Dr. Art Bergeron, Jr.

So sorry to hear of the passing of Dr. Art Bergeron, Jr. We first corresponded back in the late 1990s when I started working on the book on the 37th North Carolina Troops. We meet in 2002, when the Branch-Lane Brigade Society met at Pamplin Park to hold a reunion, and have talked several times since. He was always helpful when I contacted the USAMHI looking for something. And, as with many of you, we were friends on Facebook. He will be missed.

From Ignorant to Abysmally Ignorant

I’ve been watching and reading with interest the debate regarding North Carolina ‘s Department of Education and its revision of history-related public education. If you have not heard about this issue, Fox News broke a story last Wednesday (read article here). Currently, 11th graders in the state study American History from exploration until wherever they get – usually someplace around World War I. The proposed change is that instead of starting with exploration, to skip everything until 1877, in an attempt to have students be able to “see the big idea, where they are able to make connections and draw relationships between parts of our history and the present day."

Later that day, the North Carolina Depart of Education came out with its own press release (read here), in an attempt to salvage the proposals. Their idea is to teach United States History three times. "Our goal is to give students more study of United States history and to teach it in a way that helps them remember what they have learned," said State Superintendent Atkinson. "Students will have United States history three times before high school, and in high school they will have at least two more courses. The events, people and dates that are so familiar to many of us will still be taught to students. That means everything from early exploration through the Civil War, the 20th century and today."

So, I went through the proposals (which you can read here). History only gets a small nod in the third grade, it is mostly civics and economics. Nothing about the American Revolution or Civil War. Fourth grade is not much better. The proposals start out with more civics and government, then geography, with some culture, economics, and personal finances. When it comes to history, students are to compare American Indian groups before and after European colonization, the causes and effects of European exploration and colonization, summarizing state symbols, and analyzing “North Carolina’s role in various conflicts and wars.” Well, there is a nod, but North Carolina has been involved in eleven major conflicts since it became a part of the United States. How would someone explain this in a week or two? Fifth grade is not really any better. More Civics, more government, more economics, more personal finances. The only real mentions to history deal with immigration and migration patterns; political, social, and economic culture in colonial American; comparing major battles and military campaigns of the United States (once again, way too broad a topic); and, the “changing roles and the impact made by men and women of diverse groups.”

Sixth grade – the same, with “technology” being the history focused on.
Seventh grade – more of the same, with three of the seven points on technology, the fourth point is “Identify the origins of conflicts that have significantly affected people in North Carolina and the United States” -- far too broad. The fifth point is to “explain the impact of various types of conflict on specific groups and individuals (e.g., taxation, policies leading to the American Revolution, land ownership disputes and racial tension during the Wilmington Race Riot of 1898, desegregation during the Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education).”

Eighth grade – more technology, and all of the history tends toward a global perspective.

And then in high school, students have a year of Civics and Economics, US history after 1877, and Global history.

So, minimal time is given to the two most crucial times in American history: the American Revolution and the American Civil War. Interesting how both of these two times period are about how a group of people felt that they were not being treated correctly by their respective governments and rose up in an attempt to start their own government. The first was successful, and second was not. Maybe I’m just reading too much into it…

Ghost of Winter Past

I thought since so many of us (myself included) are snowed in, I would post a few snow-related stories from the war. I hope you enjoy.

“We have plenty of snow here and the soldiers appear to enjoy themselves finely snowballing each other. Penders Brigade & Greggs had a powerful time yesterday. Both parties held their ground. It imitates a battle as much as anything I ever saw.” Lt. Burwell T. Cotton, 34th North Carolina Troops, Feb. 25, 1863, Fredericksburg, VA.

“It is mighty cold Weather here for the last 3 or 4 days there has been a very good deal of snow here the last week the mountain is white with it now the Wind blows cold from it the mountains looks so pretty and White” Benjamin and W. H. Freeman, 44th North Carolina Troops, Feb. 19, 1864, Camp on the “Rapid Ann”

“I am sorry that I haven’t any thing new or interestin to write. I will write a bout the weather. It is very rough and has been for sore time and it seems like it will continue so, for it is raining and sleating and snow occasionally and the mud is from shoo top to knee deep.” Harrison H. Hanes, 4th North Carolina State Troops, Feb. 1, 1862, Manassas, Virginia.

“This morning at 4 o’clock we were waked up by the pleasant sound of the long roll. We were ordered to get ready to march. It is very cold, snow nine inches deep.” Louis Leon, 53rd North Carolina Troops, Feb. 4, 1863, Goldsboro, NC

“times is hard here and the winter is very cold here and clothing scearse. We have no clothing, only what we have on. Our houses is the forest of the woods. Our bead is the cold damp earth. Thre of us sleeps to gether.” Thomas L. Morrison, 6th North Carolina State Troops, Jan. 7, 1863, “near Frederick va”.

“I can inform you that we left the Gap Saturday the 25th at 1 o’clock and march 10 miles west and camp in Powell Valley and just before day it commenced snowing. The ground was gray at daylight. We marched at 8 o’clock and by 10 there was a good tracking of snow. At 12 the large snow commenced flying fast and the wind blew in every direction. It was bad traveling meeting the wind. I gave 50 cents to git my gun and napsachall (carried) and it saved me for I should of gave out. Some of the boys did not reach camp that nite. Wyatt and Jim Slagle like to of gave out. We camped at 4 o’clock and bilt fires. I had a good fire when the boys got there and by dark the snow was ankle deep but I can inform you I slept good and warm. I have got that pillow yet and was a great beautiful morning on Sunday. “ Green B. Woody, 58th North Carolina Troops, Oct. 29, 1862, east Tennessee.

“"Last Sunday has not been equaled for snow and wind since the furious ‘wind and snow Sunday' of 1856: our tents and huts were all wet with it. It lay on the ground about 12 inches…" John B. Alexander, 37th North Carolina Troops, Feb. 25, 1863, near Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Dr. Richard Iobst

I saw this morning on TOCWOC that Dr. Richard Iobst, author of a history of the 6th NCST, along with other books, like a history of Macon, Georgia, has passed away. Check out Fred Ray’s post here.

How Rumors get Started

Sometimes, you just can’t believe what you read. A few months back, I had a discussion with someone at one of our local historical festivals, involving who commanded the 58th NCT during the battle of Bentonville. Standing on the square in the town of Burnsville, without any notes, I was quite certain that it was Maj. G. W. F. Harper. My friend was sure he had read it was Lt. Col. Samuel M. Silver. I now understand where my friend got his information.

Samuel Marion Silver was born on December 30, 1833, in present-day Mitchell County. He enlisted in Capt. John Keener’s Company on June 25, 1862. Keener’s company became Company K of the 58th North Carolina Troops on July 29, 1862. Silver rose through the ranks, being elected a lieutenant, and when Keener was promoted, Captain, of Company K.

In 1864, with a high rate of attrition of field officers in the 58th NCT, the position of Major was open. Colonel Palmer, who was no longer assigned to the regiment, but remained its colonel, recommended Captain Silver. One of Silver’s fellow line officers, Captain A. T. Stewart (Company E), believed that the promotion should be his. Stewart would get the promotion, but was killed on August 31, 1864, at the battle of Jonesboro. Silver was promoted to lieutenant colonel on October 29, 1864, and commanded the 58th North Carolina Troops. He served in this position un March 16, 1865, when he submitted his resignation, claiming that he was “sufficiently educated to perform the executive duties of the office” he had, and that the situation of his family in western North Carolina, subjected to “tories and deserters,” necessitated his presence. Interestingly, Silver’s application was rejected. However, he had left the regiment.

In 1901, in response to a query for histories of various regiments, Isaac Bailey, a former Captain of Company B, sent in some notes, mostly about the battle of Chickamauga. Bailey was wounded during the battle of Chickamauga and would eventually retire. He was not present during the battle of Bentonville. Concerning the battle, Bailey wrote: “On 19-21 March at Bentonville, the last battle ever fought by our war-worn soldiers, [the 58th NCT] was a part of General Jos. B, Palmer’s Brigade and commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Silver, fought with accustomed valor. (Clark’s NC Troops)

However, this is not what those who participated in the battle wrote. On March 29, 1865, just a few days after the battle, Brig. Gen. Joseph Palmer praised the 58th NCT, writing that “Capt. G. W. F. Harper, commanding Fifty-eighth North Carolina… handled [his] command with ability and bore [himself] handsomely through the day…” (Official Records, vol. 47, pt. 1:1101) One of the first things you are taught regarding historical research, is to put more credence in what was written at the time, not what was written forty years later by someone who was not there.

Following the War, Samuel Silver moved around. He lived in Mitchell County and McDowell Count; he then went to Texas, and finally settled in Oregon where he died in 1922.

