So who did command the 58th NCT at Bentonville?

Earlier this year, I wrote a piece entitled “How Rumors Get Started” on the discrepancies between versions of a story about who commanded the 58th North Carolina Troops during the battle of Bentonville. Writing about three decades after the war, Capt. Isaac Bailey, who was not at the battle, claimed that Lt. Col. Samuel Silver was in command of the regiment. The limited sources from the time period say differently, namely the official report of the battle by the 58th NCT’s brigade commander, Brig. Gen. Joseph M. Palmer.

Today, while hunting for something to answer another question, I found another piece of the puzzle that lends credence to the assertion that that Harper, not Silver, was in command. On April 5, 1865, a list of losses sustained by the 58th NCT during the battle of Bentonville appeared in the North Carolina Standard, published in Raleigh. The article reads:

Headquarters, 58th N. C. Regiment
March 23, 1865

List of casualties in the 58th N. C. regiment, commanded by Major G. W. F. Harper, in the battle of Bentonville, on Sunday, March 19, 1865.
Co. A – Wounded, Privates S. Gaddy slight in head, M. Miller, slight in arm.
Co. B – Wounded, Private J. B. Turbyfield slight in foot.
Co. D – Wounded, Lieut. D. F. Baird, dangerous in breast; corpl B. L. Presnell, mortal in abdomen; Private S. Green, mortal in head (since died); M Strickland slight in shoulder.
E – Killed, Pvt. A. F. Green. Wounded, Lieut. W. C. Coffey, slight in breast; Privates J. C. Shuffler, seriously in thigh; A. Pearce, slight in foot; I. Anderson, slight in knee; I. Coffey, slight in hand; N. Smith, slight in foot; Wm. Coffey, slight in hand. Missing – I. Sherill.
F – Wounded, Sgt. J. J. Marler, slight in arm.
H. – Wounded, Privates J. M. McCall, slight in breast; H. Stafford, slight in arm; E. C. Fox, slight in hand; J. Turnmire, slight in groin.
K – J. McKinney, slight in head.
L – Sergt. J. Spivey, mortal in knee (since died;) Privates M. M. Faircloth, serious in leg; T. Hurley, serious in knee; H. Hurley, slight in thigh.
Total – Killed or died of wounds 3.
Wounded 23.
Missing 1

B. L. Perry, Jr.
Adjutant.


So what say ye? Harper or Silver?

Currituck County

It’s been a long time since we examined a county… just been a little busy. I reckon it’s time to return to our study. I thought this time we would look at the far north-eastern corner of the state – Currituck County.

Currituck County, which borders Virginia, was formed in 1668. The name Currituck is a local Native American word meaning “land of the wild geese.” Surprisingly, the county seat, also named Currituck, has (according to the Encyclopedia of North Carolina) never been incorporated. The county is largely surrounded by water, and the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal cuts through the county. According to the 1860 census, there were a total of 7,415 people living in Currituck County. That included 2,524 slaves and 221 free persons of color. In the 1860 presidential election, Currituck County men cast 595 votes for Breckinridge and 66 for Bell. No one voted for Douglas.

In the 1861 vote to call a convention, Currituck County men voted 447 in favor of the convention, with 86 opposed. Henry M. Shaw was elected the convention delegate. Shaw, born in Rhode Island, had a varied career. He was a businessman, minister, medical doctor, and state senator. Shaw withdrew from the convention early on to accept the colonelcy of the 8th North Carolina Troops. Shaw served in the Army of Northern Virginia for a time. During the 1864 attack on New Bern, Shaw was mortally wounded.

Currituck County sent several companies into Confederate service. They include Company B, 8th North Carolina State Troops, Company E, 17th North Carolina State Troops, Company G, 4th North Carolina Cavalry, and Companies C and G, 68th North Carolina Troops. There were also several men from Currituck County who served in several different companies in different regiments of the United States Colored Troops.

During the war, Currituck County suffered much from raiding, guerrilla bands, and frequent incursions. Early in the war, the state of North Carolina established salt works. Federal soldiers from the 5th Rhode Island were sent at least once to search and destroy these works. On several occasions the Northern blockading fleet captured vessels off Currituck. On August 19, 1861, the USS Dale boarded the British bark Queen of the Lake, and about a month later the same sailors boarded the schooner Velma.

The site of the Court House in Currituck was visited numerous times throughout the war. On February 12, 1862 the 59th Virginia Infantry passed through the Hamlet. Many of the companies of the 8th North Carolina State Troops were recruited on the grounds of the Court House, and at another point during the war, Federal Troops were camped on the courthouse grounds. Mid-May 1863 local Confederates attacked and captured Federal mail-ship steamers Emily and the Arrow in the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal. In August 1863 Confederate guerillas burned all of the bridges in Currituck and surrounding counties and in June 1864 Federals raided into Currituck County.

In 1918, a monument was placed on the grounds of the courthouse in Currituck to commemorate the county’s Confederate soldiers.

Finished Escott

Finished reading Escott’s North Carolinians in the Era of Civil War and Reconstruction. I’ve been blogging about the different essays as I’ve read as I have went along. I finished the last three essays over past few days and wanted to send along a few more comments.

I’m not sure why Laura F. Edward’s Essay, entitled “Reconstruction and North Carolina Women’s Tangled History” was included in the collection. It is an interesting essay, but save for the last three or three and half pages, the whole essay only deals with women and their legal rights in Antebellum times. I do understand having to set the stage, but for twenty-one pages?

I thought the next essay, “Marriage Divorce, and Gender in the 1868 Constitutional Convention in 1868” by Karin Zipf was really good. Maybe Edward’s essay helps set Zipf’s essay in context.

The two essays that deal with Vance, “The Immortal Vance: The Political Commemoration of North Carolina’s War Governor” by Stephen Nash and “To Do Justice to North Carolina: The War’s End according to Cornelia Spencer, Zebulon B. Vance, and David L. Swain” by John C. Inscoe were really good.

So, would I recommend this book to someone? Depends on your interest level in the North Carolina and the War.

So what is next? I’m three chapters into D. H. Hill Jr.’s History of North Carolina and the War.

Reflections on the 58th NCT and 37th NCT.

This weekend, I wrapped up the proofs for the book on the 58th NCT (more details on release date to come soon). That makes two regimental histories that I’ve written. The first was on the 37th North Carolina Troops, which served in the Army of Northern Virginia. I did not know when I began that project that the 37th NCT lost more men than any other regiment from North Carolina during the war – a little more than 800. I kind of thought that when I finished the project, and it looks like that those numbers are true.

The 58th North Carolina Troops was remarkably different in several ways. I have read that the 58th NCT was the largest regiment fielded by North Carolina during the war. The numbers that I came up with make it only slightly bigger than the 37th NCT. Both regiments had over 2,000 men. The 58th NCT was a Army of Tennessee regiment, really only one of two Tar Heel regiments to serve in the AofT, the other being the 60th NCT. The 29th NCT and 39th NCT both served in the Army of Tennessee, but they also served in other armies as well. While the 58th and 60th (consolidated) were surrendered at Greensboro, the 29th NCT and 39th NCT finished out the war in Alabama. The 58th NCT will also probably be recorded as the regiment with the most deserters, and possibly the most deserters to join the Union army. I often joke with a couple of pards about how the 58th NCT was just a stop for men who later “transferred” to the 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry (US).

In the end, I came up with 355 men of the 58th NCT who died during the war. That number is low, possibly 100 men low. There are just way too many men in the 58th NCT whose records end when they arrived in a hospital in some place, never to be heard from again. I probably could have taken the census records for the individual counties and spent years comparing them to the rosters, trying to track down those who did come home. But I did not. As I said, that would have taken years. And I have already spent years on the project. I started collecting information on the 58th NCT about the same time I started working on the 37th NCT – which was in 1996. I did spend three years of starts and stops actually writing the book on the 58th NCT.

So what is next? Well, as I have already written, I have a contract for a concise, well-illustrated history of North Carolina and the War. I also have three other projects that I have been researching for years just lying about here around the office. Am I going to take up my pen and write about another regiment? Sure. Which one? I’m not sure. I was at a cookout on Saturday evening with some friends and a few were trying to take collections to prompt me in a few different directions. The leaders in the discussion that evening were the 7th NCST and the 29th NCT. We’ll see. Since four of the top thirteen regiments to suffer the most losses came from the Branch-Lane brigade, and since I have already written about one of those regiments, I’m probably leaning in that direction. But you never know… And to be honest, until I pick up my pen, neither do I.

Artillery and Musket Fire Return to Bentonville Battlefield

FOUR OAKS -- The sounds of artillery and musket fire will once again ring out at Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site during the annual summer living history program on Saturday, Aug. 28. From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., costumed living historians will demonstrate how soldiers made meals, maintained their weapons and uniforms, trained for battle, withstood the weather and much more.

