nd Saturdays series.

At the end of the Civil War, spirited Ella Swain – daughter of a former N.C. governor and University of North Carolina president – shocked citizens across the state when she fell in love with and married the Union general whose troops occupied Chapel Hill . Barile draws on Ella Swain’s never before published letters that reveal a love that transcended outrage and scandal.

Barile, who lives in Cary , is the great-great-granddaughter of Ella Swain and General Smith Atkins. She will discuss her research and the process of separating fact from fiction in writing the true story of this infamous North Carolina romance.

The lecture is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources’ 2nd Saturdays statewide summer programming series, which showcases North Carolina ’s culture, heritage and arts. Partners in 2nd Saturdays include “Our State” magazine and AT&T, with media sponsorship provided by Public Radio East. For a complete schedule of 2nd Saturdays programs across North Carolina , go to www.ncculture.com or call 919-807-7385.

The State Capitol’s mission is to preserve and interpret the history, architecture and functions of the 1840 building and Union Square . The Capitol is bounded by Edenton, Salisbury , Morgan and Wilmington streets. For more info rmation on this national historic landmark, visit www.nchistoricsites.org/capitol/default.htm or call (919) 733-4994.

Administered by the Division of State Historic Sites, the State Capitol is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.

Changes...

2011-08-05T09:19:00.000-04:00

Friends - some scheduling changes. Instead of working as a interpreter this morning and afternoon at the Festival in Burnsville, I'll be at the Avery County Museum from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm. Tomorrow (Saturday) is still the same - I'll be at the Orchard at Altapass from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm. Sunday's program at the old Courthouse in Bakersville has been postponed.

Banjos, Books and Brogans -- 2nd Saturdays Series at Bennett Place Historic Site

2011-08-03T22:22:00.001-04:00

DURHAM –Authors will share engaging tales as banjo players and soldier re-enactors surround the grounds of Bennett Place State Historic Site in Durham the weekend of Aug. 13-14.

Writers Stewart Dunaway, Myron Miller, Keith Jones and others from across North Carolina will offer a variety of talks on the history and culture of the Old North State . Music, musket firings and other living history demonstrations are highlights of the free program on Saturday, Aug. 13, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and on Sunday, Aug. 14, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

The 6^th North Carolina Infantry, Cedar Fork Rifles Company, will encamp on the grounds and share their re-enactment experiences in the recent commemoration campaign in Northern Virginia . Nationally known musician Joe Ayers, who performs 19^th-century banjo music, will play throughout the day and in concert in the visitor center theater Saturday from 7-9 p.m. Concert tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance at the visitor center.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is presenting the 2^nd Saturdays gas-tank-get-away events (www.ncdcr.gov/2ndSaturdays.asp) at 37 state historic sites and museums statewide through August.

In April 1865, the Bennett Farm was the site of the largest surrender of the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman met at the Bennett farmhouse to negotiate a solution to America ’s most tragic war. The surrender ended fighting in North and South Carolina , Georgia , and Florida , allowing 89,270 exhausted Confederates to return home.

The mission of Bennett Place is to preserve and interpret the history of the largest Civil War surrender and the lives of yeomen farmers such as the Bennetts. Follow the observance of the 150^th anniversary of the end of the Civil War at www.nccivilwar150.com.

Bennett Place is at 4409 Bennett Memorial Road in west Durham . From Raleigh take I-40 west to the Durham Freeway (Hwy. 147) exit to Hillsborough Road , then follow the brown historic site signs. From Greensboro take I-85 north to Exit 170 to Hillsborough Road , then follow the brown historic sites signs.

For further info rmation call (919) 383-4345, e-mail Bennett@ncdcr.gov, or visit www.nchistoricsites.org/bennett.bennett.htm.

Administered by the N.C. Division of State Historic Sites, Bennett Place is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available at www.ncculture.com

2nd Saturdays: Quilts and History at Bentonville Battlefield

2011-08-02T20:37:00.000-04:00

Bentonville Battlefield's 2nd Saturdays program for August is "Quilts from the Early 1800s to the Civil War.”

This 2nd Saturdays program will feature guest speakers Lynn Lancaster Gorges (11 a.m.) of the Historic Textiles Studio in New Bern, Josh Howard (1 p.m.) of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, and North Carolina Civil War author and historian Michael C. Hardy (3 p.m.) in the Visitor Center auditorium.

Gorges’ specialty is in the area of conservation of military uniforms, flags, vintage clothing and quilts, and she is trained in quilt restoration; she has studied at the Smithsonian Institute, The Campbell Center of Preservation, Schoolhouse Studio of Lawrence, KS, Cooperstown Textile School, NCSU College of Textiles, and Colonial Williamsburg.

Howard, a researcher in the N.C. Office of Archives & History, will discuss the ongoing Civil War Death Study and its findings so far (http://news.ncdcr.gov/2011/06/13/historian-re-examines-number-of-deaths-of-states-civil-war-soilders/ ).

Hardy will do a book signing and discuss the 58th NC Troops; his Web site is http://www.michaelchardy.com

For more information call the state historic site at (910) 594-0789.

The 2nd Saturdays summer programs are sponsored statewide by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com), combining family fun and the arts with history and cultural heritage at its 37 historic sites, history museums and art museums.

A look around the Old North State

2011-08-02T11:27:00.000-04:00

Folks, time for a look around the Old North State:

The work of friend Josh Howard on the number of North Carolinians who died during the war is still catching the eyes of the press. You can learn more here through this article in the News and Observer.

Another article from the News and Observer about a Chatham County soldiers can be found here.

The Winston-Salem Journal looks at men from Forsyth County who fought at the battle of Manassas. Click here for more information.

An article on North Carolina native (and often maligned) Braxton Bragg and the military base named for him can be found here.

Information on a member of the 56th North Carolina from Pasquotank County (along with a great post-war painting) can be found here.

Click here to find information about a new Civil War exhibit at the museum in Henderson County,

Details on the service of a soldier from Haywood County can be found here in the Asheville Citizen-Times.

On the road...

2011-08-01T07:14:00.003-04:00

Folks, I'll be on the road quite a bit this week. If you are at one of these events, stop by and say hi!

Thursday, August 4, Wilkes County Public Library in Wilkesboro, 3:00 - 5:00 pm. And then, I'll be speaking to the Gen. James B. Gordon Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which meets at the Elks Lodge in Wilkesboro - 7:00 pm.

Saturday, August 6, Orchard at Altapass, off the Blue Ridge Parkway, 1:00 to 3:00 pm.

Sunday, August 7, Old Mitchell County Courthouse, 2:00 pm. Everyone welcome.

Civil War Commemorative Photo Exhibit To Visit Pender, Rockingham Libraries

2011-07-31T19:04:00.000-04:00

The exhibit will commemorate the bravery and resiliency of North Carolinians throughout the Civil War with stimulating images gathered from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org), and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org). A total of 24 images will be displayed by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) in 50 libraries throughout the state from April 2011 through May 2013. A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further info rmation and also seeking viewer comments.

The collection depicts African Americans, women and militiamen, including images of artifacts and official documents. One picture depicts an African American Union soldier in the U.S. Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.) from a Civil War re-enactment program. More than 5,000 North Carolina blacks are documented as having served in the U.S.C.T. for the Union Army and Navy. Despite resentment from Confederates, African Americans dutifully served, paving their way to freedom.

The statewide tour will visit various regions presenting the importance of North Carolinians in the Civil War and educating viewers about each area’s participation and commitment during this tumultuous time.

For info rmation on the Pender exhibit call the library (910) 259-6558. For info rmation on the Rockingham exhibit call the library at (336) 627-1106.

For info rmation on the statewide tour contact the Department of Cultural Resources at (919) 807-7389 or go to www.nccivilwar150.com.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.

Avery County

2011-07-29T10:05:00.001-04:00

If you have the read this blog for any length of time, you probably already know a great deal about Avery County and the war. For the past ten years, I have called Avery County home, and I spend a great deal of time, working with school and scout groups, and the community, both learning about and and teaching others about what went on in the area during the war.