News and notes

Time for our look around the old North State.

Interested in checking out Raleigh’s Oakwood Cemetery? Check on renting a Segway. Information can be found here.

The Museum of the Albemarle is having a Civil War Living History Day on February 6th. You can learn more by reading this article.

Interesting story about some veterans in this week’s Beaufort Observer – check it out here if you want a laugh.

Yet another article about our friends in the 26th NCT and their work on preserving North Carolina’s Confederate flags can be found here.

Review of O’Brien – Mountain Partisans

I live in Southern Appalachia, and my mom’s family has lived in Southern Appalachia since the mid-1700s. At times I write about Southern Appalachia, and I often speak about Southern Appalachia and the war. So with great interest, I searched around and found a used copy of the out-of-print book, Mountain Partisans: Guerrilla Warfare in the Southern Appalachians, 1861 – 1865, by Sean Michael O’Brien.

The book has sections on guerrilla activity in western North Carolina, northern Alabama, eastern Kentucky, north Georgia, and West Virginia. Surprisingly, the book does not cover eastern Kentucky and southwest Virginia. During the war years, I had family in western North Carolina, north Alabama, eastern Kentucky, and southwest Virginia, so the absence of sections on these two states was a bit of a disappointment.

I thought that we would spend a little time exploring what O’Brien has to say about western North Carolina. The section starts off with a snapshot of the Shelton Laurel episode as a segue into the area. On page 4, he writes that “Even in the mountains there was an initial flurry of patriotic support for the Confederacy, but this soon gave way to apathy as the war entered its second year.” Hmm, that “initial flurry” outpaced support for the Confederacy across the entire state, and the “apathy” was partly due to the fact that there were no more men left to give. The rest of Chapter 1 is spent on the Shelton Laurel massacre.

Chapter 2 starts with this: “In 1863, partisan warfare intensified in the western North Carolina mountains. Federal victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July gave the loyalists hope.” I don’t really see what Gettysburg and Vicksburg have to do with partisan warfare in western North Carolina. I do understand that it hinged much more on Longstreet’s inability to recapture Knoxville, and his movement north. When Longstreet was attempting to lay siege to Knoxville, he sent some of his men into western North Carolina to gather supplies. These groups of regular Confederate soldiers kept many of the Unionists at bay. It is not until 1864 that partisan warfare really intensified. Part of Chapter 2 is spent on a Unionist by the name of Goldman Bryson and his activities against the Cherokee, and in Cherokee County, North Carolina, and in north Georgia. Col. George W. Kirk and his raid on Camp Vance near Morganton is covered in chapter 2, as are Keith and Malinda Blalock. Chapter 3 covers William H. Thomas and his legion, and part of Stoneman’s Raid. On page 33, O’Brien writes that Stoneman’s command reached Boone on March 28. “Stoneman’s men burned the county courthouse, the jail, and several other public buildings.” That’s not true. The courthouse records were burned, but not the courthouse. Some of Stoneman’s men who came into town to protect Stoneman’s line of retreat fortified the courthouse by cutting loopholes in the walls to use as gunports.

Chapter 4 dives into George Stoneman and his 1864 raid into southwest Virginia. Then we go back to Stoneman’s 1865 Raid into western North Carolina. The rest of Chapter 4 brings in a host of people not related to the war in western North Carolina: U. S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, George B. McClellan. William S. Rosecrans, George Cook, John C. Fremont, William Quantrill, Felix Zollicoffer, E. Kirby Smith, John S. Mosby, Ormsby M. Mitchell, Don Carlos Buell, William T. Sherman… I guess this chapter is trying to tie in the partisan war in other areas. I kind of thought that was the purpose of the whole book. That ends the North Carolina section of the book.

Mountain Partisans was released in 1999. You can buy it new for $72 on Amazon. I paid a little over half of that from a independent bookseller. I’m not so sure it was worth it.

An interview with Colonel Tate

It would be difficult to express the amount of times I have wish I could talk to the old veterans of the war. Questions about positions, flags, uniforms, camps, and reasons would flow from my tongue. However, they are all gone, and have been gone for a very long time. Today, I give you an interview from Colonel Tate of the 6th North Carolina State Troops concerning the a visit he made to Gettysburg after the war, marking the position of his regiment during the fight. While my questions would be a little different, these nonetheless are informative, and I hope you enjoy.

“Tate at Gettysburg: The Colonel Marked the Position of North Carolina Troops.” The News and Observer (Raleigh) 15 Aug. 1894

Colonel S. McD. Tate returned yesterday from Gettysburg battlefield where he has been since Thursday last to assist in locating the position gained by North Carolina troops during the memorable battle of July 1863.
Colonel Tate was accompanied by Col. Thomas S. Kenan, of this city, also by Gen. W. Gaston Lewis, who went on his way to his home in Goldsboro.
These three gentlemen, together with the three National Commissioners, Col. J. B. Bachelder, of Massachusetts, Col. Nicholson, of Pennsylvania, and Major Robbins, of North Carolina, were the only ones engaged upon the work in hand.
“It was a matter of love with us who went from this State,” said the Colonel in the Yarborough House yesterday. “I have been there two or three times for the purpose of trying to maintain for the soldiers of this State the credit that is due them. Up to, say three years ago, the so-called ‘rebel’ positions had received no attention, while on the other hand, there was a forest of monuments, most beautiful, to mark the Union line of battle.”
“People came there from the world over, and the first question that came to them was: ‘What where you Union men shooting at?’ For there was nothing in sight except an old field against an army of monuments. Then it was that the esprit de corps was arrested in the yankee breast and they reasoned among themselves this: ‘Let us mark out the host that was against us.’ Thus was this work of justice to the South and to History set on foot.”
“Did you not have some trouble after all this lapse of time in picking out spots accurately?”
“Well, no: Gettysburg is a curiously marked field, not so that as it impressed me during the war. In settling upon one point, I found that we had pretty surely come certainly within ten feet of it. A Mr. Culp, a German farmer who now owns a part of the battle ground was with us at the time all of us being on his place. Said I ‘Mr. Culp, was that fence standing at the time of the battle?”
‘Yes” said he, ‘it is the same fence.’
“ ‘Well, was not these a clump of apple trees near here?’
“ ‘Yes’ he replied, with a hearty laugh, ‘but the bullets caused them to die, and I had to cut down, there is the spot.’
“I remember those apple trees, because I had sat down under one of the, during one part of the fight. Then I found the point I sought without difficulty.
“How about the position, Colonel, gained by your regiment on Cemetery Heights?”
We marked that, too, and the stake is there fast for the site of the monument that will make the story of those men’s valor imperishable.”
“You want to know about that flag? No I did not take it personally from the man who was shot down while carrying it: I should not have disgraced my men by refusing them the honor. But they took it up one by one as each one fell until it was rescued and brought back to me. It was my men who did it,” the Colonel added with a mingled ring of modesty as to himself and pride as to his brave fellows.
“Yes, they brought it back, and I kept it until three weeks ago, when I sent it Christian Reid, at Salisbury. The Salisbury Military Company had already asked me for it, but I could not think of sending it to them.
“Do you not think it belongs in the Historical Library?”
“Yes, but Christian Reid said I could not refuse her and these were the circumstances: She was the daughter Frances, of old Judge David S. Caldwell, and afterward married Col. Chas. Fisher. She and the Colonel’s sister, Christine Fisher, made that flag out of an old blue silk India shawl that belonged to the mother of Frances. The needle work was minute, elaborate, exquisite, and it was a gem among all the army flags. Now she has it, tattered as it is with bullet holes, but one strange thing about it was that the coat of arms which was worked so richly in embroidery was not scratched, and the legend is plain and unharmed upon it now, ‘Deeds, not Words.’
“Yes, we had every courtesy, shown us, both by the officers of the Commission, as well as by the others. For there are now these 8,600 Pennsylvania troops encamped, and last Saturday Governor Parrison with staff and a troop of cavalry came in, looking like real soldiers, dusty after a ride of fifty-two miles from Harrisonburg to Gettysburg. We received distinguished consideration from the Governor, and came away happy.”
“Has Gettysburg changed much?”
“Yes, it has prospered and is a snug little town of 3,000. The difference between that and Florida is that one lives on dead Yankees and the other on live ones.”
“Do the National Commissioners live there?”
“Yes, they will probably be at work for five years yet at $10 a day, according to the latest appropriation. This was the change made after Col. Bachelder had sold the plans he made just after the war to the government for $50,000, and was thought to be the cheapest way out. The gentleman engaged are charming men and seem to be animated only by a spirit of liberality and fairness.”
The Colonel looked well and walked out of the hotel to his office in the Capital.