This free program will feature musket demonstrations at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and artillery firings at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Visitors can stroll through a Civil War soldier’s camp and discover what role the enlisted man played in battle. Re-enactors from the 27th North Carolina Troops will explain and answer questions about military life during the war. These living historians will also give uniform and equipment talks.

Artillery demonstrations will feature a three-inch ordnance rifle, a typical Civil War field piece. According to one witn ess, the artillery fire at the Battle of Bentonville was so heavy that it “literally barked the trees, cutting off limbs as if by hand.”

The Battle of Bentonville, fought March 19-21, 1865, 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. For more info rmation, visit www.ncculture.com.

News and notes

We’ve not really visited the news scene in a while, so here is a look around the Old North State.

The folks at Blog Divided have an article about Hinton Rowan Helper, a North Carolina native who wrote The Impending Crisis in 1858. The book was a call to Southerners to end slavery, and caused quite a stir. Check out the post here.

Andrew Duppstadt, over at Civil War Navy, talks about a Civil War living history on the WWII USS North Carolina in Wilmington. You can check out his post here. Hopefully, photos will follow soon.

There are quite a few articles around on the counting of North Carolina’s Civil War dead, which I talked about last week. You can read more about it here, here, and here.

There is a interesting article about the end of the war in Cleveland County in the Cleveland Star. Check it out here.

An interesting article about the North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial Web Site can be found in an editorial here at JDNews.com

You can read a great article about a women whose father served in the 28th North Carolina Troops here.

Ramblings....

It seems that I have survived another action-packed weekend, which included three road trips, two of which could be considered war-related.

Friday night found me in the town of Burnsville at the Parkway Playhouse. It was opening night of “The Ballad of Tom Dooley." The real story (which takes place in 1866) of this former Confederate soldier is well known to many. Needless to say, the writers of this script took quite a few liberties with the historical story. But it was a good play, and the music was great. The play is running through August 21. You can find more information here.

We were up early on Saturday and on our way to Durham to the Bennett Place for their last 2nd Saturday program. I joined about a dozen other authors for a mini-author’s fair. I had the pleasure of being set up under the old Band Stand there on the property with local historian Jim Wise and Appomattox Historical Park Ranger Burt Dunkerly. We had a great time talking to the crowds and sharing information amongst ourselves. Throughout the day, we were kept in step by the Carolina Drum and Fife Corps, which sounded great!

On another note, tonight (Monday, August 16), Dr. Michelle Gillespie, of Wake Forest University, will be speaking before the Mitchell County Historical Society on the aftermath of the War in the Appalachian Mountains. Dr. Gillespie will be at the Mitchell County Historic Courthouse at 7:00 pm.

I’m still working on the proofs for the book on the 58th North Carolina Troops. They should be finished this week. And as always, I have a couple dozen score of emails that need attention. Hopefully I’ll get to yours soon.

Interesting figures

This morning, I was “playing” around with the Historical Census Browser at the University of Virginia. There are many different ways to use the database, and many different facets can be examined. I was looking at the Cash Value of Farms, and the numbers are truly revealing as to the loss that North Carolinians suffered during the war. Yancey County farms were valued at $944,719.00 in 1860, yet only $218,651 in 1870, a loss of 77 percent. Union County farm land was valued at $1,293,504 in 1860, and just $378,056.00 in 1870, a loss of 71 percent. Orange County, there in the Quaker Belt, was valued at $2,141,690.00 in 1860, and just $977,308.00 in 1870, a loss of 55 percent. Duplin County was valued at $3,131,621.00 in 1860, and just $649,750.00 in 1870, a loss of 80 percent. Yancey, Union, Duplin were worth less in 1870 than in 1850.

Surprisingly, Mecklenburg County seemed to recover more quickly (or lose less?). In 1860, the cash value of farms was $2,823,949.00 and in 1870, $2,645482.00, a loss of just seven percent.

I am sure that there are a number of factors that led to this decline. The war would have destroyed some (many) of the farms; given that North Carolina lost tens of thousands of soldiers, there would have been fewer farm hands to work these farms; and, there was a mass exodus from North Carolina to points further west.

I also did another survey concerning the growth of slavery in North Carolina from 1850 to 1860. Once again (surprisingly), there were a number of North Carolina counties where slavery actually declined in that decade. Those counties include Ashe, Caldwell, Camden, Cherokee, Cumberland, Haywood, Macon, Orange, Stanly, Surry, Tyrrell, and Watauga.

There is much to be found by examining these numbers. Let me encourage you to check out the database here and make some discoveries on your own.

No Confederate Left Behind

I just finished reading an article in the Greensboro News and Record about the work of Josh Howard of NCDAH and Charles Purser of the Garner Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans who are working to document the number of North Carolina Confederate soldiers who died during the War. It is a good article, and I encourage you to read it – you can find it here. I think it is great that people are working on getting the correct number of North Carolina’s Confederate dead.

However, part of the article is wrong. The article states that “No African American died serving in North Carolina’s Confederate ranks, although some historians argue that blacks did fight for the South.”

Franklin Cuzzens lived in Boone, Watauga County – check the 1860 Watauga County census. He is listed in household number 96, Boone district, with his wife Elizabeth and their daughter Mary. They are listed as Mulatto. In 1850, he is listed as black. Franklin, and his brother William Henry, volunteered as privates in what became Company B, 37th North Carolina Troops, on September 14, 1861. At times, according to their Compiled Service Records from the National Archives and Records Administration, their last names are spelled Cuzzens, Cozzins, Cossins, or Cossens. And at times, William Henry is just seen as Henry. In April 1862, both brothers voluntarily re-enlisted in the 37th North Carolina Troops. Franklin Cuzzens was killed in combat on August 27, 1862, during the battle of Second Manassas/Bull Run. William Henry survived the war, moved to Yancey County, married, and drew a pension for his Confederate service from the state of North Carolina.

There is so much discussion about blacks who served in the Confederate army, about their being relegated to minor or non-combat roles. That may be true for most of them. However, Franklin Cuzzens, a free person of color that held almost no rights, gave his life for the Confederate cause.

By the way, according to the research being done, the 37th North Carolina Troops lost more men (killed, died) than any other Tar Heel regiment during the war.

On the road again…

On the road this week – I’ll be presenting and signing books tomorrow night at the A. H. Stephens Camp 78 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Americus, GA. They meet at the John D. Mathis American Legion Post #2 (923 North MLK Blvd) in Americus at 7:00 pm. You can check out their web page here.

On Saturday, August 14, 2010, I’ll be at the Second Saturday program at the Bennett Place in Durham, North Carolina. I’ll be there all day, but I’ll be speaking a little after lunch. If you are in the area, stop by and say hi!.

58th NCT update

I’ve not had much to post lately with the book on the 58th North Carolina Troops. The project’s kind of been in publisher’s limbo. But, I am happy to announce that the proofs have arrived. The whole project is scheduled to go to the printer in four weeks. So, maybe I’ll have some concrete release information really soon. I am looking forward to re-reading the book (not really looking forward to creating the index – just part of the job). I’ve not really looked at the manuscript since I turned it in several months ago, so it will be a fresh read. Well, I guess it is time to go to work.

Durham’s ‘2nd Saturdays’ Go Back to the Future

Durham’s ‘2nd Saturdays’ Go Back to the Future

DURHAM – American Indian folk tales and games at Stagville Plantation, early lessons in reading and writing along with folklore and history authors at Bennett Place , and a children’s festival with youthful artisans and kid-friendly vendors, make for a fun-filled itinerary at 2nd Saturdays programs on Aug. 14 in Durham . Families on a budget and adventurous travelers will enjoy the music, books, games and costumed interpreters who bring life to practices of bygone days.

This final 2nd Saturdays program at the state historic sites and museums within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) will offer arts, history and genuine North Carolina culture at venues all across the state. Each site this summer has created three unique programs that may include fresh local produce from area farmers, music from area musicians, handcrafted foods or textiles, original artworks or books, and all as great gift ideas ready for sale (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ncculture/).

“Learning the Land: Native Americans at Stagville” will offer tales from Kay Begay and flute music from Daniel Begay. Breads, baskets, digital art and decoupage will be for sale, along with hot dogs, hamburgers and roast corn. The generations-old Cherokee Butterbean Game, and other games, will bring joy to many.

“Authors of North Carolina ” at Bennett Place State Historic Site will include history, art and authors from the Old North State . Revolutionary and Civil War history, cookbooks and folklore are in store. Stewart Dunaway, Piedmont area American Revolution War authority, and Burt Dunkerly, National Park Ranger and historian of the Revolutionary War Southern Campaigns, will make presentations. Michael Hardy, Civil War historian of North Carolina Confederates and Blue Ridge Mountain area wartime activity, will share personal accounts of Confederate soldiers. Jim Wise, author of “On Sherman’s Trail” and “Durham Tales,” will speak on the Civil War’s final days and Durham history. The history of Civil War music will be explained by members of the popular Civil War-genre band Carolina Fife and Drum, which also will perform.