Avery County is celebrating its 100th anniversary of formation this weekend (the actual date was in February, but unless you want to ski down the street, we don't expect many folks at a parade in Avery County in February). There will be a parade, concerts, festivals, and I'm even participating in a local living history on the square in front of the courthouse. So, I thought we could make Avery County the focus of our next North Carolina in the Civil War county profile.

Since we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of our founding, you've probably figured out that Avery County did not exist during the War. The area was a part of Watauga, Mitchell, and Caldwell Counties, with the majority lying in Mitchell.

Avery County was sparsely settled in the 1860s, with most of the inhabitants living in the southern, less mountainous region, which in itself is a contradiction, considering that the whole area is pretty mountainous. Most men in the area served in Company A, 58th North Carolina Troops, also known as the Mitchell Rangers. This company was organized in December 1861, a reaction to the bridge burnings in east Tennessee. The Mitchell Rangers were a part-time infantry and cavalry organization. They spent their time guarding mountain passes from the Unionists in east Tennessee. After the conscription ordinance was passed, the infantry of the Mitchell Rangers became Company A, 58th North Carolina Troops, while many of the mounted men transferred to the 5th Battalion, North Carolina Cavalry, and even later, the 6th North Carolina Cavalry. There were a few others who served in the 6th North Carolina State Troops and the 29th North Carolina Troops. There were also some men who served in the 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry, a Federal organization made up of men from the mountains of western North Carolina and east Tennessee.

Within the confines of Avery County there was the Cranberry Iron Mines, which produced iron ore for the Confederacy, employing up to 40 men during the conflict. In June 1864, Capt. George W. Kirk of the 2nd/3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry led a raid through the area and into Burke County. The Federals' goal was Camp Vance, which they successfully destroyed. They fought several skirmishes with local home guard contingents on their way back up the mountain. Kirk's Raiders were armed with seven-shot Spencer rifles, so the contest always tipped in favor of Kirk's men. Once back into present-day Avery County, the Raiders burned the home of Col. John B. Palmer and destroyed the iron works at Cranberry.

One other important part of local history can be found in the Banner Elk community. There was an underground railroad that ran through Watauga County, with Banner Elk as one of the stops. This underground railroad funneled escaped prisoners from Salisbury and from South Carolina, along with other dissidents, through the mountains and into Federal-held territory in east Tennessee. The Banner Elk community was a Unionist haven, while at the same time, ironically enough, the Banners were the largest slave owners in the area.

There were no veteran groups in Avery County, nor is there a Confederate monument. The only monuments can be found in the numerous cemeteries scattered throughout the county.

Pre-release sale!

2011-07-25T22:11:00.000-04:00

Ready for the official announcement? I am now taking pre-orders for signed copies of the soon-to-be released North Carolina in the Civil War. Signed copies are $20, shipping included. You can order by visiting www.michaelchardy.com and following the link on the bottom of the page. Or, you can send a check to: PO Box 393, Crossnore, NC 28616. Get your order in early!
It is the first concise, well-illustrated history of North Carolina in the Civil War in over thirty years.

The first half of this brand-new book is devoted to what happened within the Tar Heel state in the tumultuous years between 1861 and 1865. North Carolina in the Civil War looks at the military campaigns within the state, from the capture of Fort Hatteras in 1861 to Stoneman's Raid in March and April 1865. The political realm is covered, along with the socio-economic conditions of the state during those years. But North Carolina in the Civil War goes even further. There is a chapter that examines Tar Heel regiments in the battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee, including Big Bethel Church in June 1861, Gettysburg in July 1863, Chickamauga in September 1863, and Appomattox in April 1865. There is also a chapter that covers the Reconstruction time period, analyzing the politics and subsequent violence of the era. Following that is a chapter on the remembrance process, from the reburial of the war dead, to the process of building monuments and holding reunions. Lastly there is a brief look at important Civil War-related sites in North Carolina. Though accessible for those just starting to learn about the state's role in our nation's great conflict, the book will also prove valuable to readers at every level of interest. Even those with a strong background in North Carolina's history will find this fresh volume useful and engaging.

Their thoughts on Manassas....

2011-07-24T21:07:00.000-04:00

Here is another letter, this one from the July 29, 1861, edition of the Fayetteville Observer:

Interesting Letter From Manassas. - We have been favored with the sight of a letter from 2d Lieut. J. A. McPherson, of this county, in Capt. Avery's Company, of Col. Fisher's Regiment [6th NCST], (lately a student at Col. Hill's Military Institute at Charlotte,) dated at Manassas Station, July 22d, from which we are permitted to make the following extracts:-

"Leaving Richmond we went by railroad to Strawberry, and stayed there one night. Next morning we started for Winchester, 18 miles, on foot. We had to make a forced march of it, as Johnston was expected to he attacked by an overwhelming force. We arrived late in the evening, and were drawn out in line of battle. That night I lay in the corner of a fence with some wheat straw for a shelter. We stayed there till late next evening, when, not being attacked, we pitched our tents and slept in them one night.

News then came that Gen. Beauregard was attacked by a force of three to one, and that the forces threatening us had gone to unite with those against Beauregard. Early in the morning we struck our tents, and, with thousands of others, left Winchester late in the day. When out of town Col. Fisher read an order from the General to make a forced marched across the Blue Ridge. We marched till late in the night, and then all lay down by the road-side and slept. At day-break we started again, arrived at Piedmont that night and lay out in a wheat field all night. Next morning we were roused before day, and started for the cars, but did not get off till night. I stood it as well if not better than the most of them.

We reached Manassas early in the morning, and could hear the cannon firing. We got to the battle field about 12 o'clock, and were led into the fight, and that the hottest of it. Our front rank men fought bravely. We took two pieces of artillery that belonged to the brag battery of the U. S., Sherman's battery. We were standing around the pieces, when some one cried out that we had fired into our friends. The enemy fired upon us from the bushes, and we fell back, as we thought it was our friends. Then they fired on is worse than ever. Our men killed all their horses and they could not take off the guns; so we got them. Col. Fisher was killed near the battery. I did not see him fall and did not know he was killed till the next day. He was shot through the head.

I never thought I could stand the fire of bullets as I did that day; and how I escaped being killed I do not know. it was just an act of providence that we were not killed by hundreds. About 100 of our regiment were killed and wounded--17 killed and some mortally wounded.

After that fight about 145 of our men went with some other regiments to protect the Washington Artillery of New Orleans. We reached a high hill and could see the enemy drawn out in line of battle. We followed them two or three miles, and that is the last we have seen of them.

We were then about 8 miles from the Junction. The General told us he would attach is to a Mississippi regiment, and we could stay there for the night. I made my supper that night on berries that I picked about in the old fields. We laid that night on the ground in an old field. On Monday morning it began to rain. Our men said they knew where there were plenty of yankee blankets, over-coats and oil-cloths. Some were sent for them and came in loaded down with blankets, over-coats, india rubber tablecovers, oil cloths, and haversacks. I have a splendid yankee over-coat and so has Capt. Avery. I have also one of their india rubber table-covers. I found these useful, as we had to march 8 miles in the raid and mud. We took thousands of blankets, over-coats, &c.

We have fought the flower of the Northern army, and I think they had a great many more men that we had. Some of the wounded told us that they were old U. S. regulars, and I think they must have been, for they fought bravely.

We have just received orders to leave this place, to go I know not where, but I suppose towards Alexandria. N. W. Ray [of Cumberland county] is very well. He was not hurt.

More of their thoughts on Manassas...

2011-07-22T10:12:00.000-04:00

This piece comes from the Fayetteville Observer, July 29, 1861:

LATEST - This morning's mail brought no Richmond or Petersburg papers-no mail north of Warsaw.