PS – this is post #400!!!

They fought for the Union

I was doing some research this afternoon on the interaction between Lt. Col. John B. Callis of the 7th Wisconsin and Col. Thomas S. Kenan of the 43rd North Carolina Troops on the first day of the battle of Gettysburg. That story is interesting enough, but we will save it for another post sometime in the future. What surprised me was that both Kenan and Callis were Tar Heel natives. Kenan was born in Duplin County in 1838 and Callis was born in Cumberland County (Fayetteville) in 1828. So, I got to looking for other Tar Heel natives who served in the higher echelons of command in the Federal army. They include:

John A. Winslow – born Wilmington in 1811. Joined the US Navy and commanded the USS Kearsarge in its famous duel with the CSS Alabama. Later promoted to Rear Admiral.

Joseph R. Hawley – born Stewartsville in 1826. Colonel, 7th Connecticut Infantry, Mustered out Bvt. Major General. Later Governor of Connecticut, US Congressman and US Senator.

James Johnson – born Robeson County in 1811. Provisional Governor of Georgia after the war.

Andrew Johnson – born in Raleigh in 1808 – Brigadier General, Military Governor Tennessee, Vice President, President, United States.

William Spicely – born Orange County in 1823. Colonel, 24th Indiana Infantry. Bvt. Brigadier General.

Henry H. Bell – born Orange County in 1808. US Navy – retired as a Rear Admiral.

Edward Stanly – born in New Bern in 1810. Military Governor of North Carolina 1862-1863.

Henry Lee Scott – born in New Bern in 1814. Colonel, Inspector General.

Solomon Meredith – born in Guilford County in 1810. Colonel, 19th Indiana Infantry, Bvt. Major General.

Jonathan Cranor – born Guilford County in 1823. Colonel, 40th Ohio Infantry, Bvt. Brigadier General.

William Stokes – born in Chatham County in 1814. Colonel, 5th Tennessee Cavalry, Bvt. Brigadier General.

Surprisingly, none of these men came from the western part of North Carolina, the part that is supposed to be so Unionist in its leanings. Thoughts?

The Things They Were Given

Many of you are familiar with Tim O’Brien’s book, The Things They Carried. This book is about the Vietnam war. Well, I’ve slightly reordered the title for today’s post: “The Things They Were Given.”

There were numerous objects presented to officers (usually) by their men. The men of the 1st NCST presented Matt Ransom a sword in 1861. Zeb Vance was presented a .31 cal. Colt pistol in December 1861 by the men of the 26th NCT. Brig. Gen. James H. Lane was presented a saddle, bridle, sash, and sword by his men toward the end of March 1863. In 1861, the men of the 1st NC Volunteers had presented Lane with a sword, bridle, saddle, and two pieces of plate silver. I have even read of uniforms being presented. Probably the most famous would be the gift of a uniform to Stonewall Jackson by JEB Stuart.

This month’s issue of Confederate Veteran brought an interesting story, or item, to add to that list of presentation materials. According to an article by Bill Young, it seems that the men of the 11th North Carolina Troops (Bethel Regiment) presented their colonel, Collett Leventhorpe, with a cased set of boot jacks. According to the article, on the outside of the wooden case are :two delicate, sterling silver oval plates fastened… with silver pins. The ovals had delicate rope borders and were handsomely engraved in a jewelers flowing script. One plate read “To Col. Collett Leventhorpe – C. S. A. – 1862,” and the other read, “From his comrades in the Bethel Regt.”

The article goes on to state that the boot jacks came out of an attic in upstate New York. The author writes that he “figured that some Yankee soldier took it home as a souvenir…” An plausible idea is that Leventhorpe was forced to sell the book jacks when he was incarcerated after his capture at Gettysburg.

That is a first for me – a presentation set of boot jacks.

From the news wire...

The 26th Regiment N.C. Troops, Reactivated, Funds Conservation of Battle Flag of the 47th N.C. Troops

The N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh has one of the nation's largest collections of Confederate flags. Conservation of these banners requires specialized textile treatment, costing approximately $7,500 per flag. The 26th Regiment N.C. Troops, Reactivated, the state's largest Civil War re-enactment group, has helped fund this need. On Dec. 12, 2009, the group unveiled the newly conserved battle flag of the 47th Regiment N.C. Troops during a dedication ceremony at the museum. The 26th Regiment raised the funds necessary to restore this historic artifact.

The 47th Regiment's colors were captured at the Battle of Hatcher's Run in Virginia on Oct. 27, 1864, by Sgt. Daniel Murphy of the 19th Regiment Mass. Volunteer Infantry. The flag was sent to the U.S. War Department in Washington, D.C., and returned to North Carolina in 1905.

"Since its return to North Carolina in 1905, the battle flag of the 47th N.C. Troops has remained in storage and could not be displayed due to its condition," says Tom Belton, Curator of Military History. "With the support of the 26th Regiment N.C. Troops, who spearheaded a conservation drive, we can now include this important North Carolina artifact in upcoming exhibits."This Confederate flag and others are being conserved in preparation for the N.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial. From 2011 to 2015, exhibits and programs will be presented in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in North Carolina.

The restored 47th Regiment banner is an Army of Northern Virginia pattern with "47 NC" painted in the center. It was issued as a replacement for the regiment's colors captured by the 12th New Jersey Infantry at the Battle of Gettysburg.

"This is the third flag project completed by the 26th Regiment N.C. Troops for the Museum of History," says Skip Smith, colonel of the 26th Regiment. "With the help of many individuals and groups across the state, such as 47th Regiment N.C. State Troops, Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) Camp #166 in Wake Forest, we were able to complete the fund-raising for this project. It is our honor to partner with the Museum of History to help conserve our state's battle flags."

Gary Lee Hall, Lt. Cmdr. of the 47th Regiment SCV Camp, adds that many members of the 47th Regiment N.C. Troops were from the Wake Forest area. "We actually have one direct descendant of the 47th Regiment in our camp. We appreciate the opportunity to help with conservation of the flag and to honor the men of the 47th Regiment."

The 26th Regiment has begun its 2010 Preservation Project: the battle flag of the 22nd Regiment N.C. Troops. The organization has inspired several other Civil War re-enactment and remembrance groups to adopt other flags in the museum collection.

For details about the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook. To learn more about the 26th Regiment N.C. Troops, Reactivated, go to www.26nc.org<http://www.26nc.org/>. For information about the N.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial, access www.ncculture.com

North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial interview.

After our discussion last month about North Carolina and the upcoming sesquicentennial, I asked Chris Meekins at the Department of Cultural Resources if he would be interested in an interview about the plans of the Department of Cultural Resources. Please find below my questions and the DCR’s answers. I hope you enjoy. You can learn more about the sesquicentennial at DCR’s website.

How will North Carolina’s Civil War Sesquicentennial differ from the centennial remembrance?

There are many differences in the two events due to both the intervening history between the events and to the way in which the committees were organized.

The first significant difference is that the Confederate Centennial Commission was a legislative creation and the North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee is not. The authority of the sesquicentennial committee derives from the Department of Cultural Resources (DCR). As steward of many historical sites, objects, and records associated with the Civil War era, the DCR Deputy Secretary, North Carolina Office of Archives and History, Dr. Jeffrey Crow recognized the coming importance of the sesquicentennial and organized a committee to prepare the DCR for the commemoration. In 1959 (renewed in 1961), the General Assembly created the Confederate Centennial Commission; charging that body with planning and conducting programs to commemorate the centennial of the Civil War and the Assembly ordered the commission to cooperate when possible with individuals, unofficial organizations, and agencies of the federal government and other states. While the Sesquicentennial Committee will perform similar responsibilities as the prior Confederate Centennial Commission it does not have the mandate or charge of the General Assembly. Thus the North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee’s authority is limited to the DCR proper.

Major historic events and new approaches in the craft of History have expanded our knowledge and understanding of the Civil War era. New historical methodologies challenged the interpretation of the war and asked important questions about the home front, soldier’s activities, African American participation as soldiers and freedmen, and women’s issues. More recent historical interpretation seeks to understand the way memory and remembrance interacts with facts to create a particular understanding of the events in both place and time. Advances have also been made in presenting living history and historic site interpretation. Understanding the Civil War era in North Carolina is no longer regulated only to the experience of the soldiers in battle; it is no longer contained in the entirety by the old “Rebel Boast” of “First at Bethel, Fartherest at Gettysburg and Chickamauga, Last at Appomattox.” Understanding the Civil War era in North Carolina is a multifaceted approach to teaching the many and varied components that created, sustained, and challenged the state during the era.