A “Summer Children’s Festival” at Duke Homestead will be a delight to young and old. The Little River Cloggers will perform. Children will be able to make take-home projects at the mobile Home Depot Children’s Workshop. Costumed interpreters will help young visitors make rag dolls, a “buzz saws” game and cookies. Music will be played on conch shells, cow bells and other odd instruments. A storyteller will weave a spell. The more than 20 vendors include youthful artisans, who will sell items for children. Another crowd pleaser will be engine-churned ice cream!

Partners in the 2nd Saturdays program include “Our State” magazine, the Division of Tourism within the N.C. Department of Commerce, the N.C. Cooperative Extension, and the Tourism Extension Program in N.C. State University ’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management Program; with grant support from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

Bennett Place , Duke Homestead and Historic Stagville are within the N.C. Division of State Historic Sites. Bennett Place is located at 4409 Bennett Memorial Road , Durham , 27705; Duke Homestead is at 2828 Duke Homestead Road , Durham , 27705; and Historic Stagville is at 5828 Old Oxford Hwy
Durham , NC 27712 .

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.

Book signing tomorrow

Elizabeth and I will have our first joint book signing tomorrow (Saturday), from 2:00 until 3:00 pm, at Black Bear Books in Boone. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hi! Also on the docket that day are Sharyn McCrumb, Mary Doria Russell, Mary Jo Anderson, and Peggy Poe Stern.

A little more of a review

As I mentioned earlier this week, I’ve been reading the essays in Escott’s North Carolinians in the Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction. A couple of days ago, I finished Barton Myer’s essay on Wild’s December 1863 raid in North Eastern North Carolina - good essay and I really don’t have much to add. Myer does what Brown should have done – he uses the census records to examine a portion of the Confederate force that Wild (and other Federals) were dealing with.

Last night, I finished reading Professor Judkin Browning’s essay entitled “Visions of Freedom and Civilization Opening Before Them: African Americans Search for Autonomy during Military Occupation in North Carolina.” Browning has divided his essay up into different ways that former slaves sought autonomy, like education, enlisting in the Union army, employment, and escape. My difficulty with this essay is that there is no consideration given of the slaves who did not seek autonomy. Yes, there were some slaves who, although given their freedom, choose to remain with their former masters and on their former plantations or farms, still working. I once thought that this was a phenomenon that occurred just in the mountain counties, as I have come across this “choice” from time to time in my research in the area. However, having spent some time reading the slave narratives put together by the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s, I now understand that this “phenomenon” occurred elsewhere.

I seem to have noticed a trend. While it is acceptable to use the slave narratives to back up ideas of mistreatment and abuse, when talking about slaves who never left, or those who left and came back, well, those obviously cannot be credible occurrences or sources. Should not the words of Mary Anderson, a former slave in Wake County, who thought that “slavery was a mighty good thing” be any less credible than those of Jane Arrington, also a former slave in Wake County, who said: “I know slavery wus a bad thing”?

Civil War and …Art? ‘2nd Saturdays’ Series Wraps Up Aug. 14

Here is another press release from the NCDOAH. But hey, I’m in this one – can you find me?



Civil War and …Art? ‘2nd Saturdays’ Series Wraps Up Aug. 14

North Carolina ’s State Historic Sites are well known for the interpretation and preservation of the state’s Civil War story, but combining that story with the arts is a fresh approach. On Aug. 14, 2nd Saturdays programs — a series of more than 100 free events that was organized to bring together artists, history and authentic North Carolina culture at all 37 of the Department of Cultural Resources’ museums — will provide many new experiences. For more info rmation and a map of this summer’s events statewide, visit www.ncculture.com.

Bentonville Battlefield
Bentonville Battlefield in Four Oaks will focus on the importance of community dances as a diversion for soldiers and civilians from the harsh realities of life during the Civil War.

On Aug. 14 the site staff will host a community picnic and a social dance highlighting the art of Victorian dance. Re-enactors will provide dance instruction and demonstrations, accompanied by a 19th-century-style band. Artisans and vendors will have goods for sale. The festivities are from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free.

Fort Fisher
“Living Our Civil War History” will be the theme for the day Aug. 14 at Fort Fisher in Kure Beach . The State Historic Site will partner with local artists and vendors to step back in time and explore the world of 1865, with period-style crafts and goods for sale including handmade models by Bobby Ward.

The staff will offer costumed tours and weapons demonstrations during the 2nd Saturdays event, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Period music will be performed at scheduled times throughout the day. Admission is free.

Bennett Place
North Carolina authors will share their works with audiences on the grounds of the Bennett family farm in Durham from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., on Aug. 14. Guest authors include Michael Hardy, Jim Wise and Betty Schiefelbein.

Artisans and craftsmen will show and sell their wares, including Julie Orson, the creator of handmade books. Civil War and Bennett Place souvenirs and collectibles sold in the shop help support preservation of Bennett Place State Historic Site. Admission is free.

Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson
Archaeology is the topic of the day Aug. 14 at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson in Winnabow. The program is “Can You Dig It? A Day with Dr. Stan South – Archaeologist, Storyteller and Author.”

Dr. South will tell about his excavations at the state historic site in the 1950s and 1960s and will discuss his new book, “Colonial Brunswick: Archaeology of a British Colonial Town .” The African American field technicians who assisted with that work will also speak. Other storytellers will be involved in the program from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., along with authors and poets. Admission is free.

CSS Neuse
Visitors Aug. 14 at the CSS Neuse in Kinston will explore metal-working, a very important part of daily life during the Civil War. Blacksmiths and tinsmiths made a wide array of household goods, farm tools, camp goods and military tools.

From 10 a.m.-4 p.m., watch the craftsmen create everyday objects from lumps of metal, and browse through the wares they have for sale, including jewelry. Admission is free.

State Capitol
A Saturday evening of entertainment is in store for visitors to the State Capitol in Raleigh on Aug. 14. A free outdoor concert on the south plaza at 6:30 p.m. will showcase the state’s diverse music and dance traditions.

The young Little River Cloggers will kick off the show in Southern Appalachian style, followed by storyteller Obakunle Akinlana, who uses drums and other African instruments to draw listeners into his traditional African folk tales.

The Huckleberry Brothers will close out the show performing traditional and popular Civil War music in a way that is faithful to the original form. Their instruments -- authentically reproduced in the designs and materials of the mid-1800s -- are the five-string banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, tin whistle, harmonica, bones and tambourine.

Artists, musicians and food vendors will be selling their goods during the 2nd Saturdays event. Admission is free.

Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace
The State Historic Site in Weaverville that interprets the history of North Carolina ’s Civil War governor, Zebulon B. Vance, will explore “The Harvest from the Farm” as its 2nd Saturdays program Aug. 10 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

The program focuses on the agricultural heritage of a 19th-century mountain farm. Featured artists will showcase products from the farm and other handmade items related to farm life – food, candles, textiles, etc. Admission is free.

Historic Stagville
The State Historic Site in Durham , once the state’s largest antebellum plantation, will host “Learning the Land: Native Americans at Stagville” on Aug. 14 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The events will focus on the lives of early Native Americans in North Carolina , with an emphasis on the Old Indian Trading Path at Stagville.

Participants include potter Tracey Broome, wood turner Frank Penta, basket maker Anabela Mendesa and candle maker Jo Separk. Other goods for sale will include homemade artisanal bread from Mr. and Mrs. Gaddis, and soaps and candles from Angel Clay. Admission is free.

Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens
The 2nd Saturdays theme at Tryon Palace in New Bern is “300 Years of Arts and Crafts” from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Aug. 14 as the palace celebrates its tricentennial birthday this year. Paid admission is required for palace events, but prices are discounted for 2nd Saturdays.

Artisans demonstrating period-specific crafts feature weaver Victoria Sowers and painter Jolene McCann; others may include a blacksmith and a basket weaver. Numerous hands-on craft activities are planned for children.

Historical interpreters in character will help visitors learn to quilt by having them stitch on the Hay House quilt, and will discuss the German paper-cutting art form of “Scherenschnitte,” which was popular in the 1800s.

Roanoke Island Festival Park
Visitors can see a free showing of the new documentary “Rescue Men: The Story of the Pea Island Lifesaving Station” at 7 p.m. on Aug. 14 at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo.

Artwork on display during the day will feature weather and sky photography by Michael Halminski, Ray Matthews and Eve Turek. Paid admission to the park is required.

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. For more info rmation, visit www.ncculture.com.

State Capitol Hosts Free ‘2nd Saturdays’ Evening Concert Aug. 14

RALEIGH – A free outdoor evening concert on the Capitol grounds will showcase North Carolina’s diverse music and dance traditions on Saturday, Aug.14. The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. on the south plaza.

Visitors are encouraged to have some cash on hand, as there will be food, art, and CDs for sale during the 2nd Saturdays event. Throughout the evening, visitors can browse at the booths of local artists who will be selling their crafts around the stage area. The event is one of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com) 2nd Saturdays events this summer that bring together arts, history and authentic North Carolina culture.

