Fear in North Carolina

Recently, I finished reading Fear in North Carolina: The Civil War Journals and Letters of the Henry Family, edited by Karen Clinard and Richard Russell (2008). It is overall a great read, and fairly uncluttered by editorial remarks, which I really like.

The diary follows the life of William and Cornelia Henry, an upper-class, slave-owning  family living in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Cornelia started keeping her diary on January 1, 1860, and diligently kept pen to paper throughout the war years. The post-war entries are sporadic, and finally come to an end October 18, 1868.

Even though the Henrys were upper class, the diary provides and incredible look at life in the mountains of western North Carolina during the war years. The diary is concerned with everyday life - trying to raise children, managing a household with increasing shortages,  and from mid-1863 on, constant worry about the encroachment of both Yankees from Tennessee and home rogues up to no good. In the final days of the war, William Henry, who had served for a time in the home guard, during the "Laurel Wars," was forced into hiding and the farm was raided several times.  Equally important are the entries right after the war, in the beginning days of Reconstruction, as the family tried to adjust to what would become the new normal.

Overall, Fear is North Carolina is a great addition to the historiography of the War in North Carolina, and especially in the western part of our fair state.  

On the road

Folks, I'll be out and about our fair state the next week or so. If you are in one of these areas, please drop by and say hi!

August 8, 2013 - Little Switzerland Homemakers Club (Mitchell County), 1:00 pm.

August 9, 2013 - Avery County Historical Museum (scanning photos for the Grandfather Mountain project), 10:00 - 3:00 pm.

August 10, 2013 - Zebulon Baird Vance State Historic Site, Weaverville, NC (all day).

August 13, 2013 - SCV Camp, Garner, NC

August 14, 2013 - SCV Camp, Salisbury, NC

August 15, 2013 - Avery County and the Civil War - Avery County-Morrison Public Library, Newland, 6:30 pm.

A cheerful and happy view of history.

   What's wrong with this sentence? "The Blalocks moved into a cabin on Grandfather Mountain and lived happily ever after, cheerfully skirmishing with pro-South neighbors and helping Union soldiers to safety until war's end." This quotation came from a book entitled North Carolina by Sheila Turnage, a guide book published in 2009.

   First of all, the Blalocks weren't living in a cabin. As the story goes, after Keith and Malinda Blalock got back from their very brief stint in the 26th North Carolina Troops, they were forced to leave their home when confront by Confederate sympathizers and forced "still further up Grandfather and lived in a rail pen.  But they were followed even there, and on one occasion, Keith was so hotly pursued that he was shot in the left arm, and had to take refuge with some hogs which had 'bedded up' under the rocks." (Arthur, A History of Watauga County, 161) That certainly does not sound like living "happily ever after..."  Even if Turnage was making an attempt at humor or satire, it falls flat and misleads.

   And hence the problem with these glimpses of history. For three years, the Blalocks lived on the run, never knowing what the breaking of a twig on the forest floor might be. It could be one of those escaped prisoners, looking for a friend and guide over the mountains and into Union lines, or it could be members of the home guard, diligently trying to stem the tide of men passing through the area. Turnage's account, with words like "happily ever after" and "cheerfully skirmishing" make it sound, for lack of a better phrase, that the couple were simply out on holiday. For the Blalocks, the men they guided, the family they skirmished with, and the men who hunted them, it was anything but happy and cheerful.

   As my friend Sharyn McCrumb puts it so eloquently in The Ballad of Frankie Silver: "Happy stories mostly ain't true."

Watauga County in the Civil War editorial proofs

A couple of days ago, I received the editorial proofs for the Watauga County in the Civil War book, being published by the History Press. I've not looked at nor thought much about the manuscript in about a month, since I sent it along on its merry way. So, it was a fresh read for me. Is it a definitive, 150,000-word masterpiece on a poor mountain county and the great American tragedy? No... and yes. No, it's not 150,000 words, but I do believe that it is definitive. And most important (at least to me), readable.

Earlier this year, I picked up Martin Crawford's Ashe County's Civil War to give it a read. It is a book I've owned for several years, and while I have dug around it from time to time, mostly when working on the book on the 58th NCT, I had never read the entire book from cover to cover. I now have. And the first third was so arduous, I almost put it aside. But I stuck it out and finished it. One of the top goals of my writing is to make what I write readable for the general public. I do not want you to pick up one of my books, a read a few pages, and quickly come to the conclusion that I am educated, but a bore. History is not boring, or at least it should not be. The Watauga County book is full of stats and numbers, interspersed with story from period newspapers and passed down through families for generations: stories about how men marched away, raids on the countryside, and the shared experience of battle.