The names of the two committees reflect that change in understanding. Without question the focus of the centennial event was on North Carolina’s Confederate status. The Sesquicentennial Committee seeks to focus on the entirety of the Civil War experience and not just the Confederate heritage (which remains an integral component).

To that end, the North Carolina Sesquicentennial Committee is planning many public events to expand (hopefully) the understanding of the war era. Three major conferences are scheduled and structured around the three interpretive themes of Freedom, Sacrifice, and Memory. Every state historic site that interprets the Civil War era has scheduled major and minor events throughout the sesquicentennial period including lectures, re-enactments, and living history days. The committee is committed to an open forum on the Civil War era. State museums are developing exhibits, workshops and teacher institutes (for renewal credit). The State Archives is planning talks, workshops, exhibits, and online presentations. Our hope is to provide stimulating and compelling educational opportunities for the public to explore North Carolina’s rich Civil War heritage.


What message does the DCR want to get across to the people of North Carolina during the sesquicentennial?

The Sesquicentennial Committee wishes to invite the people of North Carolina to explore their rich, diverse, and significant shared history. To that end Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow charged the committee to prepare appropriate and historically accurate activities which will bring understanding of the complex issues and events to all North Carolinians. The DCR encourages participation in the various planned programs.


What areas of scholarship do the personnel of the DCR hope to see emerge during the sesquicentennial?

The DCR personnel are committed to remain up to date with current trends in historical analysis and reflect those approaches when presenting any historical interpretations to the public. Such recent trends include (but are not limited to) the study of Memory, guerilla warfare, soldier’s experience, Confederate nationalism, home front experiences, women’s studies (such as the development of political power through Ladies Aid Societies), and the African American experience (including United States Colored Troops, Emancipation Proclamation, free blacks and slaves in the Confederate forces). In addition, it would be worthwhile to revisit studies of battles, brigades, generals, and statesman - the familiar Civil War stories which continue to inform us about the Civil War era.


What can local folks in the communities around the state do to make sure that the sesquicentennial is remembered where they live?

The biggest thing that local people can do is to become involved and engaged to ensure that the Civil War sesquicentennial is remembered where they live. There are endless opportunities for such groups as local history groups, genealogy groups, heritage groups such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Sons of Union Veterans, and Sons of Confederate Veterans, to have educational forums, speakers at their meetings, coordinate local history days, etc. Citizens should consider forming Civil War 150 committees for their municipality and or county that would plan and execute activities that would resonate with local constituencies. Keeping in mind that these activities should seek to draw a wide audience and be based in objectivity and sound scholarship. It may help the local committee in planning by using the three themes – Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory – as touchstones in their activities. In addition, local committees can draw resources from the NCCivilWar150.com web site. The DCR, and in particular the North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, stands ready to assist local groups who ask for such aid. However, the impetus for such commemoration must come from a local source. The DCR is planning regional activities within the frame work of its Historic Sites, Museums, and the Archives but is not authorized to go beyond the bounds of the agency.

And along those lines, would the DCR be interested in partnering with or supporting other civic, historical, economic, and other organizations across North Carolina in an effort to expand the understanding and appreciation of the American Civil War?

The role of the DCR Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee is to plan events to promote and further the public understanding of the Civil War era. The committee is both empowered and constricted in being only an agent of the DCR (rather than a mandate from the General Assembly). On a limited basis the committee is partnering with entities and or institutions when such a partnering furthers the DCR’s outreach and educational goals. In all such instances (for example, two of the three symposia are partnered with academic institutions as host schools) the Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee retains control over the event (content, promotion, etc.). The best way for the DCR to assist civic groups is to remain, for the most part, in an advisory capacity. When opportunities arise for partnering the committee will review such opportunities and make recommendations for a course of action (partnering, advising, etc.).

A look around the Old North State - 2010

Here we are entering the second week of January, and I guess it is time to have a look around at headlines related to the War and the Tar Heel State.

The 13th Annual Confederate Prison Symposium will be held in April this year in Salisbury. You can check out a list of the speakers here.

The Winston-Salem Journal has a review of Richard Reid’s new book, Freedom For Themselves: North Carolina’s Black Soldiers in the Civil War Era. Check it out here.

There are numerous events going on in the Fort Fisher area commemorating the 145th anniversary of the battle. You can find more information here.

On January 14, there will be a screening of “Civil War Letters of Macon County” at the Jackson County Genealogical Society. You can get more information here.

UNC Greensboro is sponsoring a exhibit entitled “Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation” from January 25 until March 5, 2010. You can learn more here.

Readers and researchers can now access one of North Carolina’s war-time newspapers through a new search engine put out by the state. This is a part of the N. C. Digitization Project. You can learn more about the program here.

The cost to bury a soldier…

A few weeks ago, I posted a little about the life of Jacob Evans, a Tar Heel who served in the US Navy during the war. I found Evans’s grave while on a ramble in Avery County. I dug out another piece of information: how much it cost to bury Evans after his death in 1926. It cost a grand total of $85.00. Here is the breakdown:

Coffin - $25.00 (J. C. Harmon)
Services rendered - $5.00 (W. M. Estes)
Burial service - $2.00 (F. G. Cook)
Burial service - $2.00 (Leonard Storie)
Burial service - $2.00 (Joe Parlies)
Livery - $5.00 (Earnest McGuire)
Clothing Expenses - $44.00 (Hobert Church)

Pretty remarkable, considering how many soldiers, during the war, simply got wrapped in a blanket and buried in a grave with someone else.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I meant to post this a couple of days ago, but between the snow, ice, loss of power, and trips to see in-laws and parents, I just never got around to it. I’m home now, and have electricity. But it is still cold, about eight above as I sit and write at 8:30 this morning, and they are saying that this weekend will be colder than the last. I do hope you had a great Christmas and New Year season.

I have many great things to share this year, including interviews (which I have only done infrequently), book reviews, news reports, and observations about the Old North State and the War. I hope you enjoy.

Regards,
Michael

Good News!

Greetings from a very snowy western North Carolina. We have about eight inches right now – expecting about another ten more. I am happy that the book on the Fifty-eighth NCT finally has a front cover. I like it – what do you think?

News and notes...

I’ve found a couple of interesting items in the last few days that I thought I would share. The 26th North Carolina Troops (reactivated) has released a great new recruiting video. Check it out here.

Great article talking about Mt. Jefferson in Ashe County being used as a refuge for runaways (slaves, Tar Heel Citizens, escaped prisoners) at the Mountain Times. You can check it out here, along with a few comments from your humble scribe.

The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History will be having a special program on North Carolina Women and the War on Thursday evening. You can get more information here.

There is some good information about the town of Mooresville in this article.

Rambling.... again

If you have been following this blog for any length of time, you have probably noticed that blog posts get kind of slim in the month of December. By December every year, I am tired – tired of writing, tired of blogging, tired of answering email, tired of traveling. This year is a little better. I’ve been tired since October, and I’ve tried really hard to take it easy. I’ve been reading, sitting on my porch, playing with my kids, and reflecting. A lot of reflecting. I have four projects sitting here in my office that are one or two research trips away from the writing process. Three of them focus on North Carolina and the war, and the other on one of the most famous individuals of the war. That project has been ready to go for some time, and I actually have the first two chapters finished, or at least in draft form. For some reason, I’ve not been able to jump and get this one finished. Maybe it is the almost foot-high pile of primary research that needs to be culled through. I’ve also got a fifth project that I’ve been dabbling with the past couple of weeks. To be honest, I will probably not do anything until the first of the year, and then it will be time to go back to work.

As I have written before, there is so much that still needs to be done, researched, and written about to understand the role of North Carolina and the War. I could not begin to tell you the number of emails that I get from people wanting to know when I am going to write about this regiment, or that person. No, I’ll never be able to get to all of it. But I look forward to seeing what I can accomplish.

I am looking forward to next year. I’ve got some “first rate” things that I’ve found recently that I look forward to sharing. And, I’ve a few more trips planned. May try and go back to Gettysburg. The 58th NCT book will be released, and I’ll be traveling around promoting the book. I am hoping to do a mini-reunion at Chickamauga. The plan is to invite all those folks I have corresponded with for the past decade and explore the role of the 58th NCT at that battlefield. Maybe we could do a similar trip to Bentonville.

Well, I’ve probably rambled enough here this morning. – Y’all have a great day.

A trip through the South

Interesting article today on North Carolina Miscellany blog. The article tells of a true Northern soldier (not one of our home-grown Yankees) who took a little trip through the South, including North Carolina, in 1868. What I find interesting is how this former soldier was treated by the former Confederates. Several months ago, I had a good argument with an acquaintance on this very subject. His premise was that the vast majority of Southerners, following the war, would have rather bushwhacked this chap than give him a carriage ride, or three cheers. Do I doubt that there were some in the South that hated those from the North? No, not one bit. However, to not help someone in need, or to not stretch out the hand of friendship to a passerby, is a strictly un-Southern attitude.