The Little River Cloggers (www.littlerivercloggers.wordpress.com) of Rougemont will kick off the show with their lively performance style. The award-winning group of young cloggers specializes in the traditional dance of the Southern Appalachian Mountains .

The second performer, Obakunle Akinlana, is a storyteller from Charlotte who uses drums, shekeres and other African musical instruments to present fun and exciting traditional African folktales. Akinlana encourages audience participation and promises to draw even the shyest spectator out of his or her shell.

To close out the show, the Huckleberry Brothers (www.huckleberrybrothers.com) will show that even in the 21st century, the music of the Civil War is alive and well. The Huckleberry Brothers play traditional and popular music of mid-19th-century America in a way that is faithful to the original form. Their instruments are authentically reproduced in the designs and materials of the mid-1800s. Their instruments include the five-string banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, tin whistle, harmonicas, bones and tambourine.

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

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.

Part of a book review...

Lately, I’ve been reading a collection of essays, edited by Paul Escott, entitled North Carolinians in the Era of Civil War and Reconstruction (UNC 2008) . Instead of reviewing the book as a whole, I thought I would make some observations on various essays as I read through the them.

The first essay in the book is by David Brown and is entitled “North Carolina Ambivalence: Rethinking Loyalty and Disaffection in the Civil War Piedmont.” The author’s thesis is to look at the counties in the central piedmont and gauge enlistment as a litmus test for Confederate loyalty. He also believes that the burden of fighting the war fell upon the yeoman class, and that service was shunned by the upper class.

My problem with all of this is that there is no research to actually back up the author’s premise. Sure, there are a few letters here and there, but nothing to give us a concrete glimpse into the question at hand. Will you ever get precise figures? No, but we can get a better understanding by some simple (but time-consuming) work. Here is my idea: take the 1860 US Census, say for two counties in the piedmont, and take the 17-volume North Carolina Troop book series and create a list. Go through the troop books and list each soldier by the date of enlistment. Then go through the census and match up the men with their worth in 1860. Create a third list for those listed in the 1860 census who do not appear in the Troop books, and look at a copy of the home guard exemptions and see why some of these men of appropriate age did not serve. Create another column while going through the Troop books – this one on desertion of Troops during the war. A fifth column could contain information on those who died for various reasons (battlefield, disease), and the hardest column of all: those who joined the Union army. Sometimes the Troop books have this information; sometimes you will need to use the 1890 veterans census. Really, it is not that difficult. And an author will not need to use such words as “probably “ so often. Do this, and you will have some hard and fast numbers to support your ideas. Unfortunately, Brown has not taken these extra steps, relegating most of his work to the realm of guesswork.

Two New Sites from the State

Someone recently asked me if I worked for the North Carolina Department of Archives and History in Raleigh. Umm, no. Since I live not far from Grandfather Mountain, the commute would be, well, interesting. The interested party was curious as to why I posted press releases on my blog if I did not work for the state. While there may be times that I may disagree with what the state does, I still think they do a great job at educating, promoting, and preserving North Carolina’s Civil War history.

All that being said, I have another plug for the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. They recently created a new database on their North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial web page, a page dedicated to Civil War Monuments in North Carolina. The page is not just for Confederate Monuments, but for any monument related to the War in North Carolina. Let me encourage you to check out the site (http://ncmonuments.ncdcr.gov/) and if you see anything that is not listed, to contact Tom Vincent at tom.vincent@ncdcr.gov I have information on several monuments and photographs of many that I am sending to Tom.

The other new piece of information on the War on the North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial web page is an essay by Josh Howard on a project entitled “North Carolina Civil War Death Study.” Using the Troop Rosters published by the State (17 volumes so far), along with the Compiled Service Records, period newspapers, and other resources, there is an attempt going on to get a more realistic number of North Carolina soldiers who died during the War. The estimate always passed around is 40,275. According to the article and research by the State, the number will likely be between 33,000 and 35,000. As cited in the article, we will never know just how many Tar Heels lost their lives during the conflict, largely due to the fact that existing records are so poor. I have mentioned this in the past while researching the 58th North Carolina Troops. There are hundreds of men who simply disappear from the records, just in the 58th. This article is well worth your time. I do wish that there was a way to contact the folks in charge of this program, as some of us probably have info on home guard fatalities that might be of interest. You can check it out here.

So there you have it, a couple of new items to keep you occupied for a few hours.

Thomas Lanier Clingman: Fire Eater From the Carolina Mountains

Been traveling as of late, and I’ve been reading – still continuing my “tour” of books relating to North Carolina and the War. I’ve finished two since posting that last review on the biography of Governor Clark.

The first book I finished was Thomas E. Jeffrey’s Thomas Lanier Clingman: Fire Eater From the Carolina Mountains (University of Georgia Press, 1998). This is actually a re-read for me. When this book came out in 1998, I checked out a copy from the library and spent several days within its pages. I recently acquired my own copy (not a cheap book, either), and enjoyed my re-read. There is not much to say about Jeffrey’s book except that it is a really, really good biography. Jeffrey explores every facet of Clingman’s life, from his early days in the US House and Senate, to his services during the War, to his work as a promoter and inventor, along with his quest after the war to regain his position in the Senate. Clingman was born 1812 in Surry County, and was a graduate from the University of North Carolina. Clingman’s greatest claim-to-fame, at least the one he is best remembered for, came during the pre-war period of his life. Clingman got into an argument with one of his former professors, Dr. Elisha Mitchell, over who had measured the highest peak in the Black Mountains in Yancey County. Mitchell went back to re-measure the peak, and fell to his death in the process. Today, Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi, bears his name, while Clingman’s name is attached to a peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Clingman is hailed as “Prince of Politicians” and in 1889, “one of the most remarkable men who have figured in politics in North Carolina…” Clingman was a rival of North Carolina’s more famous son, Zebulon Baird Vance. Clingman died in Morganton in 1897 and was originally buried in Concord. He was later reinterred in Riverside Cemetery in Asheville, not far from the grave of Zeb Vance. One thing that does puzzle me is this: Jeffrey’s title proclaims Clingman as a “Fire-Eater” Yet in the last paragraph of the conclusion, Jeffrey’s states that “Clingman was never a fire eater in the Rhett-Yancey mold.” If that is true, then it is an interesting sub-title. You’ll need to read the book to judge for yourself if Clingman was truly a fire-eater.

The next review will be on Travis’s history of the Rowan Artillery. I’m currently reading Escott’s North Carolinians in the Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

News and Notes

I had a look around at different online newspapers and here is what I found related to North Carolina and the War:

There is an interesting review of a couple of books that focus on the Confederate experience that makes some mentions of North Carolina communities. The books are Confederate Reckoning by Stephanie McCurry and The Long Shadow of the Civil War by Victoria Bynum. You can check it out here.

The Statesville Record and Landmark has a interesting article on brother-in-laws Stonewall Jackson, D. H. Hill, and Rufus Barringer. The article claims that Barringer is forgotten. Maybe for some, but I've spoken at the Rufus Barringer Civil War Round Table (twice), and been to his grave in Charlotte's Elmwood Cemetery - he is buried in the plot next to Col. Charles C. Lee (37th NCT), and across the road from the Confederate section. Check out the article here.

The Asheville Citizes Times reports that long-time Vance Birthplace sight director Sudie Wheeler has passed. Check out the article here.

The author of an article on a service to remember the Confederate Monument in Reidsville states that "There were no rebel flags to be seen ..." Yet, there is a Confederate first national in the photograph. Go figure... Check out the article here.

Slave-owning Free Persons of Color in NC

Ok, this post is kind of one of those rambling kind, but the gist of it is a review of the Thomas Day exhibit at the NC Museum of History and ongoing research into free persons of color who owned slaves.

This past Thursday I was in Raleigh, speaking to the Capt. Samuel A. Ashe Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (and I had a wonderful time). Since I did not speak until the evening hours, I spent most of the afternoon at the State library digging out resources for one of my new books. Before I headed over to the archives, I visited the history museum. I usually stop by to see what interesting War-related pieces they have on exhibit. I also noticed that the new exhibit on Thomas Day, a free person of color who was a master cabinet and furniture maker, was open. (I reconnected with Randall Jones, author of In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone while at the Museum).

The Thomas Day exhibit occupies what I would consider the main exhibit hall at the museum. Day lived in Caswell County and built furniture for many years prior to the War. Those interested more in the material culture of the time period will be rewarded with different types of furniture, from the plain to the ornate. There are 70 pieces of furniture made by Day’s shop in Milton. Plus, the Museum has recreated Day’s woodworking machine shop. There are also some great audio visual presentations to go along with the exhibit. The Museum of History has gone an extra step, and pulled out numerous pieces from its collection from the time period, like wedding dresses and militia frock coats.