Not long ago, someone wrote a review of the Battle of Hanover Court House book. This person did not like the way I had used quotations to tell write the history of the engagement. He would rather have me summarize the information. I find that intriguing. What would you rather hear: me telling you what I think happened, or the people who witnessed it telling you what happened? I think their stories are more important. That's one of the reasons why I have put two books together for Ten Roads Publishing, both collections of letters, one on Chancellorsville, and the other on Gettysburg. They are the ones that have witnessed the war, and their words are the ones that are important.

The Watauga County project has some of their words. I have managed to eke out 40,000 words about the War and the county, not bad for such limited sources. But then again, I collected material for 18 years on the War and mid-nineteenth century Watauga County.

So in the end, when Watauga County in the Civil War is released, I hope you enjoy. And more importantly, I hope you learn something. I surely learned a lot. And I hope the generations of people who come after me, and pick up a copy of the book, will also be learning something as well. Just remember, it is their story, their shared experience. I'm just a collector and storyteller. 

Meet Renowned Civil War Artist Mort Künstler

Here’s your chance to meet nationally acclaimed artist Mort Künstler. He will sign prints of his new painting “Capitol Farewell,” featuring the North Carolina State Capitol as it appeared on Feb. 5, 1863. The artist will sign two items per person on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Museum Shop at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. Weekend parking is free.

            The Museum Shop is the first venue to have “Capitol Farewell” prints available for purchase. Call the shop at 919-807-7835 to reserve your print before Sept. 14.

            In addition to the print, the Museum Shop has items related to the painting “Winter Riders,” books, and other Künstler memorabilia. 

 Details About “Capitol Farewell”

            “Capitol Farewell” will be unveiled for the exhibit For Us the Living: The Civil War Art of Mort Künstler, opening Friday, Aug. 23.

            In the painting’s nighttime scene, a streetlamp illuminates a couple preparing to part during wartime. Snow blankets the Capitol grounds in this view from Hillsborough Street.

            In the exhibit text, Künstler describes “Capitol Farewell” in his own words. This excerpt focuses on soldiers leaving home. 

            “In this new painting, a young couple says good-bye, perhaps for the last time. Scenes of this sort took place thousands of times, all over the country, in both the North and the South. I have attempted to capture the drama of those moments and to show the difficulties of the soldier’s life.”

            An iron fence that was on the Capitol grounds at the time appears in “Capitol Farewell.” The fence was moved in 1899 to the Raleigh City Cemetery, where it stands today.

            “Capitol Farewell” is one of two paintings Künstler has created of the North Carolina State Capitol as it appeared on Feb. 5, 1863. The first such painting is “Winter Riders” (1995).

            “It is wonderful that Mr. Künstler has chosen to do a second painting of our beautiful State Capitol Building,” says Museum Shop Manager Lynn Brower. “Those who missed getting a print of ‘Winter Riders’ years ago will have an opportunity to purchase ‘Capitol Farewell.’ Of course, anyone who collects Künstler’s work will welcome the chance to add this new print to their collection.”

            Call the Museum Shop to reserve your “Capitol Farewell” print today!

For more information about the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook.

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IMAGE

File Capitol Farewell: The painting “Capitol Farewell” will be unveiled especially for the exhibit For Us the Living: The Civil War Art of Mort Künstler, opening Aug. 23 at the N.C. Museum of History. The North Carolina State Capitol is prominent in this winter scene

About the N.C. Museum of History

The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton Street, across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

On the road

My journey continues this week. Please come on out and let's chat a spell if you are in the area. Everyone is welcomed at any of these events!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013 - Johnson City, TN - SCV Camp - they meet at the Empire China Buffett on Roan Street at 6:00 pm.

Thursday, July 11, 2013 - Morganton, NC - Burke County Museum of History - 6:30 pm. This is a round table discussion.

Saturday, July 12, 2013 - Fayetteville, NC - Museum of the Cape Fear Complex - 1:00 pm. I be talking about Charlotte and Fayetteville, and taking your questions.