This brings to mind another conversation that parallels the thought above. At one of our recent round table talks, the conversation turned to commanders of the local home guard companies here in western North Carolina. Two of those commanders, the ones for Watauga and Yancey Counties, were forced to relocate after the war. I wonder how many of the others were forced to move out of the area after the war? I know that Watauga County’s Home guard commander, Harvey Bingham, had to leave because of the way he enforced state and Confederate laws. Bingham did return for a short time, but later settled in Iredell County where he ran a law school.

Just random thoughts for today.

You can check out the article at North Carolina Miscellany here.

In Salisbury Tonight

Folks – I’ll be speaking this evening at 6:30 pm at the Rowan County Public Library in Salisbury. Topic will be my program on Gravestone Art, which includes over 100 images of gravestones that I’ve taken over the past ten years. Drop by and say hi!

Also, do you need books for Christmas presents? I’ve got all of my books in stock – 37th NCT; Remembering North Carolina’s Confederates; the Brooksville-Bayport Raid; Mitchell County Images; Families, Friends, and Felons: Growing Up in the Avery County Jail; and many more. Drop me a line or visit my web page if you are interested. But please order soon…

Sesquicentennial??

This past Saturday, I was at the Appalachian Authors’ Festival in Old Fort, North Carolina. There were several other authors there, including Richard Russell, editor of Fear in North Carolina: The Journals and Letters of the Henry Family (great book if you don’t already have it!).

I was surprised to see David Madden, founder of the U. S. Civil War Center at LSU and Lincoln Bicentennial Member. We had a very interesting talk about the upcoming sesquicentennial of the War. One part of our conversation centered on what appears to be a lack of community input and participation in our upcoming sesquicentennial plans. Sure, the state has a web page, but look at the North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee – every single person on this Committee works for the state. Look at the plans of the sesquicentennial committee – academic symposiums to be held in Raleigh, Wake Forest University, and (probably) UNC-Wilmington. The committee plans to hold programs and events at thirteen of the state’s historic sites (two each year per site). That’s great. What about the dozens of historic sites across the state that are not within the state’s system? I can think of three historic sites within an hour of my house – has anyone from the state contacted them to see if they are interested?

This is not to bash the folks on the Commission – this is just to say that the focus seems a little one-sided.

I took a look at the Sesquicentennial plans in Virginia. Their commission seems dominated by politicians. While I do not think that this system is the best, at least they are answerable to the people. What is nice to see is that just about every county, and a few of the large cities, have formed their own sesquicentennial committees. Wow – the entire state working together. Sure, I know, some of these committees will be working harder than others, but at least something is happening.

Most you know that I have been working on promoting an open discussion about the war in the western part of the state. I’ve been working in five different counties, trying to get people out and talking about the War, both in terms of the men (and women )who marched away, and the events that took place at home. I am going to continue to do this, and I hope to expand in the next couple of years. As I told Madden on Saturday, I would love to see this type of local dialogue happen in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties. I would love to be a part of each one, which is probably not a very realistic goal. But, if I can work with the counties that are interested and the counties that are nearby, then maybe something can happen to educate and preserve what took place 150 years ago. Maybe I’ll even head down to the next Avery County Commissioners meeting to try and get approval for a local Avery County Sesquicentennial Committee.

Come on North Carolina, you supplied more men and lost more men than any other Southern State. We can do better than what we are doing.

In Old Fort Today

The Appalachian Authors’ Festival is today in Old Fort in McDowell County, from 12:00 pm until 3:00 pm. It is being held this year in the old Train Depot/Museum. If you are in the area, stop by and say hi!

News and notes...

Well, let’s have a little look around the Old North State to see what is brewing in the news.

The Sun News (Raleigh) had an interesting article on a soldier in the 15th NCST who suffered from PTSD (even though the article does not quite go that far). The soldier ended up in the NC State Insane Asylum and is buried in the hospital’s cemetery. The article can be found here.

Rob Neufeld continues his writings on western North Carolina and the War with an article on Thomas L. Clingman. It is interesting that while Neufeld calls Clingman that “fire eater from the Carolina mountains” due to Clingman’s stance on secession, he makes no mention of that fact that Clingman owned no slaves. Check out the article here.

Another article dealing with the battle at Deep Creek appeared recently in the PJStar (Peoria, IL). Read more here.

The Mount Airy News reports on a living history held recently Horne Creel Living History Farm. Check it out here.

Check out this article on the cemetery at Mount Bethel Evangelical Church in Summerfield.

Davidson County

It has been a while since we looked at one of North Carolina’s counties and the war. So, I thought we would pick up and take a look at Davidson County, located in the Piedmont section of the state.

Davidson County was formed in 1822 from Rowan County and was named for William Lee Davidson, a patriot during the Revolutionary War who was killed at the battle of Cowan’s Ford, on the Catawba River, in 1781. The county seat is located in Lexington, named for the 1775 battle of Lexington at the start of the Revolution. The railroad arrived in Davidson County in 1855. Another principal town is Thomasville.

In 1860, Davidson County had a total population of 16,601 people, including 3,076 slaves and 147 free people of color. In the 1860 presidential election, 1,186 men voted for Bell, 728 for Breckinridge, and 15 voted for Douglas. In the February 1861 vote on whether or not to call a convention to consider secession, Davidson County men voted 368 for and 1806 against the convention. Their elected delegates were Benton C. Douthitt and Benjamin A. Kittrell. Douthit was born in 1811 and served in the house of Commons in 1844 and the State Senate in 1858. He was a Unionist who switched when Lincoln called for troops. Kittrell was born in 1831, attended UNC, and studied law under Judge Pearson. He also opposed secession.

Davidson County sent nearly 2,000 men into Confederate service. Some of those men served in Companies B and I, 14th North Carolina Troops; Company A, 21st North Carolina Troops; Companies A and I, 42nd North Carolina Troops; Company K, 45th North Carolina Troops; Companies B and H, 48th North Carolina Troops; and Company A, 54th North Carolina Troops.

There are many interesting sites throughout the county. Several soldiers took advantage of the depot at Thomasville and left for the war from that point. A NC Civil War Trail Marker marks the site. Near Main Street and Salem Street in Thomasville is another marker. This one teaches us about a site nearby that was a hospital and a refugee camp. The hospital started out for Confederate soldiers, but later provided care for soldiers from both armies. Not far away is the Thomasville City Cemetery. There are 36 soldiers interred in the soldiers’ plot. Certain websites write that the Thomasville City Cemetery is the only cemetery in the world where Confederate and Union soldiers are buried together in a single gravesite. Thomasville was also the site of a shoe factory that helped supply Confederate soldiers during the war. In Lexington, the county courthouse was burned in February 1865 and General Kilpatrick stayed at the home of Dr. Holt at the close of the war. General Stoneman was stopped in a skirmish on April 12, 1865, at the Yadkin River bridge, and Jefferson Davis camped in a “pine grove” on April 16, 1865, as he sought to evade Federal troops.

In September 1905, “Several thousand people from Davidson and surrounding counties gathered to witness” the unveiling of Davidson County’s Confederate monument. Among the throngs were an estimated 300 to 400 Confederate veterans. The monument was originally in the center square in front of the courthouse, and it was frequently hit by automobiles. In the 1950s the monument was relocated to a less dangerous place, not far from the original site.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was hoping to get some things posted before taking a small break for Thanksgiving, but alas, I’ve just not been able to get to anything. I’ve been putting together two notebooks on the Hardy and Glanton families for a family reunion we are having over Thanksgiving. No, these are not my North Carolina families. I did find a slew of ancestors in the 50th Alabama Infantry, along with the ancestors I already knew about in the 9th Alabama Cavalry, and 37th Alabama Infantry.

I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving break. We’ll see you on the flip side.

Anniversary

Twenty-seven years ago this weekend, I went to my first re-enactment. It was held in Orange Springs, on the edge of the Ocala National Forest. I was ten. I don’t remember all of the details. Something in the back of my mind says that site was an actual skirmish site, or maybe the church there was the one that Capt. J. J. Dickinson attended. I don’t remember exactly. I do know this – I’ve been hooked since 1982. I’ve been to scores (hundreds?) of events, from the small to the great, and I’ve meet amazing people (including my darling wife). I would just like to say publicly – Uncle Jeff, my life would have been dull without you.