   But we have a letter from Raleigh which gives some deeply interesting particulars. the body of the brave and lamented Col. Fisher has arrived at Raleigh in charge of some of his officers, from whom (we infer) the following facts were obtained:-
     Col. Fisher's regiment suffered a great deal. They were engaged in the battle with the New York Zouaves whom it is said only two hundred escaped. Lieut. Col. Lightfoot of Fisher's regiment was wounded by a ball passing through his thigh. the Major (whose name we have not heard.) is missing. Originally, Dortch was Lieut. Col. and Lightfoot Major, but on the resignation of Dortch, Lightfoot was promoted and we have not seen the name of his successor as Major. it is said that 250 of Fisher's Regiment were killed or wounded.
   300 of Col. McRae's regiment were in the battle, (we do not know what companies) and are said to have suffered dreadfully - not enough men left alive or unwounded to make a respectable company. Col. McRae was not in command (owing to his lameness of course). lieut. Col. Jones doubtless commanded.
     Col. Kirkland's regiment arrived just as the enemy gave way, and possibly in time to engage in the pursuit.
     We learn that there was still another North Carolina regiment in the battle, but which it was not known to our correspondent.
     It has been reported in Raleigh that Capt. Yorke of Fisher's regiment, was killed, and his wife came to Raleigh yesterday morning to meet his body. Instead of that she met friends bringing Col. Fisher's body, who told her of the safety of her husband and of his narrow escape, as follows: He was knocked down and stunned by the windage of a cannon ball. One of the enemy seeing this, rushed upon him to bayonet him; but he revived in time to seize his pistol and shoot the yankee. He seized the yankee's musket and rallied his men to the charge. Mrs. Yorke was yesterday the happy recipient of a letter from her husband and of the said yakee musket. Capt. Yorke is a small man, quite young, had been a teacher in Wake county, (we think he is a native of Randolph,) and he and every member of his company had been Union men up to Lincoln's Proclamation. We have often heard of him as a glorious fellow.
     Appearances seem to indicate, we think, that North Carolina did her full share of the work, and suffered her full share of the loss, in the glorious day at Manassas. if so, she does not appear, so far, to have received her full share of the credit.

Thoughts on Manassas

2011-07-21T08:36:00.000-04:00

As you probably know, today marks the 150th anniversary of the battle of Manassas. There is much we could discuss regarding North Carolina's role in the battle. Something I hope to post more about later is North Carolina's reaction to the battle. But to start with (possibly to set the tone), I found this piece on the death of Colonel Fisher, killed on July 21 while leading the 6th NCST. This comes from the Raleigh Register, July 26, 1861.

Funeral Escort

The body of the lamented Col. Fisher, of the 6th Regiment of North Carolina State Troops, was escorted yesterday evening by the larger portion of the 4th Regiment State troops from the same State, from the Central depot to the Petersburg depot, en route for home. Col. Fisher was shot through the head and instantly killed, while leading his men in the memorable battle, near Manassas, last Sunday. The grief of his men at the loss of their gallant chief was deep and universal. It has hardly been a week since the lamented officer passed through the streets of our city at the head of his regiment, a splendid brass band discoursing the while the song of an anticipated victory. It came, but the song of triumph was hushed, for victory was bought by the death of many a brave and true man. Coll. Fisher was enlisted heart and soul in the cause of Southern independence. He had used his means unsparingly in the equipment of the splendid regiment that he led so gloriously to battle in defense of our common country. to him victory came even in the arms of death. To his relations and friends it must be consoling to know that a grateful nation will forever keep alive the memory of the heroes who fell on the bloody fields of Manassas. Peace to their [names].

Adventures and thoughts on a Florida cemetery

2011-07-18T09:10:00.000-04:00

Well, as you have probably figured out, I’ve been gone for the past week. We left the Wilmington area and spent a week in Florida. I always have these grand illusions that I’ll post while I am gone, or that I will write something and post it while I am gone, but I never seem to get it done. Maybe I should just say up front that I’ll be gone….

The weekend in the greater Wilmington area was great. I spent Saturday at Fort Fisher, talking to folks and selling a few books. I even got to watch the firing of their new 32-pounder – a real treat. I spent time on the beach, and just wandering around the site. On Sunday, I spoke to the SCV Camp in Whiteville, and even got a picture of the Columbus County Confederate Monument to add to my collection. I also learned of a previous monument at Fort Fisher, one that is no longer there. Thanks, Fort Fisher staff, for that tidbit, for a super lunch, and for taking such good care of me generally!

One of the days we were in Orlando, after visiting the Orange County History Center, we drove over to the Greenwood Cemetery. I’ve been in this cemetery at least once before. There are numerous veterans of the Blue and Gray interred there – you can see a list here – including a few Tar Heels who relocated after the War.

What strikes me as interesting (ok, cemeteries are interesting), is that there are separate, post-war (in some cases, graves from the 20th century) plots for US Civil War soldiers, and CS WBTS soldiers. Yes, there are other veterans scattered across the older parts of the cemetery, and yes, there are non-Civil War soldiers buried in these sections, but I don’t think I have ever come across a cemetery with post-war sections designated for the two different groups. Have you? Chances are there are, and I’ve probably been there, but I surely cannot recall them.

Both sections are surrounded by a small (6-inch ?) wall, with an opening for an entrance. The US section has a GAR monument. The CS does not have a monument, but there is a large CS monument a few blocks away (around Lake Eola). The Confederates are marked with iron crosses. All of the US graves had flags on them. The sections are only a baseball’s throw away from each other.

So those are my adventures in the land of heart and humidity, and I look forward to your comments.

Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit To Visit Forsyth, Robeson Libraries

2011-07-17T20:37:00.000-04:00

RALEIGH – The Civil War savaged lives yet secured the future of generations in North Carolina and the rest of the nation, and altered the course of American history. The injustices suffered by African Americans were a major cause of the American Civil War (1861-1865). The fight for liberation is one aspect seen in the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit” (www.nccivilwar150.com), which will visit the Forsyth County Public Library in Winston-Salem and the Robeson County Public Library in Lumberton from Aug. 1- 29.

“The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography,” explains Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. “The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’ exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now.”

The exhibit will commemorate the bravery and resiliency of North Carolinians throughout the Civil War with stimulating images gathered from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org), and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org). A total of 24 images will be displayed by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) in 50 libraries throughout the state from April 2011 through May 2013. A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further info rmation and also seeking viewer comments.

The collection depicts African Americans, women and militiamen, including images of artifacts and official documents. One picture depicts an African American Union soldier in the U.S. Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.) from a Civil War re-enactment program. More than 5,000 North Carolina blacks are documented as having served in the U.S.C.T. for the Union Army and Navy. Despite resentment from Confederates, African Americans dutifully served, paving their way to freedom.

The statewide tour will visit various regions presenting the importance of North Carolinians in the Civil War and educating viewers about each area’s participation and commitment during this tumultuous time.

For info rmation on the Forsyth exhibit call the library (336) 703-3011. For info rmation on the Robeson exhibit call the library at (910) 738-4859. For tour info rmation contact the Department of Cultural Resources at (919) 807-7389.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at http://www.ncculture.com/

Book signings this week…

2011-07-08T07:38:00.000-04:00

I’m off here shortly to the other side of our fair state. On Saturday (July 9), I’ll be signing books (and in the afternoon) speaking at Ft. Fisher State Historic Site. I’ll be around most of the day.

On Sunday, July 10, I’ll be speaking and signing in Whiteville, NC, to the Columbus County Volunteers Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. They meet at 2:30 pm at the Peace Baptist Church on Love Mill Road. I’m sure they would like to have you attend.

Of course, there will be lots of Civil War battleground tramping, and we’ll being eating some good seafood. If you get a chance, stop by and say hi!

Nothing But Confederate Money.

2011-07-07T10:23:00.004-04:00

Folks – I found this earlier today and I thought you might enjoy.

The News and Observer – June 17, 1893

Nothing But Confederate Money.

Five old Confederate veterans walked into a saloon in Raleigh the day the Davis funeral train was there to get some liquid refreshment. One of the five plunked down a silver dollar to pay for the drinks, but the saloon keeper informed him that the money was not good. The old Confederate looked at the saloon keeper and then his money, but could not understand why it would not go, as it had the right ring to it. The saloon keeper, to relieve the old veteran of his embarrassment, informed him that nothing but Confederate money passed in Raleigh that day.