It was also great to see that the fact that Day was a free person of color who owned slaves was not glossed over. (Is Thomas Day one of the most famous black slave owners?)

If you get a chance, visit the North Carolina Museum of History and check out the “Behind the Veneer: Thomas Day, Master Cabinetmaker” exhibit. You can learn more by checking out this link here or here.

Thomas Day was not alone in the ownership of slaves by a free person of color. I recently began exploring this topic with the acquisition of my own copy of John Hope Franklin’s The Free Negro in North Carolina 1790-1860. In 1830, Thomas Day was just one of 190 free persons of color to own slaves. He was reported as owning just two slaves. Some of Day’s contemporaries in 1830 owned considerable chattel: Jonathan Critchion of Martin County owned 24; Charles Mallett of Cumberland County owned 36; and, Gooden Bowen of Bladen County owned 44 slaves.

The question that I am hoping that Franklin’s book answers for me is this: why did the number of free persons of color in North Carolina who owned slaves drop from 190 in 1830 to just eight in 1860? Maybe Franklin’s book will clear this up for me.

Civil War and …Art? 2nd Saturdays Family Fun

North Carolina ’s State Historic Sites are well known for the interpretation and preservation of North Carolina ’s Civil War story, but combining that story with the arts is a fresh approach.

On July 10, the 2nd Saturdays program — a series of more than 100 free summer events that was organized to bring together artists, history and authentic North Carolina culture at all 37 of the Department of Cultural Resources’ historic sites and museums — will provide many new experiences. For more info rmation, visit www.ncculture.com.

Bentonville Battlefield
Bentonville Battlefield in Four Oaks will feature costumed interpreters demonstrating historical trades including: spinning, weaving, knitting, blacksmithing, candle-dipping and quilting. By 1861, many goods could be purchased from the local general store, but the economic impact of the Civil War forced many Americans to return to the tradition of making their own clothing, linens, candles, soap and other necessities.

On July 10, potters David Edwards of the Pottery Garden and Lonnie Blackmon of Asheboro , acrylic painter Amanda Robinson of Swansboro, and clay pipe maker Tony Kelly of Kinston will be on hand. Re-enactors Sheru Houghton and Barbara Blackmon will represent “A Row of Purls” Yam and Knitting Shop. Olde South Blacksmith Kirt Jarrett plans to fire up his “shop” and demonstrate the traditional art. All of these artists will display and sell their work to the public. And to make sure you can go home with more than great memories and wonderful photos, Thompson Orchards will be selling peaches and fresh veggies.

Fort Fisher
Local waterways will be the focus of 2nd Saturdays at Fort Fisher in Kure Beach on July 10. The State Historic Site will partner with local artists to host a program titled “Life on Fort Fisher ’s Waterways.”

Small arms demonstrations will be staged throughout the day. Volunteers from the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher will be on hand with marine artifacts and stories of life on and under the water.

Bennett Place
Wearable fiber art and durable household products will be among subjects examined at the “Tar Heels and Textiles” program at Bennett Place State Historic Site from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., on Saturday, July 10. Artisans will set up on the Bennett house lawn to demonstrate making cloth products, which will be for sale. Author and historian Jim Rumley, co-founder of the Cooleemee Historical Association, will speak on the history of North Carolina ’s textile industry. Costumed interpreters will demonstrate Civil War-era sewing skills adopted to meet the dramatic rise in demand for fabric caused by the war.

Participating artists include Michael Konvicka, textiles; Joanna White, wearable fiber art; Andrea Stephens, fiber art, pottery; Jenni James, jewelry; and Shawn Gibbs, painting. Visitors also can view the newly commissioned painting “The First Meeting,” by Dan Nance, in the Visitor Center and gallery. The film “The Dawn of Peace” will be shown on the half-hour. Civil War and Bennett Place souvenirs and collectibles sold in the shop help support preservation of Bennett Place State Historic Site.

Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson
Fort Anderson will host demonstrations of different centuries of spinning and weaving using mediums such as cotton, wool and straw during its July 10 2nd Saturdays program. One of the most prized artifacts at Brunswick Town /Fort Anderson is the 19th-century textile, the Fort Anderson Garrison Flag. A conservationist will be available to answer questions about antique textiles and will offer advice on proper care and storage.

Visitors will be offered a hands-on opportunity to make their own basket or drop-spin wool. If artists have animals connected with their work they have been encouraged to bring the animals to the historic site for interpretation. Items made by artist Barbara Johanson will be available for purchase.

CSS Neuse
Kinston has turned 2nd Saturdays into a weekend of “Spectacular” with blues and jazz concerts, imaginative art, baseball games, free breakfast treats at the Farmers Market, carriage rides, and plenty of good food…especially if you’re a fan of Eastern –style ’cue! On Friday night, there’s a free live jazz concert at Chef & the Farmer Wine Bar, which is getting noticed by ChowHound (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/625855) and Yelp!
(http://www.yelp.com/biz/chef-and-farmer-kinston).

The 2nd Saturdays program at the CSS Neuse State Historic Site on July 10 is titled “Have a Yarn.” Visitors will learn how yarn was made and how it was used during the Civil War era. A local spinning guild will demonstrate the art of making yarn out of fiber using a spinning wheel. Knitting and quilting were an important in the art of homemaking during the period, and these will also be demonstrated on site.

Participants include Heidi and Jim Kittrell of Celestine Ridge Alpacas, who will offer spun wool items; Tarheel Civilians and the Spinning Guild, who will demonstrate spinning, dyeing and knitting techniques; the Neuse Quilters, who will demonstrate quilting and share examples of historic patterns; the Goldsboro Quilting Guild, who will display quilts; and painter Jolene H. McCann.

Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace
The State Historic Site that interprets North Carolina ’s Civil War Governor Zebulon B. Vance will showcase “Traditions in Woodworking” as its July 10 2nd Saturdays focus. The program will take a look at 19th-century woodworking traditions. Featured artists will provide traditional and contemporary woodworking pieces.

Participants include Bob Bradley, who will demonstrate woodturning; Bob Weisgerber, who will showcase his furniture; and Barry Russell and Charles Farrar, who also demonstrate woodturning.

Historic Stagville
The Historic Site in Durham will host the “Jubilee Music and Food Festival” on July 10 as its 2nd Saturdays program. The festival will highlight gospel, country, bluegrass and blues music, combined with food, artists, crafts and games.

Satgville participants include bluegrass band Flies in the Kitchen; Raleigh Sankofa Cultural Dance Group, with dance; bluesman Boo Hanks; the Philharmonic Youth Jazz Ensemble; potter Sid Luck; basket-maker Anabela Mendesa; potter Tracey Broome; woodworker Frank Penta; candle-maker Jo Separk; artist Katherine Ladd; Angel Clay, offering soaps and candles; and jewelry maker Cynthia O’Toole.

Don’t leave hungry -- artisanal bread makers Mr. and Mrs. Gaddis of Charlotte and Charlie Mitchell’s Barbecue are ready with delicious treats for sale.

Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens
Period-specific art forms will be featured along with other traditional mediums at Tryon Palace . Painter Thomas Kelly Pauley will be on hand.

The day will also feature a lecture by guest speaker Reginald Watson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English at East Carolina University ; and a memoir writing workshop by author Sheila Peele-Miller from noon to 5 p.m. in the Visitor Center Auditorium.

Come learn about the historical legacy of African American writers in North Carolina . Write your own personal memoirs and learn how to publish them. Meet present-day authors, hear their stories and purchase their works in this recitation, reception and book fair.

State Capitol
As one of the most photographed buildings in North Carolina , the State Capitol is a fitting setting for an afternoon of art. From noon to 4 p.m. on July 10, photographers, painters and other visual artists will be on site to demonstrate their craft and sell their wares.

Photographer Donn Young will lead a workshop at 1 p.m. in the historic Senate Chamber. The workshop will focus on the relationship between art, history and culture using contemporary and historic images of the Capitol as examples.

Roanoke Island Festival Park
Visitors can see a free showing of the new documentary “Rescue Men: The Story of the Pea Island Lifesaving Station” at 7 p.m. on July 10. Artwork during the day will feature nature photography by award-winning and published photographer Steve Alterman.

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. For more info rmation, visit www.ncculture.com.

Gov. Henry T. Clark

Several months ago, I purchased a new biography on North Carolina Governor Henry T. Clark, written by R. Matthew Poteat. I read some of it, got distracted, and put it aside. After finishing the book on Stanly, I returned to the book on Clark, went back a couple of chapters from where I had stopped and picked up the book again. It was finished yesterday, and here is my review.

If you talk about North Carolina governors during the war, you usually talk about three men: John Ellis, Henry T. Clark, and Zebulon B. Vance. As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, Vance is the most written-about Civil War era governor. Ellis has no biography, and Clark finally has one.