I’m still not really working on much. I was in Asheville last night talking to their SCV Camp – good bunch of folks. I’ve been trying to answer email, and I’ve been slowly reading through some material and taking notes for my next project. I am kind of tired and burned out. Working 15+ hours days for about six weeks while I finished the 58th NCT book has taken its toll. So, I am just going to kind of glide for the next month or so. I’ve several appearances to make, and a family reunion to attend. So, blogging will be slow until after the holidays. Maybe I will get back to my county-by-county study soon.

CSS Appomattox found!

Not much going on in the news related to the war this week except all of the stories connected to the discovery of the CSS Appomattox. According to one of the articles below, the CSS Appomattox was “part of what was known as the Mosquito Fleet — a collection of small armed steamers that defended the northeastern North Carolina sounds during the Civil War. The boat was set on fire in February 1862 by its own crew as they were attempting to escape Federal gunboats after the Battle of Elizabeth City. Though they attempted to get through the Dismal Swamp Canal, the boat proved too wide. Rather than have it captured by the Union Navy, the crew set the boat ablaze…”

You can learn more by checking out these articles:

DailyAdvance.com

Associated Press

The Virginia Pilot

Jacob Evans – US Navy

This past Sunday afternoon, I took a little ride here in Avery County. I was researching something and got distracted by a couple of cemeteries. One of them was the Fall Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, also known as the Fall Creek Graveyard. In this cemetery, I found the grave marker for Jacob Evans. There was a marker (one of the flat bronze type, stating that he had served in the United States Navy during the war. I did some digging this morning and found Evans in the Navy Survivor Certificates. He has an interesting story. Evans was born in 1847 in Surry County, North Carolina. In 1865, he was living in West Virginia and working on a steamboat. On March 1, 1865, he enlisted in the United States Navy in Cairo, Illinois. He served aboard the USS Nymph, Forest Rose, and Red Rover. He was in and out of the hospital while in service, for a variety of reasons, including diarrhea, lame foot, fever, cough, and influenza. Evans was issued a medical discharge September 1, 1865. Evans moved around quite a bit after the war. He was married for the first time in 1870 in Surry County. His first wife was dead by 1900. In 1906, Evans was living in Cranberry (then in Mitchell County). In 1909, he had relocated to Sullivan County, Tennessee. In 1911, Evans married Jane Greer in Elizabethton, Tennessee. They returned to Elk Park, now in Avery County, to live. In 1913, Evans was in the Soldiers Home in Washington County, Tennessee. Evans soon put in for a transfer and, in 1918, was in Montgomery County, Ohio, in another Soldiers Home. It is that year that he applied for and was granted a divorce, which was granted by a Montgomery County, Ohio, judge. The divorce was based upon the idea (fact) that Mrs. Evans was not fulfilling her responsibilities as a wife, even though it was Jacob Evans that left and removed himself several hundred miles away. When a month Mrs. Evans later was informed that she was no longer married, she wrote the pension office, stating that this was the first time she has heard of it, and that Jacob had abandoned her months beforehand and she had not heard from him. Of course, this is only part of the story. The rest is probably lost. In 1921, Jacob Evans returned to Johnson County, Tennessee, and in 1924, was back in Avery County. He required a nurse, who was Robert Church. Evans died at the home of Robert Church in 1926.

Avery County CW Round Table Tonight

Not much going on here in the western part of the Tar Heel State. We’ve had some beautiful weather the past week, but it is raining today (and tomorrow). For the first time in a long time, I am blogless– I really don’t have much going on. I’ve kind of been “on vacation” as of late. When I go “on vacation” I read broadly and spend a great deal of time outside.

I had the chance on this past Saturday to participate in a living history here in Avery County for our local home school group. We worked with about 75 kids and parents (and a few people that just stopped by). We set up six different stations that the groups rotated through. These stations included: the war in the mountains, common soldiers, weapons, cooking, children’s lives, and care packages. We all had a great time, and were asked a lot of great questions. I absolutely love this type of hands-on programming.

Tonight, I am participating in a Avery County and the Civil War program at the local library. I’ve been a part of this type of program for th epast three or four years in Yancey, Mitchell, Avery, Watauga, and Caldwell Counties. Basically, we sit around in a circle, and for two to three hours, talk about the war, both locally and nationally. While I facilitate the program, I am always learning something. If your historical society, SCV camp, or UDC chapter would like to host this type of program, please drop me a note – I would love to help.

Yes, I am “working” on my next project, but I’m not ready to announce what it is. I’m really just doing some reading and taking a few notes. I’m also working on a couple of article queries. No, I’m not sure when I’ll really start writing seriously again. I’m still “on vacation.”

The photo is our group of interpreters from this past Saturday.

News and notes...

A lot going on this week, both in the news and with me (see previous entry). Here is what I found on my weekly crawl through the news.

There is a new monument to Confederate soldiers in Weldon. Check out information regarding it and the war-time hospital in this article in the Salisbury Post.

The Statesville Record and Landmark has an article about resources available at the Public Library in Statesville. Check it out here.

Information regarding the skirmish at Deep Creek (Swain County), and effort to place a historical marker at the site, may be found here.

The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources has announced that advanced tickets are available for the 145th anniversary of the battle of Bentonville. Learn more here.

There is some great information on Dr. Edward Warren, a North Carolina born doctor who wrote "An epitome of practical surgery, for field and hospital (1st Edition. Richmond, Va., West & Johnston, 1863)," one of the most widely used guides used during the war by Southerners. You can read more here.

And, there is a new web site devoted to the life of Harriet Jacobs, put together by the Edenton-Chowan County Tourism Development Authority and developed with Historic Edenton State Historic Site. Check it out here.

Book signings and articles

Lots of news – An article that I wrote a couple of years back (while researching the book on Hanover Court House) on Federal general Irvin McDowell is in the current issue of America’s Civil War. The new issue should be hitting newsstands right about now. Also, I was recently interviewed for an article written by Sharyn McCrumb on Civil War re-enacting. The article is in the current issue of Blue Ridge Country. I saw one on a local newsstand on Saturday, and I encourage you to check it out.

I will be on the road some this week. I am speaking tomorrow night (Tuesday) in Raleigh at the Barbecue Lodge at 4600 Capital Boulevard. Dinner is at 6:30 pm. I plan to do a little research in the archives beforehand. On Thursday evening I’ll be in Barnardsville at the Big Ivy Community Center. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm. I’ll also be participating in a living history this weekend here in Avery County. This event is for our local home school group.

I often comment that I try and take much of October off. I took a good deal of it off, but alas, October is over, and it is time to go back to work.

Book signing in Asheville

Folks – I received this email yesterday and thought I would pass it along.

Suzy Barile, descendant of Buncombe Co. native David Swain, will talk about her new book, Undaunted Heart: the True Story of a Southern Belle & a Yankee General at Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, next Friday, Nov. 6 @ 7pm. It’s the story of Ella Swain, daughter of former NC governor and UNC president David Swain, who fell in love with and married the Union general whose troops occupied Chapel Hill at the end of the Civil War. Based on family letters, the book chronicles the challenges of rebuilding lives after the Civil War and the social history of the era. Please help spread the word about this event.

Another Day Older and Deeper in Debt

We had a great time last night in Bakersville at our Mitchell County and the Civil War discussion. For those in the area, we are doing a similar program in Avery County on November 10 – 6:30 pm at the library in Newland.

One of our visitors last night brought up some questions about iron mines in the Confederacy during the war. Our friend believed that Cranberry ranked second behind the mines in Birmingham, Alabama, for production of iron ore during the war. From my research, I know that iron ore was mined in Cranberry during the war, but only on a small scale, the problem of transportation keeping it from being more productive. According to the family who operated the mine during the war, only one wagon load of ingots was transported a month to the railhead near Morganton.

So, this led me a round of research this morning into iron mines in North Carolina during the war. At the start of the war, there were more than 100 iron furnaces and bloomeries in the South.

I found a long list of localities that were mined in North Carolina during the war. These include, but are probably not limited to:

Bloomery Mine, Nash County
Ore Hill, Chatham County
A mine near Asheboro which produced some of the “most highly prized iron obtained during the war…”
Costner Mine – Lincoln County
Oremond Mine – Gaston County
Widow Bailey Place – Lincoln County
Rodgers Mine – Stokes County
William Ore Bank – Yadkin County
John A. Allen plantation near Mocksville.
Davidson River Iron Works – Henderson County.
Cranberry Iron mines – Mitchell (now Avery) County

So which ones were the largest? I’m not sure. I do know that the Bloomery Mine and the Ore Hill Mine were Confederate operations, meaning, they were run by the Confederate government to some extent. In October 1861, the Fayetteville Observer reported that the Ore Hill Mine was producing 15 tons per week. In 1857, the Cranberry Mines were producing 17 tons a year.

Just another forgotten aspect of a very large conflict.

News and notes....