Update

2011-07-04T07:29:00.000-04:00

As you have probably noticed, I’ve been a little slack on the blog lately. There are a couple of reasons. I’ve needed a break after finishing North Carolina in the Civil War (History Press, 2011), and I’ve been traveling.

As those you who have worked with the History Press know, their turn around is really quick. Since turning in the manuscript on May 2, I’ve been through two sets of proofs, worked on the back of book text, the front cover, and filled out the marketing material. Thus, I’ve never really had this project out-of-mind (or sight) for very long. The book is set to be released sometime around the first of September. So, I’ve got a few weeks to catch my breath… kind of…. Since it is coming out in about two months, I really need to be working on my marketing. Yes, the History Press does some, but as you know, no one can market a book as well as the author can.

I’ve also been on the road speaking about the 58th north Carolina Troops, and about my latest release, North Carolina Remembers Gettysburg. I’ve been to Gettysburg, Atlanta, Raleigh (more than once), and a host of places in between. I do have a new project in the works, which I am not saying much about right now. I also have plenty of places still to go before the end of year, including a couple of signings in the greater Wilmington area next weekend.

I promise I will get back to regular posting here soon. I’ve a host of things to talk about, just not much time to discuss them right now.

By the way, what do you think of the new front cover of the book?

‘Tar Heels and Textiles’ for 2nd Saturday series at Bennett Place State Historic Site

2011-07-01T13:00:00.000-04:00

DURHAM – Tar Heel soldiers in Civil War dress along with civilians in period garb will be portrayed by living historians at the July 9 program of 2nd Saturdays at Bennett Place State Historic Site in Durham .

The free “Tar Heels and Textiles” program from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. will demonstrate period techniques of weaving, sewing, carding of sheep’s wool, and related activities. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is presenting the gas-tank-get-away 2nd Saturday events (http://www.ncdcr.gov/2ndsaturdays.asp) at its 37 state historic sites and museums statewide.

The yard will be filled with exhibits and living history demonstrations about the 19th-century textile industry. Presentations will show how the North Carolina industry ramped up dramatically during the Civil War to meet demand and equip soldiers. Creative artists will show and sell related pieces of art.

One of the speakers for the program will be from the Textile Heritage Museum in Glencoe (http://www.textileheritagemuseum.org/).

In April 1865, the Bennett Farm was the site of the largest surrender of the American Civil War. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman met at the Bennett farmhouse to negotiate a solution to America ’s most tragic war. The surrender ended fighting in North and South Carolina , Georgia , and Florida , allowing 89,270 exhausted Confederates to return home. The mission of Bennett Place is to preserve and interpret the history of the largest surrender and the lives of yeomen farmers such as the Bennetts.

Bennett Place is located in west Durham and can be reached from Raleigh by taking I-40 West to the Durham Freeway (Hwy. 147), exiting on to Hillsborough Road, then following the brown historic site signs, or from Greensboro by taking I-85 East and continuing to Exit 170 on to Hillsborough Road, then following the brown historic site signs.

For further information contact Bennett Place at 919-383-4345, e-mail bennett@ncdcr.gov or go to the Web site at http://www.nchistoricsites.org/bennett/bennett.htm. Also follow N.C. State Historic Sites during the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War at Web site http://www.nccivilwar150.com.

Administered by the N.C. Division of State Historic Sites, Bennett Place State Historic Site is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available at http://www.ncculture.com/

King, Harnett Libraries To Display Civil War Sesquicentennial Photo Exhibit

2011-06-30T07:47:00.002-04:00

RALEIGH – The Civil War savaged lives yet secured the future of generations in North Carolina and the rest of the nation, and altered the course of American history. The fight for liberation is just one of many moving features of the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit,” (www.nccivilwar150.com) which will visit the King Public Library from July 2-29 and the Harnett County Public Library in Lillington from July 5-29.

“The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography,” explains Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. “The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’ exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now.”

The exhibit will commemorate the bravery and resiliency of North Carolinians throughout the Civil War with stimulating images gathered from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org), and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org). A total of 24 images will be displayed by the N.C. Department of Culture Resources (www.ncculture.com) in 50 libraries throughout the state from April 2011 through May 2013. A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further info rmation and also seeking viewer comments.

North Carolina sent more troops to the war than any other Confederate state. The Tar Heel state also suffered the greatest losses at Gettysburg , Pa. , where one in four of Confederates who died was from North Carolina . The North Carolina Monument at Gettysburg was dedicated on July 3, 1929, to honor the 14,147 men North Carolina contributed to the Army of Northern Virginia.

For info rmation on the exhibit call the King Public Library at (336) 983-3868 or the Harnett County Public Library at (910) 893-3446. For tour info rmation, call (919) 807-7389.

The Civil War Sesquicentennial observance is organized by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at http://www.ncculture.com/

Many 2nd Saturdays Programs Have Civil War Focus July 9

2011-06-24T10:56:00.000-04:00

The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources offers an aid to help kids – and parents – understand history with its “2nd Saturdays” program, as a number of State Historic Sites will feature the Civil War at events on July 9. This year marks the beginning of the Sesquicentennial observance (www.nccivilwar150.com).

“A new report of the nation-wide proficiency exam by the National Assessment of Education shows the need for U.S. students to improve in the study of history,” said Maryanne Friend, Assistant Secretary at Cultural Resources. “The study reports that American students do worse at history than any other subject, with only about 12 percent of high school seniors proficient in the subject.”

The 2nd Saturdays program showcases authentic North Carolina culture, heritage and arts at the 37 museums and State Historic Sites administered by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com). Additional support for 2nd Saturdays comes from “Our State” magazine.

Battleship North Carolina – Wilmington
“2nd Saturdays: Navigate. Battleship 101 and Demonstrate.” The Blue and Gray Navies Two North Carolinas – From Wood and Sail to Iron and Steam. Ship volunteers stationed throughout the ship engage visitors in specific subjects and areas including: gunnery, radar, sickbay, galley, engineering, and daily shipboard life. Free with Battleship admission. Come navigate this one-of-a-kind North Carolina artifact. For more information call (910) 251-5797. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bentonville Battlefield – Four Oaks
“2nd Saturdays: 19th Century Fashion.” Members of the civilian re-enacting group, The Carolina Citizens, will give a presentation on clothing and fashion on the Civil War home front at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Visitor Center . Author Deanna Klingel (www.booksbydeanna.com) will discuss her new book, “Avery’s Battlefield,” and sign copies from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; it is one of a young adult series about the Civil War being published during the sesquicentennial observance about Avery Junior Bennett and his hound dog, Gunner, in Virginia from 1861 to1865. Author McKendree Long (www.mckendreelong.com) will hold a book signing for “No Good Like It Is,” the fictional account of two soldiers who rode with Terry’s Texas Rangers, a unit that fought at Bentonville. For more info rmation call (910) 594-0789. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

CSS Neuse – Kinston
“2nd Saturdays: After Appomattox -- N.C. Civil War Monuments 1865-1965.” The “2nd Saturdays” for July will focus on a lecture given by Doug Butler about his exhibit of photographs of N.C. Civil War Monuments. Learn how N.C. remembered what and who it lost during the Civil War. For more info rmation call (252) 522-2091. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Fort Fisher – Kure Beach
“Exploring Local Literature: Recent Works of Fort Fisher History.” Explore Fort Fisher ’s literary legacy with a look at some of the recent books on Fort Fisher history, both fiction and non-fiction. Authors will discuss their work and sign books in the visitor center. Special weapons firing, cannon demonstrations and costumed tours will take place throughout the day. For more information call the site at (910) 458-5538. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Historic Stagville – Durham
“2nd Saturdays: Stagville Cinema -- ‘Gone With the Wind.’” The historic site will hold a free viewing of the American Civil War-era classic “Gone With the Wind,” with free popcorn. This will be followed by a contrast and comparison of Historic Stagville to Hollywood ’s interpretation of Southern plantation life. When this Academy-Award winning movie was released, it sold more tickets than any other film in history. For more info rmation call (919) 620-0120. The site opens at 9 a.m. (on regular schedule) but will stay open late for the movie showing from 7 to 11 p.m.