Clark was born in 1808 in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. His father, James West, was a US Congressman. Henry attended the University of North Carolina, and later gained admittance to the North Carolina Bar, but seldom practiced law. He was more interested in managing his family’s land and property. Clark was selected to serve as a delegate to the Nashville Convention in 1850, and soon thereafter was elected to serve as the representative for the Tenth District in the North Carolina senate. He was re-elected six times. In 1858, his colleagues elected him as speaker of the senate. He was occupying this position in July 1861 when Governor Ellis died. Since the state had no lieutenant governor, Ellis was elevated to the position of governor until the next general election in September 1862.

Clark laid the groundwork for much of the state’s involvement in the war. Almost all of North Carolina’s regiments were mustered into service under Clark’s administration. He also established a state-sponsored gunpowder manufacturing plant in Wake County, and a salt-manufacturing facility in Chatham County. And, he laid the ground work for a state-owned blockade runner that Zeb Vance would later purchase. However, Clark would catch flak for the loss of much of the eastern coast of North Carolina to the Federals, even though much of the fault rested with the Confederate government. For unknown reasons, Clark chose not to pursue another term of office in 1862, and instead, retired to his home near Tarboro. Later in the War, Clark’s Tarboro home was raided by the Federals, and he himself was almost captured. After the end of the war, Clark served again in the North Carolina Senate. He died at his home in Tarboro in 1874.

I really wanted to like Poteat’s examination of Clark’s life, and to be honest, the second part of the book (once the war begins) is much better than the first part of the book. Poteat seems to be obsessed with slavery. Chapters two and three seem much more an examination of slavery that of Clark’s life. The author makes several leaps of logic (aren’t these called fallacies?) with no documentation. For example, Poteat writes on page 52 that “owning slaves was not simply an aspect of his business, it was part of his heritage, and he [Clark] believed the system to be the natural order that God had intended.” And on page 66: “Clark’s view of slavery was consistent with that of most white men of his day. He believed that slavery was a necessary and just institution, essential to the South’s social and economic way of life. Conservative white southerners like Clark considered slavery the foundation of republic virtue, necessary to maintain the social order and an engine of human, moral, and material progress.” Both of those statements might be true, but there is no documentary evidence cited that Clark actually believed either of those statements.

I guess the statement that really is a leap of logic falls on page 138. Poteat speaks of many joining the Ku Klux Klan after the rise of the Radicals during reconstruction. He writes: “There are no records that tell of Clark’s thoughts or involvement (if any) with the Klan, but Col. William L. Saunders, the alleged leader and ‘Grand Dragon’ of the North Carolina KKK, was his nephew by marriage. The two men corresponded, and given Clark’s Democratic pedigree, racial views, and associations, it’s very likely he supported the Klan to some degree.” This statement is so flawed that it is difficult to find a place to begin. Might Clark have been involved with the Klan? Sure. However, since there is “no record,” what right does Poteat have to infer that Clark “likely… supported the Klan to some degree” just because he had someone in his family who allegedly was in the Klan? I can’t imagine a lawyer ever getting away with such allegations in a court of law today.

Poteat does well when discussing the efforts of Clark as governor during the war years. However, this book has serious flaws that will influence generations to come.

R. Matthew Poteat. Henry Toole Clark: Civil War Governor of North Carolina. 207 pages, illustrations, notes, index. McFarland, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-7864-3728-3.

Gov. Edward Stanly

I hope everyone had a good Fourth of July! It was pretty quiet here on my mountain in western North Carolina.

Recently, I finished reading a book titled Edward Stanly: Whiggery’s Tarheel “Conqueror” by Norman D. Brown, and thought I would give a little review. Yes, I know, the book was published in 1974, but who says we can only review new books?

Edward Stanly was a Tar Heel native (1810-1872), and important political figure in North Carolina history. He hailed from Beaufort County, was a lawyer, a Whig, and served five terms in the United States Congress (1837 – 1843 and 1849-1853). In the in-between years, he served in the General Assembly, as speaker of the State House (1844 to 1846), and briefly in 1847, as State Attorney General. Stanley is considered “North Carolina’s greatest orator of his generation.” After finishing his term in 1853, Stanley chose not to run again, but moved to California (San Francisco) where he practiced law and made an unsuccessful bid for the governorship.

Stanly’s time in the US House is full of intrigue. It seems that almost daily there were fisticuffs and challenges for duels sent and received. Stanly fought a duel with Alabama Democrat Samuel W. Inge in 1851, and later that same session of Congress, came to blows with fellow North Carolina representative Thomas L. Clingman on the floor of the House.

Stanly is somewhat of an enigma. In 1838, on the floor of the House, he told his colleagues that:

I am a Southern man. I thank God that I am. Next to learning the Lord’s prayer and the ten commandments, I was taught to venerate the character, protect the interests, and defend the honor of North Carolina. I still cherish the recollections of these early lessons. They ‘grow with my growth, and strengthen with my strength.’ And, sir, I regard it as a duty I owe my State and my country to avoid creating sectional feelings. In doing so, we forget the advise of the Father of his country, and the dignity which becomes the Representatives of sovereign States.

In 1850, fellow representative David Outlaw wrote that Stanly “ought to be from the North instead of the South side of Mason and Dixon’s line.” In many instances, Stanly sided with the South in issues on the floor, however, when it came to slavery, he voted most often with the northern Whigs, who later became Republicans. All very interesting, because Stanly was a slave owner.

After Stanly went to California, he again dabbled in politics, and even canvassed the state for Lincoln’s election, even though he never joined the Republican party.

In the spring of 1862, after much of the east coast of North Carolina had fallen under Union control, Lincoln tapped Stanly to be military governor of that section of the state. Stanly believed that most of North Carolina was still pro-Union and had been led astray by a few errant politicians. Stanly worked hard to bring North Carolina back into the Union, but never really achieved any success. He resigned on March 2, 1863, due to a disagreement with Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Stanly returned to California, practiced law, and dabbled once again in politics.

Brown’s book on Stanly is a really good read. It is a good blending of state and national issues that took place during Stanly’s life and political career. My biggest question is this: Brown makes mention of Stanly’s ownership of slaves, but never tells us what happened to those slaves: did Stanly sell them, were they set free, and when did this happen?

If you get a chance, and like biographies of a political nature, give Brown’s book, Edward Stanly: Whiggery’s Tarheel “Conqueror” a read.

Books, books, and more books.

Well, I wish I had an announcement regarding my book on the 58th NCT, but I don’t, so we will skip to more exciting news.

I’ve gotten two contracts for new projects, one about finished, and one a long way from being finished.

The first is for a book that I’ve been working on most of the year. It is tentatively entitled North Carolina Remembers Gettysburg. It is a collection of seventy-seven first-person accounts on the July 1863 battle, all of which were written by Tar Heels and appeared in Tar Heel newspapers between July 1863 and the turn of the twentieth century. This book will be published by Ten Roads Publishing out of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and should be available later this year. I said that I’ve been working on it for most of the year; I actually started collecting the material when I started working on my book on the 37th NCT.

The second contract is for a book to be published by the History Press out of Charleston, South Carolina. It is for a work tentatively titled ­Civil War North Carolina. It will be a concise history of the Tar Heel state and the war. It will different from Barrett’s work from the 1960s in several different ways: it will have chapters that deal with reconstruction and remembrance, and will have three times the illustrations. I’m really looking forward to this, but it will entail some hard work: There are events that Barrett devoted whole chapters to that I will need to condense to a few paragraphs. This should be a good challenge and I am looking forward to it.

Lastly, I’ve slowly been working on cataloging my collection of Civil War book on an online site called librarything.com I’ve enjoyed this little diversion, and I’ve gotten to thumb through some old favorites that I’ve not really spent much time with since finishing the work on the 37th NCT. As C. S. Lewis once said, old books are like old friends. Let me encourage you to follow along with my progress at http://www.librarything.com/profile/mchardy

Well, I guess that is enough excitement for one week. Sorry about the lack of posts. My son has been attending a day camp at ASU this week and after dropping him off, I’ve been working in the library on both projects.

Help save land at Bentonville

As many of you know, there are several key events during the war which are connected with North Carolina, i.e., the 26th North Carolina Troops at the battle of Gettysburg. Another of those key events is the last large battle of the war: Bentonville. Yesterday, I received an email from the Civil War Preservation Trust (you might have also received this email), announcing a new effort to save land at Bentonville. The email, and subsequent press release, read in part:

Today, we are announcing a new campaign to save 240 acres of this remarkable Civil War battlefield – the opening effort of a larger campaign to save 455 battlefield acres in North Carolina. These 240 acres, in four different parcels, will bring the total saved by CWPT at Bentonville to 1,142 acres! Even better, CWPT has secured a tremendous matching that will double the giving power of every dollar you donate to this campaign.

You can learn more (and donate) by checking out this web page here. The Civil War Preservation Trust has even put up a gallery of flags used by the soldiers (Gray and Blue) at the battle of Bentonville. You can check that out here. Part of the page includes the image of the flag of the 40th North Carolina Troops (I’ve never figured out how they got an Army of Tennessee flag – oh well, another blog post).