Yes, I know, I just did this recently, but several things have come up that you might be interested in.

There will be a Mitchell County and the Civil War Round Table tonight at the Masonic Lodge in Bakersville. Starts at 6:30 pm and everyone is invited to attend.

There is some information on the Cape Lookout Lighthouse in a magazine called Sport Fishing. You can check it out here.

Information about a Tar Heel soldier who served in the 25th NCT and who might have owned a Henry rifle can be found here.

Zeb Vance gets a mention in a article about the Tenth Amendment, which you can read here.

The Gaston Gazette reports on the activities of writer and historian Mark Hughes, who has put together “The New Civil War Handbook.” Check it out here.

There is a upcoming living history at the site of the Fayetteville Arsenal this weekend. Learn more about the Arsenal and the event by clicking here.

This past weekend, there was a memorial service honoring Maj. James Riley, the officer who surrendered Fort Fisher. Check it out here. Andrew Duppstadt has more information on his blog, Civil War Navy, which you can find here.

Lincoln in Asheville

On Wednesday, I was in Asheville and stopped by Pack Memorial Library to view the current Lincoln exhibit. Interestingly, I would never call myself a Lincoln scholar, and at times, I am even a Lincoln detractor. That being said, I worked through Lincoln’s papers while working on the Hanover Court House book, and I’ve been to the Lincoln Museum and Library In Springfield while working on another project.

The exhibit is entitled “Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation” and is located on the main floor. According to a blurb I found online: “The exhibit is sponsored by the American Library Association with underwriting from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is brought to Asheville by Buncombe County Libraries and the Center for Diversity Education at UNC Asheville in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The free exhibit will be on display at Pack Memorial Library in Downtown Asheville and will also feature the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War on the citizens of WNC.”

Besides the standard traveling exhibit, the library had pulled some of its own items out of its collections and placed them on exhibit. These include oil paintings of Lee and Vance, a pre-war painting of Asheville, and a couple of items from UCV reunions in Asheville after the war. There was also some information regarding the battle of Asheville fought at the end of the war.

There was an attempt to focus a little more on slavery locally. Someone had gone through local newspapers and printed out advertisements regarding slave sales and rewards for runaway slaves and placed them in notebooks on a table. The book also mentions the activities of people of color in the local newspaper continuing into the decade after the war. I would have liked to have seen more information about local slaves: how did the lives of mountain slaves differ from the lives of enslaved people in the deep South or along the coastal plain? How about a map showing some of the larger plantations in Buncombe County? Or, There are stories here in my section of western North Carolina of slaves who refused to leave their homes after the end of the war. Are there such stories in Buncombe County? Where there any enslaved men who stole away and joined the Federal army, serving in one of the many black regiments? I also did not see any mention of Sarah Gudger, a Buncombe County slave who was interviewed in the 1930s as a part of what is now known as the Slave Narratives. Maybe I just missed it, but here was a great example of what life was like for someone who lived through being a slave in Bumcombe County. Had I been putting this exhibit together, I would have attempted to find some way to bring this to light.

The exhibit runs through the end of the month. If you are in Asheville, stop by Pack Memorial Library and check it out.

A look around the Old North State

Is it that time again? Time for look around of mentions of North Carolina and War in the press? I hope you enjoy.

Rob Neufeld writes in the Asheville Citizen about the need for more historical markers, including one commemorating the battle of Deep Creek. Check it out here.

The Garner News has an article that traces the history of the name of the community of Furquary-Varina, including some War-time stories. Check it out here.

Famed historian Edwin Bearss will be speaking at a fundraiser in Rose Hill, North Carolina, in November. Get more information here.

Great article in the Star News on Confederate place-names in Wilmington. Check it out here.

There are a whole slew of Civil War related programs going on at the public library in New Bern. Learn more about their programs here.

There is a exhibit on the life of Lincoln currently being held at Pack Memorial Library in Asheville. Follow this link for more information.

Fred Ray

I should have mentioned this earlier – Fred Ray, author of Shock Troops of the Confederacy: The Sharpshooter Battalions in the Army of Northern Virginia, will be speaking tonight in Burnsville, North Carolina, at the Town Center at 6:30 pm.

Nathan Allman - 7th NCST

It has been a very, very busy past two months that have been filled with living histories, Civil War round tables, and other programs. Yesterday, I spoke at a reunion of descendants of Nathan Allman, Co. B, 7th NCST. The reunion was held in Enochville, NC, over near Mooresville. It was my first trip to Enochville.

I started my research for this little talk by looking up Allman’s service record in the Troops books. This is what I found:

Allman, Nathaniel H.
Born in Cabarrus County where he resided as a farmer prior to enlisting in Cabarrus County at the age of 22, July 2, 1861, for the war. Present or accounted for until wounded in the leg at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 3, 1863. Company muster rolls indicate he was absent wounded through November, 1864. North Carolina pension records indicate that he “died at home from blood poison.” Date of Death not reported.

Then I went to his compiled service record, which presents another story. If I were writing his record, for the troop books, this is what I would have written:

Allman, Nathaniel (Nathan)
Born in Cabarrus County where he resided as a farmer prior to enlisting in Cabarrus County at the age of 22 on July 2, 1861. Was mustered in as a private in Company B, 7th North Carolina State Troops August 21, 1861. Reported sick in quarters in January and February 1862. Reported left sick in camp in May and June 1862. Reported sick in hospital in Richmond, Virginia, June 30 to November 1, 1862, when he was furloughed home. Returned before the end of the year. On July 20, 1863, Allman was admitted to Chimbarzo Hospital, Richmond, Virginia, due to something wrong with his left hand. Sent to Raleigh, North Carolina, July 25, 1863. Reported absent wounded in July and August 1863. Reported absent sick in hospital September and October 1863. Reported absent without leave November 1863 through February 1864. Reported present in March and April 1864. On May 15, Allman was admitted to Winder hospital in Richmond with an undisclosed wound. On June 7, 1864, he was furloughed home, wounded. This furlough extended through November 30, 1864. On January 1, 1865, Allman was discharged by reason of a slight wound in leg received at the battle of Gettysburg, a wound that never healed, and by reason that he was “an inferior soldier.”


Then there are those two little sentences at the end: “North Carolina pension records indicated that he “died at home from blood poison.” Date of Death not reported.” Well, that is true. According to the family, Allman was out plowing his field, and had a nail from his boot puncture the bottom of his foot, which caused his death some weeks later. The way the listing reads, this occurred during the war. It did not. Allman died in 1890.

I’m not quite sure where the great folks in Raleigh came up with their entry for Allman. There is a lot more information in his record.

Allman is buried in the St. Enoch Cemetery in Enochville.

John Brown, conclusion

There seems to be a lot of John Brown in the news today – and since we sit on the edge of the 150th anniversary of the event, I thought maybe we should get back to our discussion. My apologizes for not getting this finished – something else stepped up and took its place on my importance list.

A recap – we’ve had a very good discussion on John Brown and his role in American history: was he a political activist, or was he a terrorist? I even placed an impromptu poll up on the blog, asking you what you thought. In this unscientific poll, most of you thought he was a terrorist. However, given that the majority of my readers are Southerners, that should be no surprise. Next, we looked at North Carolina’s reaction to John Brown’s Raid. Since the A. P. wire did not exist, local newspapers were forced to reprint what had appeared in other newspapers. Their own thoughts were often limited. Through the newspapers we examined, we find both disdain for the political party thought to have backed the attack (the “black Republicans”), and warnings regarding suspicious characters in local communities. There were even a few references to men being detained and tried. I was going to post next on the ties of North Carolina to the Raiders, namely that John A. Copeland, Jr., and Lewis S. Leary were both born free persons of color in North Carolina. Josh Howard did a good job with that, and if you have not yet seen it, you can read his article here.

As I sit and write this morning, a thought kind of sticks out above the others: just how is John Brown being taught in schools across North Carolina this week? Is he getting a mention at all? Or, are the upcoming dates just going to be something else that goes by largely unnoticed like so many of the others? Granted, it has been a while since I was in school (junior-senior high, at least). And while I do not really remember what the text said, I do remember the illustration. It was the one that I posted on the original John Brown post.

Ok, I took a break yesterday from writing this and did another informal survey. I posted a query on both my facebook and myspace accounts, asking people who were educators, students, or parents of students, if their schools were doing anything regarding the 150th anniversary of John Brown’s Raid. To say that the response was underwhelming would be an overstatement. For the few folks that did comment back, they knew of nothing going on at their schools.

So I want to propose this question: it the larger scheme of things, has John Brown been forgotten? Will there be anything in local newspapers this week to commemorate the event? Or, will there be any discourse at the local library, local community college, or public university about Brown’s role in history? Or, has the matter largely been replaced by other events? Probably not a fair question for a blog that deals with that period of history. We here all remember the actions of Brown, some of us with pride, some with disdain and contempt.