N.C. Maritime Museum - Southport
“2nd Saturdays: Blockade Runners and River Pilots.” See how the pilot s of Smithville became a vital link in the "lifeline of the Confederacy" by guiding blockade runners through the treacherous waters of the Cape Fear . Hear tales of the men who settled what would later become the city of Southport and see the tools of their trade in the “Pilots, Rescues, and Navigation” exhibit. Enjoy fun activities and crafts, costumed "visitors from the past" and special guests from the community. For more info rmation call (910) 457-0003. Noon to 4 p.m.

For more about the commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War in North Carolina , go to www.nccivilwar150.com.

The Department of Cultural Resources is the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at http://www.ncculture.com/

Project update

2011-06-23T09:08:00.001-04:00

Sorry that I’ve not had much time to post this week. Between recovering from last week, traveling this week, and more importantly, working on proofs, there has just not been a lot of time.

Yes, the proofs for North Carolina and the Civil War have arrived. It is a grueling process – fact checking, wishing that I had written something differently, wondering if I really wrote that… There are always little things found here and there. I found yesterday that I had the beginnings of the Bentonville Battlefield Park starting in the 1906s instead of the 1960s. All of this means is that I have had less time for blogging. This will change soon.

Previously, I wrote about Round Table discussions. We’ve now set the date for the Yancey County program – it will be on October 13 at 6:30 pm at the Towncenter in Burnsville. We hope to see you there. A couple of other announcements – the Mitchell County Round Table will be on August 11 at the Spruce Pine Public Library at 6:30 pm. And, on August 27, at the public library in Boone, there will be a mini-symposium entitled Watauga County and the Civil War, with Matt Bumgarner, Chris Hartley, and me, Michael Hardy.

I hope to see you out and about. And, if you would like to see some type of program about the War for Southern Independence in your county, drop me a line. I would love to help.

On the road this week….

2011-06-21T09:09:00.001-04:00

Well, I seem to be making up for all of my at-home days this past winter. I’ll be speaking tonight in Burnsville at the monthly meeting of the Col. John B. Palmer Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. They meet at the Burnsville Town Center at 6: 30 pm. Everyone is welcomed.

On Thursday, June 23, I’ll be speaking at the Lt. Gen. D. H. Hill Camp Sons of Confederate Veterans near Mooresville, NC. They meet at 6:00 pm at the Tally House in Troutman.

And then this Saturday, I’ll be speaking around lunch time at the Elijah Norris family reunion in Boone. Norris served in the 58th North Carolina Troops, and I am looking forward to meeting and reconnecting with some of his descendants.

Avery County and the Civil War

2011-06-17T09:55:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to take a few minutes to give you a recap of last night’s Avery County and the Civil War program. I call these “round tables” because that seems to be the best fit. We had 30 people present last evening, and the conversation lasted 2 ½ hours. In these programs, I typically start off with a short (five minutes?) introduction. I then sit down (the chairs are placed in a large circle). For the first hour or so, the questions are usually geared toward me. But after that, more people warm up, and some quite lively conversation takes place among the participants. Last night was no exception. The conversation was great! Many of us were sharing information on men from the area, local skirmishes, and the war in western North Carolina as a whole. Overall it was a fantastic event!

If your library, community center, school, or historical society would like to host one of these events (here in NC), drop me a line and we’ll chat. I would love to help facilitate this in your county.

Re–enactor Claims African American Civil War History on Juneteenth and Every Day

2011-06-15T13:01:00.000-04:00

NEW BERN – Bernard George dons the blue wool uniform of a U.S. Colored Troops Civil War soldier for re-enactments at historic sites and other venues. June 19th has become an unofficial holiday for many African Americans. On that date in 1865 in Texas , supposedly the last slaves learned the Civil War was over and that they were free. George celebrates the role of African Americans in claiming their freedom every day.

A member of the N.C. African American Heritage Commission (AAHC), New Bern Historical Society, NAACP, and other historical and community groups, George travels the state and eastern U.S. on a mission of education as a Civil War re-enactor. He is one of 10 AAHC commissioners. See

http://news.ncdcr.gov/2011/02/11/african-american-heritage-commission-making-history/ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enDULkLaz-I

“We are always the most photographed group at re-enactments; it’s such a well-hidden story of U.S. Colored Troops and sailors during the Civil War,” he observes.

Re-enactors can give a reality to history that the written word can’t, explains Dr. Jeffrey Crow, deputy secretary of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources and co-author of “A History of African Americans in North Carolina .”

“The im media cy of another living person representing an earlier time allows pe opl e to connect in a way that they can’t with books,” Crow continues. “That is even truer when the recorded history is limited or misunderstood.”

George re-enacts as a member of the N.C. Colored Volunteers, a group recruited in New Bern and part of the First African Brigade. When not re-enacting he is a city planner for New Bern , local historian and community volunteer. As a member of the AAHC, he can help ensure that African American history and culture are appreciated across the state.

The commission’s mission is to preserve, protect and promote North Carolina ’s African American arts, history and culture for all pe opl e. The 2011 Summer Teacher Institute at the N.C. Museum of History will focus use of primary sources to explore African American life and culture, and is being partially supported by the AAHC. For George, interest in this history was stoked years ago.

“My grandfather told me when I was a young boy that his grandfather was a soldier. His grandfather fought for the Union ,” George explains. “I was concerned that this was contradictory to what I had learned in history. But when I went off to college I learned there was a cornucopia of experiences of African Americans during the Civil War.”

Through oral history from his grandfather and father, George learned that his family was free and had come from the Tidewater Virginia area to New Bern about 300 years ago. Documents from the 1700s at the Craven County courthouse further substantiate this history, along with family records. He notes that free blacks in North Carolina were the thesis subject for the eminent historian, John Hope Franklin.

As a Civil War re-enactor, George finds many adults do not know the story of blacks fighting for their freedom in the war and during Reconstruction. Blacks and whites are interested in finding out more at programs at state historic sites or other venues. He says African Americans are particularly drawn to the re-enactors, because most Civil War re-enactors are usually white. When visitors see the U.S. Colored Troops re-enactors, they go home and tell their family and friends and so educate others.

“It is important to talk with and re-educate pe opl e,” George continues. “As more historical research and study is done, we are shifting the paradigm and a more complete truth of American history will be known.”

So whether at a Juneteenth program in Jacksonville on June 18, or at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial dedication on Aug. 28 in Washington, D.C., George will be upholding the African American Heritage Commission ideal and his own, by protecting and promoting African American history for all people.

The African American Heritage Commission was created by the North Carolina General Assembly to assist the secretary of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources in the preservation, interpretation and promotion of African American history, arts and culture. The Division of State Historic Sites and the Division of State History Museums are within the Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina ’s arts, history and culture, with info rmation about the Department of Cultural Resources at http://www.ncculture.com/

On the Road

2011-06-14T08:46:00.001-04:00

On the road this week – tonight (June 14), I’ll be speaking and signing books for the Frazier Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. They meet at the Women’s Club of High Point on Johnson Street. The program starts at 7:00 pm, and I am sure everyone is welcome.

On Thursday, June 16, I’ll be leading the discussion at the Avery County and the Civil War Round Table. We’ll meet at the Avery-Morrison Public Library at 6:30 pm. Everyone is welcome, and the event is free.

On Saturday, June 18, I’ll be speaking at the Douglasville Baptist Temple in Douglasville, Georgia. Dinner is at noon, and I’m scheduled to speak at 3:00 pm.

I hope to see you around.

Thoughts on Reidsville’s Confederate Monument…

2011-06-13T08:05:00.002-04:00

Lately, I’ve been watching with interest the debate regarding the Confederate monument in Reidsville, NC . First, a little background:

The Confederate monument in Reidsville was the work of the Rockingham Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. According to sources, about 7,000 men, women, and children gathered on June 29, 1910, to unveil the monument.