I hope that you can help the CWPT with their goals. Part of the property they are trying to preserve was actually used by North Carolinians (like Hardy’s brigade) during the battle.

Rare photograph?

There seems to be a lot of stir in the news media about a recent photograph of “slaves” found in an attic in Charlotte. As the story goes, the photograph was made by famed photographer Matthew Brady of two slave boys in the early 1860s. I found 89 mentions of this article in various newspapers across the nation. Most of these are reprints of the Associated Press piece that you can read here.

However, the purchase has come with some controversy. An additional article from the Associated Press states that “critics have located other similar images of the two children in ragged clothes on eBay and at a digital archive of the New York Public Library.” You can read this whole article here.

In a recent article from Dr. Mary Niall Mitchell (University of New Orleans), the photograph has come under close scrutiny. The gist of Dr. Mitchell’s interesting article can be found in these two paragraphs:

The basic story about the discovery and subsequent dispute over the photograph’s provenance, is as follows. A collector named Keya Morgan recently purchased the album containing the photograph, found in an attic in North Carolina, for $30,000. He also purchased, at the same sale, for $20,000, a deed of sale for a slave named John, valued at $1,150 in 1854. The deed seems to have been represented to Morgan as the sale document for one of the boys in the photograph, but this link seems unlikely. The price is awfully high for an infant in that period, which is what either boy in the photograph would have been at the time of sale if the picture had been taken in the 1860s. Subsequent digging by the AP and others found what seems to be the original petition for the sale in the Digital Archive of Slavery, which suggests that the slave John, mentioned in the deed, was twenty-seven or twenty-eight in 1854.

Bringing further attention to the photograph was the initial attribution of the image to someone in Matthew Brady’s photographic studio (the caption beneath Morgan’s photograph reads simply “Brady”). If a link to the famous Civil War photographer could be confirmed, perhaps it could justify the high sale price. Web searches by a blogger named Kate Marcus and a collector named Sherry Howard, however, found other copies of this image in stereoscope format (meant to be seen through a 3-D like viewfinder popular from the mid- to late nineteenth century). One copy recently sold on eBay for $163, and another is in the New York Public Library Digital Gallery. Both are attributed to J.N. Wilson, a photographer active in Savannah, Georgia in the 1870s and 1880s, and seem to have been part of a series of “Plantation Scenes.” The caption in the NYPL catalog (which presumably appears on card’s verso) reads: “Plantation Scene; Happy Little Nigs.”

Want more? A piece by Kate Marcus, that was on Before It’s News (strangely, it has been removed), disproved much of the provenience of the piece. You can catch pieces of Marcus’s article in this article from USA Today.

It does appears that New York collector Keya Morgan got taken for a sum of $50,000. Sure wish he would have sent the money to CWPT instead.

News and notes

Time again for what has turned into a bi-monthly look across North Carolina for headlines that deal with the Old North State and the War.

Recently, a new web page/blog was launched that focuses on North Eastern North Carolina and the Civil War – check it out here.

Information regarding a soldier in the 51st North Carolina Troops, from Robeson County, can be found in the Sun News, which you can read here.

There are several stories (I saw one on the news from Charlotte) about what is called the Juneteenth celebration. You can learn more here.

Old Cross Creek Cemetery, in Fayetteville, home of the oldest Confederate monument in the state, was recently vandalized. You can learn more here.

You can find some information here on a new exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History on people of Jewish descendent here in North Carolina. I’ve not seen the exhibit, but there are some mentions of Tar Heel Confederates in the article.

There are a couple of mentions of Civil War related sites in this post, about the Wilmington area.

The political side....

Lately, I’ve been exploring the topic of war-time politicians from North Carolina. Probably not surprising is the lack of biographical material on these leaders of the Old North State. What I want to do is to create a list and see if I am missing anything (or anybody).

There are numerous books about Zebulon Baird Vance. They include:

(1897) Dowd – Life of Zebulon B. Vance.
(1937) Yates - Zebulon B. Vance as War Governor of North Carolina, 1862-1865.
(1941) Adler – Zebulon B. Vance and the “Scattered Nation”
(1958) Yates – The Confederacy and Zeb Vance.
(1961) Camp – Governor Vance: A Life for Young People.
(1963) Shirley – Zebulon Vance, Tar Heel Spokesman.
(1966) Tucker - Zeb Vance: champion of Personal Freedom.
(1980) Szittya – Man to Match the Mountains: the Childhood of Zebulon Baird Vance.
(1985) Cooper – Zeb Vance: a Leader in War and Peace.
(1995) Weinstein – Zebulon B. Vance and “The Scattered Nation.”
(1971) Vance – My Beloved Zebulon: the Correspondence of Zebulon Baird Vance and Harriett N. Espy.
(2004) McKinney – Zeb Vance, North Carolina’s Civil War Governor and Gilded Age Political Leader.
(2005) Mobley – “War Governor of the South” : North Carolina’s Zeb Vance and the Confederacy.

And then there are two volumes of letters covering through 1863, one dissertation (Shirley 1959), and one bachelor’s thesis (Centon 1912). I must admit that I do not own all of these – and I am confused by the Adler (1941) and Weinstein (1995) titles of the same name. Maybe someone who has seen both can help. But I do own the majority.

I think Zeb is pretty well covered, historiography speaking. Let me also propose this question: has any other War-time governor been the subject of more books? I could only find five books on Georgia’s Joe Brown; I found no biographies on Florida’s John Milton, nor on Alabama’s John G. Shorter. Do I need to look further?

Moving on. What about North Carolina’s other war-time governors? John G. Ellis has no biography. Henry Toole Clark has one, and recently published (2009). North Carolina’s post-war governor, William Woods Holden, has one (1987). Then of course, there is Edward Stanly. He is North Carolina’s other war-time governor, appointed by Lincoln, who did not serve a full year. Stanly was the subject of a biography released in 1974.

To my knowledge, the only other Tar Heel to receive a book-length biographical study is Thomas L. Clingman, in a book by Thomas E. Jeffrey released by the University of Georgia Press in 1998. Of course, Clingman is not really a war-time politician. He did serve as a US Senator prior to the war, and largely North Carolina’s equivalent of Rhett or Yancey or Yulee. Clingman became a Confederate general.

So there is my list. Anyone know of any more book-length treatments of North Carolina Civil War politicians?

There need to be more. William W. Avery, who helped spilt the Democratic party, needs a biography. So does James T. Leach, a Confederate Congressman who advocated peace and largely led North Carolina’s Peace Party. How about our other Confederate leaders in the senate: George Davis, William T. Dortch, Edwin G. Reade, or William A. Graham? At the end of the war, Davis was serving as the Confederate Attorney General. And I don’t think any of the members of the House have a biography.

Well, there is my overview. What do you think? What have I missed?

Dysentery, Death and the Life of a Civil War Surgeon Featured at Bennett Place

DURHAM – More than 625,000 lives were lost in the Civil War, more than half due to sickness, not combat. Diseases were spread through infested military camps, and dysentery, typhoid, apoplexy, gangrene, and other horrible illnesses took the lives of fighters from both sides.

Bennett Place State Historic Site will recreate a Confederate field hospital on June 26-27, to share the experience of the surgeon, nurses and stewards who worked to save lives. Medical demonstrations will show the removal of a bullet and amputation procedures. The Saturday schedule is 10 a.m.-4p.m.; Sunday is 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Admission is free, and donations are accepted.

A Confederate postmaster will display the always important mail system. Visitors also can tour the Visitor Center and gallery to view the newly commissioned painting The First Meeting by Dan Nance. An exclusive exhibit of Bennett family personal effects will be displayed through Sept. 15. The Dawn of Peace will be shown in the auditorium on the half hour. Civil War and Bennett Place souvenirs and collectibles sold in the gift shop help support preservation of Bennett Place State Historic Site.

The farm of James and Nancy Bennett became site of negotiations of the largest surrender of the Civil War when Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered the armies of the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia to Union Gen. William T. Sherman. The mission of Bennett Place State Historic Site is to preserve and interpret the largest Civil War surrender and the lives of 19th-century yeomen farmers such as the Bennetts.

Bennett Place is located in western Durham at 4409 Bennett Memorial Road , Durham , NC 27705 . For more info rmation call (919) 383-4345, e-mail Bennett@ncdcr.gov, or visit www.bennettplace.nchistoricsites.org.

Administered by the 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 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.

North Carolina Military Institute

Home again – I had a great time visiting with the Central Ohio Civil War Round Table and especially with Mike Peters. If you live in the area, you should really consider joining. I was honored to be one of their guests, and their folks were really great, asking loads of super questions. My talk was on the battle of Hanover Court House (have I done this program for your group?).