I guess I should apologize. I could (and probably should have) put together a program that examined the life of John Brown in one of two of the local venues that I mentioned above and I did not. The work on the 58th NCT book kept me distracted. I am going to start work today on some programs that look at the war itself and make sure those years are not forgotten.

Good Weekend

Well, it was a rather exciting weekend. On Friday, I was speaking at the Friendship Luncheon of the North Carolina Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Fayetteville. This was their annual meeting, and I was speaking on the importance of remembering the common soldier. After I finished speaking, they presented me with the Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal for my book, Remembering North Carolina’s Confederates. The Medal is presented for “furthering the study and preservation of Confederate history…” I am honored and would like to thank the wonderful ladies of the North Carolina Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy for this unexpected reward.

But that is not all, the North Carolina Society of Historians recently saw fit to honor two of my local history books with their Willie Parker Peace History Book Award. This makes the fifth and sixth times that I have won this award. The books for which I won this year are Families, Friends, and Felons: Growing Up in the Avery County Jail, co-authored with Jimmie Daniels; and Images of America: Mitchell County. Once again, I am truly honored.

So what’s next? I am going to work on trying to get my email caught up, and we are going to work on expanding the shelving on in our library this week. Interestingly, when I talk about moving our books around, everyone I know sort of seems to disappear until I announce that I’ve finished.

A look around the old North State

I’ve not had much time to look at the news lately – so, I did this morning. Here is what I found:

Rob Neufeld writes an interesting article about a member of the 60th North Carolina Troops in the Asheville Citizen. Check it out here.

There is a living history at the Bennett Place this weekend – more information can be found here.

Interesting article on Maj. Charles M. Stedman in the Politico a couple of weeks ago. Check it out here.

On Ancestorymagazine.com there is an article on Pvt. Durham H. Smith (31st NCT). Check it out here.

58th North Carolina update

Do you hear angels singing? About 11:30 last night, I finished the 58th NCT manuscript. The photos are in order, captions written and proofed, maps are finished, map captions are finished, the whole thing (manuscript, photos, maps, and captions), is printed out, cover letter written, and everything burned on disk. It is sitting here on my desk waiting for the post office to open. The manuscript is 128,379 words in length (393 pages), with 95 photographs (had to cut some), and sixteen maps. I’ve been writing about three years – not three straight years, but three years. I started collecting information about eleven years ago, when I started working on my history of the 37th NCT. I have talked to hundreds of descendants along the way. One of my readers said that he believed that this was my best book yet. I hope so, and I hope, when it comes out sometime next year, that you will agree.



I believe that I have written this before (but I am too tired to go and look), that writing regimental histories (in my opinion), is one of the hardest things to do. This is my second. I have written many other things – battle histories (Hanover Court House and the Brooksville Raid), county histories (Watauga and Avery), pictorial histories (Avery, Caldwell, McDowell, and Confederate Veterans), and several magazine articles including a couple of bios, and nothing compares to the work of a regimental history. You can be the master of a battlefield – you can crawl over every inch of it, and read scores of letters and reports that describe the actions that took place. To write about a regiment, not only must you know how a regiment worked, but you must know about every battle it fought. For both the book on the 37th NCT and the forthcoming book on the 58th NCT, I have tried to walk over every place they fought, and a few places that they camped. This was a little harder for the 58th NCT, considering that most ofthe battlefields in Atlanta are gone! But I’ve tried.



The 58th NCT has been a much more challenging task that the 37th NCT. The primary sources are not what I would like (no 58th NCT records after August 1864), and the secondary sources are not that good. Several good histories of the overall campaigns, but nothing like Rhea’s Overland Campaign books. When I wrote the book on the 37th NCT, the only thing that I felt that I really need a good book about was the battle of Hanover Court House (Slash Church). So I took my research, dug deeper, and wrote a well-received book about the battle. I could spend the rest of my writing career looking into some of the holes in the scholarship in the western theater of the war.



Even though I may grumble and complain from time to time, I enjoy writing regimental histories more than anything else. I enjoy looking into the lives of the men who really fought the war, who are standing on the firing line as the lead minies sing their death songs. I enjoy describing how the face of battle changed during the course of the war, how the men passed the hours upon hours that they spent in camp, about their longing to see their loved ones at home. Will I tackle another regiment? Sure – but probably not anytime in this year. Do I have another project in mind? Sure – I’m a writer. Am I going to tell you? Not yet…






The above picture I took this morning. That is the 58th NCT manuscript lying on my very untidy desk, waiting for the post office to open.

John O. Hill

We’ll continue our look at a few soldier’s graves as I work on finishing the 58th NCT manuscript. John O. Hill was a private in Company K, 33rd North Carolina Troops. He enlisted in Greene County in January 23, 1862. Two months later, he was captured during the battle of New Bern. Hill was released in August and returned to duty in November. He was wounded in the fight at Chancellorsville in May 1863, and died at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, of wounds and/or “erysipelas.” He is buried in the Confederate section of Hollywood Cemetery.

W. H. C. Hoppers

Picture of the day is of the grave of William H. C. Hoppers. He served as a private in Company H, 2nd Battalion North Carolina Infantry. Hoppers is buried in the Confederate Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia.

Ashland, Virginia

There are undoubtedly numerous Tar Heel – Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery in Ashland, Virginia. Many of the dead from the May 1862 battle of Hanover, including members of the 7th NCST, 18th NCST, 28th NCT, 33rd NCT, and 37th NCT were most likely re-interred here after the war. This monument marks the graves of four hundred Confederate soldiers and was erected by the ladies of the Ashland Memorial Association in 1888.

My week of cramming is taking its toll, not only on my blogging, but also in many, many other areas. So, I thought I would post a few pics from some of my many cemetery crawls. This is a photo of the grave of Stephen M. Collis, Walker’s Battalion, Thomas’s Legion. He is buried in a cemetery overlooking the town of Bakersville, Mitchell County.

John Brown article

Recently saw that Josh Howard had written an essay on John Brown’s Raid and that it has been published on North Carolina’s Civil War Sesquicentennial Web site. I’ve known Josh since he was an undergrad at Appalachian State. Check it out here and tell me what you think – I’ve not had a chance. Crunch time around here.

58th NCT update

Crunch week for the 58th NCT. I plan to have it in the mail by Friday. I have finished the maps and the map captions. There are sixteen maps in the book. I have maybe ten or twelve more photographs to write captions for, which will give me about 100 images for the book. The whole word count is about 131,000. I need to go back through the manuscript one more time this week, make corrections, and add a few things that have come to light since I finished a few weeks ago.

On to other personal notes. My book on the 37th NCT is now officially out-of-print in hardback. It is being re-released in paperback next month. More details will follow. Also, Remembering North Carolina’s Confederates is also on back order. I only have a couple ofcopies floating around. I’ll have an announcement soon on what is coming next (besides rebuilding my shed, which I’ve needed to do all summer).

the Scottish Chief

Not much going on in the news this week relating to North Carolina and the War. I did find this item of interest. Recently, divers found the remains of a couple of Blockade Runners in the Hillsborough River near Tampa, Florida. Having grown up re-enacting in the Sunshine State, I often like to take note of events related to the war years. So what does this have to do with North Carolina and the war? One of those recently found blockade runners was a 124-foot oak and pine steamer named the Scottish Chief. It is thought that this vessel was built in North Carolina in 1855. During the war, the vessel carried cotton and beef hides to Cuba, and returned with ammunition, wine, and maybe a cigar ortwo to Florida. The Scottish Chief and another blockade runner, the Katie Dale, were damaged and later sunk during a Union raid in October 1863. The Katie Dale has also been found, along with a barge. Once again, just one of those small pieces of the war. There are numerous articles on the Scottish Chief and the Katie Dale all over the internet. Check a few of them out.

On a different note, I’ll be attending the Banner Elk Heritage Festival tomorrow. The festival is held at the Banner House, built by a Union soldier in 1865. Stop by and say hi.

Sad Day

Sad day. I learned this morning that Sanna Gaffney passed away last week. Most you probably never met Sanna – she was a local genealogist in Boone and someone that I talked with at length many times. She used to call with questions. Never said hello, or passed the pleasantries, just launched into her question. It often took me several seconds to catch up.

I also just learned that Frances Casstevens, the author of books on Clingman’s brigade and the 28th NCT, among others, passed away last night in Winston-Salem. I only met Frances once, even though we often swapped emails. I sent her some of my research on the 28th NCT.

Has anyone else noticed that we are losing our Civil War historians rapidly these days?