“The procession, which was a large one, was headed by a brass band of the city, carriages draped in Southern colors, the local military, Daughters of the Confederacy, and Junior and Children Chapters…. After the singing of “America,” Hon. H. R. Scott made a historical address, showing much research, and in conclusion presented the monument to the city in well-chosen words… Mayor Francis Womack accepted the handsome gift for the city, and Mr. E. R. Harris spoke the acceptance for the Scales-Boyd Camp. After the applause from the speeches subsided, Mrs. F. M. Williams, State President, assisted by Mrs. E. R. Harris and Mrs. G. L. Irvin, President and Vice President of the Rockingham Chapter, drew the cord, and the beautiful monument stood revealed. The rope used in the unveiling had been used at the monument at Gettysburg.

“Hon. Cyrus B. Watson was the orator of the occasion, and his speech abounded in beautiful tributes to the gallant men of Rockingham County who had bravely fought in many battles, and the heroes who fell were ‘wreathed around in glory’ through the noble words spoken in the honor…

“The monument is a granite shaft surmounted by a private in the Confederate uniform leaning on his gun….”

Of course, as many of you know, on May 23, a Greensboro man hit the monument, knocking the soldier off and destroying him. The Rockingham City Council is presently looking into whether it will replace the monument, move the monument, or use this as a opportunity to totally erase the monument from the public sphere.

And of course, the news media was quick to jump on the bandwagon. GoDanRiver.com ran a piece under the title: “History of Racism? Debate Continues in Reidsville” On reading this article, one would get the impression that the majority of people who attended the recent council meeting were against the statue being rebuilt. Another source I read (written by someone in attendance) stated that of the 35 people who spoke, 20 were in favor of rebuilding the statue, two were in favor of restoring it and moving it, and two were more concerned over tax payer’s dollars. So, that would leave six speakers not in favor of returning the statue. You will not get that sense of community support from the GoDanRiver article, which you can read here.

My two cents worth? Put the monument back as it was, at the expense of the driver. It should be a crime to do otherwise.

“True as the Steel of their Tried Blades: Heroes in Heart and Hand, They Fought Like Brave Men, Long and Well” – inscription Reidsville Confederate Monument.

HISTORIAN RE-EXAMINES NUMBER OF DEATHS OF STATE’S CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS

2011-06-09T11:55:00.002-04:00

New research reveals surprising findings about the number of North Carolina soldiers who died during the Civil War. Josh Howard, Research Historian at the N.C. Office of Archives and History, has spent more than a year spearheading the North Carolina Civil War Death Study. The project has uncovered information that changes long-standing figures about the state’s losses. Virginia , South Carolina and Ohio are conducting similar research.

Howard will highlight his investigations and share stories he has discovered during History à la Carte: Recounting Civil War Sacrifices on Wednesday, July 27, at 12:10 p.m. at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh . He will explain how he researches the topic and will discuss some of the soldiers’ unusual experiences. Admission is free. Bring your lunch; beverages are free.

Howard has painstakingly examined not only official military records, but records from hospitals, cemeteries, churches, prisoner-of-war camps, pensions and more. He has combed through archival and newspaper accounts, diaries, census data and other sources to try to determine military deaths among North Carolina Confederate and Union units.

Howard notes that traditional accounts of Tar Heel deaths did not include the approximately 2,000 African American and white North Carolinians who died serving in the Union army.

Drop by the Museum of History and hear more during this informative lunchtime lecture on July 27.

For more information call 919-807-7900 or go to ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook. The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton Street , across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street .

# # #

Museum hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The Museum of History , within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information is available 24/7 at http://www.ncculture.com/.

What is a Confederate Monument?

2011-06-07T10:05:00.000-04:00

At the North Carolina Civil War Symposium in Raleigh a couple of weeks ago, someone brought up a really good question – what is a Confederate Monument? Of course, the answer to part of this question is easy: the monuments on the grounds of various courthouse or in various cemeteries across our fair state are for certain Confederate Monuments Who can look at the monument on the statehouse grounds in Raleigh, or the courthouse grounds in Burke, and say that these are not Confederate monuments?

Personally, my definition would be this: a monument, or plaque, erected by the veterans themselves, or by an auxiliary group, like a Ladies Memorial Association, United Daughters of the Confederacy chapter, of Sons of Confederate Veterans camp, that denote some event, or a group of people, that played a part in the Civil War.

However, there are some monuments across the state that do not easily fit into this definition. Take for instance the monuments to Zebulon Baird Vance. There are three that I count: the obelisk at Pack Square in Asheville; the monument on the grounds of the state capital in Raleigh; and, the monument in Statuary Hall in Washington, D. C. Of course, Vance is one of our most famous Confederates, serving as colonel of the 26th North Carolina Troops, and governor from 1862-1865. But Vance’s history goes further. He was elected a Congressman prior to the war, as governor after the war, and finally to the United States Senate. Vance’s monument in Asheville was erected by the Vance Memorial Association, which might have been composed of veterans, but was not a veterans organization per se. Of course, when it came time for the dedication, Vance’s role in the war was prominent in the speech. The Veterans themselves, both blue and gray, marched in the parade, and each year since, the local UDC Chapter, along with B’nai B’rith, placed a wreath on the monument on May 10, Confederate Memorial Day. Even one of the local newspapers, the Mountain Express, considered in 2003 the Vance memorial “a shrine to the Civil War-era governor…” While it has been a while since I’ve been in Pack Square (maybe a decade), I don’t recall anything that actually speaks about Vance’s service ( please correct me if I am wrong).

How about Vance’s statue at the US Capital in Washington, D.C.? Is that a Confederate monument? Nothing on it denotes his service to the Confederacy. Yet, Vance is one of our most famous Confederates, and has more written about him than any other war-time Southern governor.

There are others. In Charlotte, there used to be a monumental arch marking the birthplace of Mrs. Stonewall Jackson. The monument was erected by the Stonewall Jackson Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in October 1915. This monument was later torn down.

How about the monument that the UDC erected in 1926 in Concord to the KKK? The inscription read: “In Commemoration of the ‘Ku Klux Klan’ during the Reconstruction period following the ‘War Between the States’ this marker is placed on their assembly grounds. The original Banner (as above) was made in Cabarrus County.” (I do not know if this monument still exists.) Is this a Confederate monument?

Or, are the dozen or so markers that mark the Dixie Highway and the Jefferson Davis Highway, Confederate markers? If you ask the people in Marshall in Madison County if they have a Confederate Monument, they would probably say yes. There, on the walkway to the courthouse is a rock with a plaque with Robert E. Lee sitting on it. Yet this “monument” marks a road, not local Confederate soldiers or even the famed Confederate leader.

In the end, I do believe that the Vance Statues and Monuments are Confederate monuments, but not the Arch to Mrs. Jackson or the KKK marker in Cabarrus County. I’m still mulling over the highway markers.

What do you think?

Public Libraries of Johnston and Rowan Counties Will Display

2011-06-06T10:14:00.000-04:00

Public Libraries of Johnston and Rowan Counties Will Display

“Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” Civil War Photo Exhibit in June

RALEIGH – Destruction was felt around homes and communities as backyards were turned into battlefields in North Carolina during the Civil War (1861-1865). Widespread suffering impacted all North Carolinians regardless of race, class and gender.

The involvement of Confederate soldiers, African Americans and women is depicted in the Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit (www.nccivilwar150.com), which will visit the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield June 1-29 and the Rowan Public Library in Salisbury June 2-29.

“The Civil War was the first war widely covered with photography,” explains Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. “The Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory exhibit provides images of historic figures, artifacts, and documents that brought the reality of the war from the battlefront to the home front, then and now.”

The exhibit will honor North Carolinians and their dedication throughout the Civil War with images gathered from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org), and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org). A total of 24 images is being displayed by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) in 50 libraries and four museums throughout the state on eastern and western routes from April 2011 through May 2013. A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further info rmation and also seeking viewer comments.