One of the members of the COCWRT raised this question: Virginia has the Virginia Military Academy, and South Carolina has the Citadel. What did North Carolina have? The answer would be the North Carolina Military Institute. The school was founded in 1858 by local Charlotte businessmen and Dr. Charles J. Fox. The school was located in Charlotte. This school is not to be confused with the North Carolina Military Academy (also called the North Carolina Military and Polytechnic Academy or the Hillsborough Military Academy) founded in 1858 in Hillsborough by Charles C. Tew.

We don’t know a great deal about the school itself, except it was very popular. By April 1861, the school had 150 students. Not long after the start of the war, Governor Ellis ordered the cadets to Raleigh to serve as drill masters. The school closed during the war, and at times, the buildings were used as a Confederate hospital. The building stood at East Morehead and South Boulevard.

West Point-trained-Daniel Harvey Hill was serving as superintendent of the school at the start of the war. He was elected colonel of the 1st North Carolina Volunteers and, later in the war, briefly attained the rank of lieutenant general. Hill survived the war.

South Carolina-born and also West Point-trained Charles C. Lee was also teaching at the school at the start of the war. Lee was lieutenant colonel of the 1st North Carolina Volunteers (and later colonel after Hill’s promotion). Later, Lee served as colonel of the 37th North Carolina Troops. He was killed at Frayser’s Farm and is interred in Charlotte.

VMI-educated James H. Lane was also teaching at the North Carolina Military Institute. Lane, a Virginia native, was elected major, and then lieutenant colonel of the 1st North Carolina Volunteers before being elected colonel of the 28th North Carolina Troops.

There are probably a lot of other company and regimental level officers in North Carolina regiments who attended the institute, but to find them would probably require several days of searching. Anyone know of any more from your own research?

I found this in a issue of the Charlotte Observer from 1889:
As at first organized, the session lasted, without intermission, throughout the year, the months of August and September being spent campaigning in the mountains of North Carolina. At the end of the second year cadets received a furlough of months.
There were a scientific and a primary department. In the former the West Point curriculum was closely followed, and the students were required to board in the buildings and to be under military discipline.
There was a primary department, which aimed to prepare students for any college. Such of these students as boarded in the buildings were likewise under military discipline.
The institute provide board, lodging, fuel, lights, washing, arms, equipment, medical attendance, uniforms and all clothing, except underclothes, for $200 per annum. No extra charges.

Another issue of the Charlotte Observer (1915) wrote that the “first Confederate flag raised in the city was hosted there when Fort Sumter fell, by the students of the North Carolina Institute.”

After the war, there was talk of D. H. Hill (along with Wade Hampton), re-opening the Military School, but nothing became of Hill’s proposals. Later, the building was used as a girl’s school, and from 1873 until 1882, as the Charlotte Military Academy. Later, it was used by the Charlotte Public School system, until it was torn down in 1954.

Talks and Books

Just a few quick notes – I’ll be speaking tomorrow (Wednesday, June 9) at the monthly meeting of the Central Ohio Civil War Round Table in Columbus, Ohio. You can learn more here.

Eric Lindblade announced yesterday that his study of the Battle of Newport Barracks, North Carolina, will be available later this month. You can follow progress on the book’s facebook page. The title of the book is ­Fight as Long as Possible: The Battle of Newport Barracks, North Carolina, February 2, 1864.

John Fox has a new book out entitled The Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburg’s Fort Gregg, April 2, 1865. You can see a video promo of the book here.

And, lastly, my book on the 58th North Carolina Troops should be available by the first of September 2010. I’m really looking forward to it.

Why don’t they get it?

For the past few weeks, I’ve been researching memory and the War. Yes, I know, it’s been the topic of the academics for some time now, and I’ve written about memory in a few different projects in the past. Recently, I was reading an essay by Dr. James H. Madison entitled “Civil War Memories and ‘Pardenership Forgittin,’ 1865-1913”(Indiana Magazine of History, XCIX [September 2003]). Madison seems to be troubled that the monuments that the soldiers from Indiana erected after the war don’t pay homage to why academic historians think (and write) that soldiers fought. On a trip to Shiloh, “What I saw… was silence. I could find no Indiana monument to the bravery and sacrifice that had freed the slaves. There was only one sermon carved on those monuments: Indiana’s heroes had helped save the Union,” Madison writes. He, and probably a host of others, believe that there was some great conspiracy, with an effort aimed at reconciliation North and South, to take the emancipation of the slaves out of the pictures. Madison later continues with, “This way of remembering the war, conflating it with union and nation, requiring veterans to do some forgetting.” Well, I think that the reason that Indiana, and the nation, chose not to commemorate the emancipation of the slaves in its many monuments and memorials is, frankly, that it was not all that important to those who actually fought the war.

Gary Gallagher brings this up in a recent piece in Civil War Times. He talks about four different interpretations of the war: the Emancipation Cause, the Lost Cause, the Reconciliation Cause, and the Union Cause. Gallagher writes that “the Union Cause is the least appreciated of the four great traditions. It is dismissed as unworthy, of great sacrifice by many historians and is virtually absent in the popular understanding of the war.” Gallagher goes on to remind us of Ken Burns’ PBS Series The Civil War­, and Dr. Barbara J. Field saying that the preservation of the Union was “A goal too shallow to be worth the sacrifice of a single life.” Yet in the grand scope of world history, just the opposite is true. Barbara J. Field was wrong. While the emancipation of the slaves was, of course, a good thing for the United States, it pales in comparison to the preservation of the Union as a cause.

Thomas A. Desjardin, in his book, These Honored Dead, makes a good case as to why emancipation is, while important, secondary to the preservation of the Union. He writes in his introduction that a Southern victory would have “Balkanized” the country, much more than just a “North and South.” With this multiple splitting of the country, “On what path would World War I have taken us without, first, American industrial might, and, later, military involvement? How would Europe and Russia alone have stopped Hitler’s blitzkrieg? What if the coal in Kentucky and West Virginia had been separated by national boundaries and tariffs from Pennsylvania steel and factories in the East? How quickly would technology have advanced without the combined drive and intellect of a whole United States? No atom bomb, no space program, slower moves toward automobiles, airplanes, computers.”

So, I guess my answer to Dr. Madison’s question, “what sermon those Hoosier veterans were preaching to me?” would be this: the emancipation of the slaves was just not all that important to the boys in blue, certainly not compared with keeping the United States intact. They fought to preserve the Union. If emancipation was what the soldiers themselves saw as paramount, would it not have appeared on their monuments?

16th North Carolina State Troops

Our friends in the 26th North Carolina Troops Reactivated are hard at work on their next preservation project. They are currently raising funds to preserve the flag of the 16th North Carolina State Troops, a flag captured at Gettysburg. Visit this link to learn more and consider donating today.

News and Notes

Let’s see what is going on around the Tar Heel state.

The blog North Carolina Miscellany reports that Lewis Leary, a free-black man that hailed from Fayetteville and died fighting with John Brown at Harper’s Ferry, will be honor with a state historical marker. See the complete list here.

A good description of North Carolina’s largest Memorial Day parade can be found here, in the Winston-Salem Journal. By the way, Thomasville is the site of the parade.

Information about Alamance County’s inclusion on the North Carolina Civil War Trail map can be found here.

The Charlotte Post has an article about efforts of people in Union County to have a monument placed on the courthouse grounds honoring black Confederates. You can read more here.

There is a interesting post on John Everette Page, who fought in the 51st North Carolina, on this blog.

Another Tour

We had a chance this past Saturday to get out into the field once again. Our local SCV camp tries to take a field trip every year. This year, we visited a few of the sites in Knoxville, Tennessee. We started off our tour at the McClung Museum in Knoxville. The museum has a half-hour-long movie on the battle of Fort Sanders that was not half bad. The only thing I would complain about was that the movie said Burnside moved into east Tennessee and forced the Confederates out of the area. Actually, the Confederates in east Tennessee (save Frazier’s brigade at Cumberland Gap), were withdrawn to General Bragg in north Georgia, thus allowing Burnside to take east Tennessee. Much of the downstairs area is full of original artifacts pertaining to the war. I really enjoyed the original case of canister shot. There were also artifacts excavated from the construction site where a sorority house has now been built by UT. Next, we visited the Mabry-Hazen House, built in 1858 and full of original furnishings. Then we were off to Bethel Cemetery, a couple of blocks away. This cemetery contains the graves of 1,600 Confederate soldiers, including numerous Tar Heels from the 29th, 39th, 58th, 60th, and 64th NCT regiments. Finally, we headed over to the south side of town and visited the entrenchments at Fort Dickerson. As General Wheeler attacked from the south, Federal troops fell back into this earthen fort and stopped this portion of the Confederate advance. We tried to find neighboring Fort Stevens, but did not have much luck. We also drove over a portion of the Fort Sanders battlefield, and saw the two 15-inch Rodmans on the courthouse grounds. Overall, it was a great day, and I look forward to Camp 1946’s next outing.

Picture: three-inch rifle at Fort Dickerson.