The collection depicts those involved in the war including images of artifacts and official documents. Amy Harper of Johnston County is one woman highlighted in the exhibit who exemplifies the sacrifice of women and families. The home of Amy Harper served as a field hospital during the Battle of Bentonville March 19-21, 1865; today the Harper House still stands and can be visited at the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site.

Many of the images depict artifacts that help to illustrate the individuals of the time period. One illustrates a slave shoe which exemplifies craftsmanship and footwear of the Civil War era. Similar to a military “ Jefferson ” bootee, the homemade leather shoe is attached by iron nails and outlined with bradded metal horseshoes. The wooden sole is hand carved and contoured, and attached with a leather strap. The slave shoe currently belongs in a collection of the North Carolina Museum of History.

For info rmation on the exhibit, call the Public Library of Johnston County/Smithfield at (919) 934-8146 or the Rowan Public Library at (704) 216-8228. For tour info rmation, contact the Department of Cultural Resources at (919) 807-7389.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at http://www.ncculture.com/

Civil War Re-enactors Explore Life of First N.C. Confederate Soldier Killed in Battle

2011-06-03T11:25:00.000-04:00

Civil War Re-enactors Explore Life of First N.C. Confederate Soldier Killed in Battle

For June 11 ‘2nd Saturdays’ Program at the State Capitol about Big Bethel

RALEIGH - The State Capitol will mark the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Big Bethel on Saturday, June 11. The battle took place in June 1861 in Virginia . Henry Lawson Wyatt, honored with a statue on the Capitol grounds, died at Big Bethel, and was the first North Carolina soldier to die in battle for the Confederate cause.

From 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., the North State Rifles re-enacting group (www.northstaterifles.com) will be on the northwest Capitol grounds at the Wyatt monument. Group members will speak about Wyatt’s life, model the variety of uniforms worn by Tar Heels in the first year of the war, and give a lecture on the Battle of Big Bethel. Displays at “Remembering Big Bethel” will shed light on how soldiers made the transition from home to the battlefield.

For generations, it was held that Wyatt had the grim distinction of being the first Confederate killed in battle. This became a point of pride for many in North Carolina , and on the 51st anniversary of his death the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected a monument to him on Union Square with an inscription that read “First Confederate Soldier to Fall in Battle in the War Between the States.” In truth, Captain John Q. Marr of Virginia was fatally shot in a skirmish ten days before the Battle of Big Bethel.

Capitol staff will be on hand to assist visitors in making a stone rubbing of the base of the Wyatt monument to take home as a remembrance. Additionally, a new exhibit titled “The Capitol: 1861” will be on display inside. The event is free and open to the public.

The program is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources’ 2nd Saturdays (www.ncculture.com) summer programming series which showcases North Carolina ’s culture, heritage and arts. Partners in 2nd Saturdays include “Our State” magazine and AT&T. Media sponsorship is provided by Public Radio East.

For a complete schedule of more than 100 2nd Saturdays programs across North Carolina , go to www.ncculture.com or call (919) 807-7385.

The State Capitol’s mission is to preserve and interpret the history, architecture and functions of the 1840 building and Union Square . The Capitol is at One Edenton Street , Raleigh , N.C. 27601 . Visit www.nchistoricsites.org/capitol/default.htm or call (919) 733-4994 for more info rmation on the state historic site.

Administered by the Division of State Historic Sites, the State Capitol is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future.

Trip Report

2011-06-02T09:40:00.000-04:00

I believe that I have sufficiently recovered from my weekend ramble to fill you in on a few of the highlights.

We spent Friday afternoon at the South Mountain Battlefield, exploring the positions of the Tar Heel regiments. I will confess that this was my first trip to the area. Much of my battlefield tramping is connected with whatever regiment I happen to be working on at the time. This was no exception, as one of the Tar Heel regiments involved in the battle might be my next project. We also got to view the North Carolina Monument at South Mountain, which ranks up there with the best Tar Heel Confederate monuments.

Having finished our work at South Mountain, we drove over to Antietam for a few minutes, hiking along the Sunken Road.

Friday evening found us with the likes of Charlie Knight, J.D. Petruzzi, Eric Lindblade, and William Frassanito at the Reliance Mine Saloon in downtown Gettysburg. It was an interesting evening to say the least…

On Saturday, we toured portions of the battlefield, including the customary drive down Confederate Avenue. I spent more time exploring the right of the Confederate army for an upcoming article, and we spent more time at the Devil’s Den, possibly one of my favorite sites on the battlefield. Saturday afternoon was spent in town, book shopping. Saturday evening I was signing books at the American History Store with John Michael Priest.

Sunday found us on the field at Gettysburg again. I was hoping for some good photo ops, but the clouds were thick. Kind of hard to photograph a gray monument with a gray background! We did drive around the east Cavalry Battlefield. On Sunday afternoon, we traversed the Monocacy Battlefield, near Frederick, Maryland. This was my first time visiting this field, and we got in some great hiking in 90+ degrees . Greatly enjoyed the witness trees along the trail at the mill pond. It appears that none of the positions occupied by the numerous Tar Heel regiments are preserved. It was nice meeting Brent Spaulding at the Monocacy Park and getting a signed copy of his new book on Early’s 1864 Maryland Invasion.

Overall, it was a great trip – my mom and dad came up and watched the kids and Elizabeth and I had some time away. I also picked up some more books and made some great connections! A special word of thanks to James Glessner of the American History Store and co-owner of Ten Roads Publishing for putting together the signings on both Friday and Saturday evenings!

Black Civil War Soldiers To Be Honored with N.C. Highway Marker June 2

2011-05-31T07:53:00.002-04:00

RALEIGH – Several regiments of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) fought with conspicuous gallantry in the Union Army efforts to capture Fort Fisher in 1865. The efforts of these former slaves and free blacks will be recognized with the dedication of a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker (www.ncmarkers.com) on Thursday, June 2, at 10 a.m. at the National Cemetery in Wilmington , at the Market Street entrance.

The Union Army and Navy staged a successful effort to capture Fort Fisher in Wilmington in January and February 1865, eliminating the South’s largest blockade running port and entry of supplies to the Confederate Army. USCT units engaged in the actions included the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 10th, 27th, 30th, 37th, and 39th regiments. These soldiers and their white officers faced a determined enemy and possible execution if captured, as several captured Confederate officers claimed.

The Confederates statements were not official Confederate policy, but they offered some insight, saying that if the blacks were free men, they would not be killed. If they were former slaves, they would be treated as house burners and robbers, and would be killed, as would Union officers.

Several hundred USCT are thought to be buried in Wilmington , although the exact number is unknown. The Wilmington National Cemetery records burials of 92 members of the USCT, including those who died in combat and those who later succumbed to disease. The burials include 88 African American soldiers and four white officers. This is the largest USCT burial ground in North Carolina . The ceremony is also part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial (www.nccivilwar150.com).

For info rmation on the Highway Marker program, contact Mike Hill at (919) 807-7290. The N.C. Highway Historical Marker Program is administered by the Office of Archives and History within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina ’s arts, history and culture. For info rmation on Cultural Resources, visit http://www.ncculture.com/

Federal Memorial Day

2011-05-30T07:28:00.000-04:00

Until two months ago, the grave of Private Howard was marked only with a field stone. Glad that we could help getting him his VA stone so that others might know where he is buried. He is buried in Yancey County.

Off to the 'burg

2011-05-27T06:58:00.002-04:00

Well folks, I’ll be in Gettysburg this weekend signing copies of North Carolina Remembers Gettysburg. If you get a chance, stop by and say hi! I’ll be signing books at the Reliance Mine at the Quality Inn on Friday May 27 at 10:00 pm, and at the American History Store at 7:00 pm on May 28. Plus, a whole lot of battlefield tramping!

Bentonville Battlefield Memorializes Graves in June 11 Program

2011-05-26T08:35:00.000-04:00

FOUR OAKS – There will be another Memorial Day at Bentonville State Historic site, on Saturday, June 11. Memorial Day rose from the practice of the families of Confederate and Union soldiers visiting the graves to honor the war dead.

On June 11, grave markers will be dedicated honoring 20 Confederate soldiers who died from wounds received during the Battle of Bentonville in March 1865. The June Summer Seasonal Living History Program is part of the 2nd Saturdays series presented by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com).

Artillery and musket demonstrations will take place throughout the day beginning at 10 a.m. The 2 p.m. dedication ceremony will include an examination of the care of dead Confederate soldiers after one of the war’s first battles by Cultural Resources Research Branch Supervisor Michael Hill. An accompanying story will be presented about the care of the dead at war’s end by Assistant State Archaeologist John Mintz, who led the team of historians and archaeologists that found the lost graves. The ceremony will also feature period music, and will be followed by a musket and artillery salute fired by Civil War re-enactors.

The Harper House at Bentonville Battlefield was used by the Union army’s XIV Corps as a field hospital during the battle. When the Federals marched on to Goldsboro , they paroled at least 45 wounded Confederate prisoners of war they had treated, and left them in the care of the Harper family. Eventually 23 of the wounded died, and 20 were buried on the Harper family farm. The exact location of the graves had been lost, but rediscovery of a late 19th-century photograph seemed to show 20 head and footstones just south of the Harper family cemetery.

High-tech ground penetrating radar used by Mintz and Wake Forest University archaeologist Kenneth Robinson confirmed the graves’ location. The Harper House Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, a site-supporting group, is raising funds to purchase headstones for the Confederate soldiers. Contact the site to contribute.

Bentonville Battlefield is located at 5466 Harper House Road , Four Oaks, NC 27524, three miles north of Newton Grove on S.R. 1008, about one hour from Raleigh and about 45 minutes from Fayetteville . For more info rmation, visit http://www.nchistoricsites.org/bentonvi/ or call (910) 594-0789

Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina ’s social, cultural and economic future. For more info rmation, visit http://www.ncculture.com/.

A Look Around the Old North State

2011-05-25T10:12:00.000-04:00

Well folks, time for the every-so-often look around different news site and the stories making headlines concerning the War and North Carolina…

Many newspapers picked up the news on a part of North Carolina’s sesquicentennial actives, including the Myrtle Beach Sun News, which you can read here.

Some sources picked up the other event, the symposium held on May 20, including the Washington Post, which, interestingly enough, quotes NC NAACP leader Rev. William Barber, whom I do not recall seeing there, and who just got arrested for disrupting the General Assembly. Funny, I wonder why the reporter did not ask the opinions of the African-American scholars in attendance?

A really good article in the New York Times on North Carolina and secession. You can check it out here.

The Beaufort Observer gets into the action with a series of articles you can check out here.

Another good article can be found in the Salisbury Post, which you can read here. Professor Freeze said the same thing that I’ve been saying for years “To say ‘states rights’ or ‘slavery’ caused secession oversimplifies things…”

The Daily Tar Heel leads people astray with an article on secession you can read here, stating that secession was “Opposed by Unionist in the northeastern, central and western regions of the state, areas with large slave populations in Coastal and Piedmont counties led the call for secession…” We’ve already discussed that two of the leading voices for secession were Burke County’s W. W. Avery, a slave owner and leader in the General Assembly, and Buncombe County’s Thomas L. Clingman, a non-slave owning US Senator. Both of these were from the Mountains. Of course, we could bring up the definition between what is central North Carolina and what is Piedmont North Carolina…

The 101 year old Confederate monument in Reidsville was taken out a day or so ago. You can read about it here and here.

And on a different note, the Smith-McDowell House in Asheville is hosting author Rick Russell – you can learn more here.

Commemoration events in Raleigh – May 2011

2011-05-23T08:13:00.002-04:00

First off, what an amazing two days. To be included among some of the best Civil War scholars in the nation on Friday, to sit in the chamber of the state capital and hear the secession ordinance being read and passed, and to see the conserved flag of the 23rd North Carolina Troops, what an amazing weekend.

Thursday morning started off with the first of three planned conferences to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War in North Carolina. This conference was entitled “’Contested Past:’ Memories and Legacies of the Civil War” and was held at the North Carolina Museum of History. Dr. David Blight delivered the keynote address at the opening of the conference, and it was probably the best talk of the day (which is not to say that the others were bad). Other talks that I attended included Elizabeth C. King’s “’The Whirr of the Wheel Became a Song to Us’: Collective Memory and Individual Identity in Postbellum Narratives of Homespun Cloth”; Erica St. Lawrence’s “Public Memory in the South: The Role of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Salisbury”; John Coffey’s “’Arms for Art, and Other Shenanigans’: The Curious Case of a Mable Bust of John C. Calhoun”; Tom Vincent’s “More Memorials to their Dead than any Kingdom or Commonwealth”; Chris Meekin’s “Set in Stone: North Carolina’s Adaptation of the Lost Cause” ;Leonard Lanier’s “Killing the Klansman, Remembering the General: The Opposing Memories of Bryan Grimes”; John Haley’s “Risky Remembrances: African American Accounts of the Civil War and Reconstruction”; and Mark Elliott’s “Albert Tourgee, Thomas Dixon, and Memory of Reconstruction.”

My talk was entitled “’A People without Monuments is a people without Heroes’: Remembering the Civil War in Appalachian North Carolina.” There were a couple of good questions, and Ilook forward to further exploring one of those soon.

The day of talks was followed by a reception that evening in the lobby of the Museum. It was great to see many people with whom I communicate online and to connect with some old friends.

Saturday morning found us still in Raleigh. Except this time, we spent a large portion of time at the State Capital. At 11:00 am, there was a re-enactment of the passage of the secession act in the House Chamber (or was it the Senate Chamber?). This was followed by the dropping of a white handkerchief out on the balcony, signifying to the soldiers below to fire volleys. In May 1861, these volleys were fired by artillery, and, according to local accounts, the concussion shattered windows in businesses in town. So artillery fire was replaced by three well-timed volleys from the rifled-muskets of the 26th North Carolina Troops, Reactivated. For the next several hours, members of the 26th NCT delivered lectures on various subjects, including flags, uniforms, and North Carolina’s war record.

In the afternoon, I visited the two new exhibits in the Museum of History – you would think having spent all day Friday there I would had a chance to wander around. But I did not. The first new exhibit is entitled The Story of North Carolina, part one, and begins with Native Americans who lived in North Carolina, then runs through the early 1800s. I really enjoyed the pirate display. Next we visited the redesigned “A Call to Arms” exhibit. They have added more materials on the War, focusing on the years 1861-1862. There are uniforms, weapons, camp furniture, and even a couple of flags. They do need to fix the label on the state flag of the 33rd NCT – it is a state flag, actually a second pattern state flag, not a Confederate first national.

This was followed by another trip to the auditorium. The North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans recently raised over $8,000 to conserve the Gettysburg-captured flag of the 23rd North Carolina Troops. Henry Mintz did a great job of giving a history of the regiment and its role at Gettysburg. This was followed by a gathering of descendants of the 23rd NCT on the stage, and then the unveiling of the flag. That is always a special treat.

Then it was time to head home. A great weekend and it was a pleasure to meet so many of you. If you are interested in the War, and did not attend, you really missed out on a great weekend commemorating the War in North Carolina.

Off to Raleigh

2011-05-19T13:30:00.000-04:00

Well folks, I am off to Raleigh for the weekend. I’ll be speaking tomorrow at the Civil War Symposium at the Museum of History. The title of my talk: “’A People Without Monuments is a People without Heroes’: Remembering the Civil War in Appalachian North Carolina.”

On Saturday, I’ll be hanging with friends from the 26th North Carolina Troops, Reactivated, as they conduct a living history on the grounds of the capital. Then at 2:00 pm on Saturday, I’ll be attending the dedication of the conserved flag of the 23rd North Carolina Troops at the Museum.

Looks like a great weekend, and I hope to see you there.