Writing about Gettysburg

Well, today's the day... the 150th anniversary of the conclusion of the battle of Gettysburg. I'll be the first to admit it: Gettysburg is not my favorite. Of course, confessing that one likes any site where thousands of men were killed and wounded might sound a little odd. But as battlefields go, Gettysburg is not a very high on my list. It probably has something to do with the air-brushed t-shirts and the ghost tours on every street corner. Just a few short miles down the road is my favorite: Antietam. But that is another post.

Yesterday, I was thinking on my own connections to the battle. No, I do not have any direct ancestors who fought in the battle (just a slew of cousins). My own ancestors (save one who wound up in the 11th Florida) were all in the Army of Tennessee, or the western theater, getting ready to get surrendered tomorrow at Vicksburg. My connections come from writing about the battle. My first published piece was on Col. Collett Leventhorpe, 11th North Carolina Troops, who was wounded on July 1 fighting the Iron brigade. That article appeared in North and South Magazine in 1997.The next time I had a published piece on Gettysburg was the chapter in the book on the 37th North Carolina Troops. That was released in 2003.

The chapter on Gettysburg in the 37th NCT book was the first chapter that I wrote. The publisher wanted to see a sample chapter, and I chose the July 1863 battle for that chapter. I'm not sure I remember why. It might have had something to do with the primary sources I had collected at the time, or maybe something to do with the wealth of secondary sources, but it was the first chapter that I wrote for the book, and it landed me a contract.

I then set out on a set of articles about North Carolina for Gettysburg Magazine. There are still others that I would like to write, I've just not gotten around to them yet.

In 2011, I returned to the battle - adding my own name to the seemingly countless others who have penned a book about the battle. In the course of my research over the past fifteen years, I have collected almost four score articles written by Tar Heel soldiers about the battle. These were lightly edited and put into a volume entitled ­North Carolina Remembers Gettysburg. I greatly enjoy this volume - it is like standing on the battlefield and listening to the soldiers themselves telling me about their time they spent on those rolling Pennsylvania hills.

So what is in store? As I said before, I still have an article or two I would like to write about the battle, and, with the recent contract with Savas-Beatie for a book on the Branch-Lane brigade, I will be returning to visit with some new friends. Who knows? Maybe I will write the Gettysburg chapter first.

 

Going to Gettysburg?

Several people have asked, but no, I'm not going to either of the Gettysburg reenactments. Been there and done that - twice. I was at the 125th event in 1988, and the 135th event in 1998. The 1998 was the largest reenactment ever held - somewhere between 20,000 and 25,000 re-enactors. Since politics has dictated that we have two events this year, I seriously doubt we will eclipse the 1998 event. And, I swore after the Gettysburg event in 1998 that I would never go back for the event - too hot, too many people, too hot, and well, just too hot. To be very honest, the 2001 Manassas event ruined me - the heat index was around 115 degrees, and I've just not cared about any summer event outside the mountains since.

So, what I will I spend the next week doing? Tomorrow, the Hardy family will be volunteering our time at the Zeb Vance Birthplace State Historic Site near Weaverville. We'll be talking about Civil War music and ladies' clothing (particularly undergarments, ever popular). Probably Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, I'll work on finishing up the Watauga County and the Civil War manuscript and getting if off to the publisher. I might be doing a program for the National Park Service next Friday evening at the Linville Falls Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and on Saturday, I'll be talking about the War at the Newland centennial celebration here in Avery County.

Y'all enjoy Gettysburg. I skip the heat, ticks, $20+ bags of ice, traffic jams, and frequent thunderstorms. I'll just live in the past.... After all , there will be hordes of faceless folks at Gettysburg, but the Zeb Vance Birthplace really needs us and our friends to make their event happen. Sometimes, it is better to be where we are needed than at the "big (and did I mention hot?) show."

The photo? It is my registration badge from the 1988 event.

Is Watauga County's coverage the best in the state?

So as I concluded my work on Watauga County and the War, I have come up with one final question: is Watauga County the best-written about county in North Carolina when it comes to the War? The short answer, in my opinion is, yes... probably....  Here is why I think so.

Just about every regiment that had a large number of men to come from the county and serve, has some type of regimental history. On the Union side, we have:

History of the Thirteenth Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry (1902, 1973) Scott & Angel

Kirk's Raiders: A Notorious Band of Scoundrels and Thieves. (2000) Bumgarner [2nd and 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry]

A History of the Third Mounted Infantry Volunteers, U. S. A. (2008) Killian

On the Confederate side, we have:

Stuart's Tarheels: James B. Gordon and His North Carolina Cavalry in the Civil War. (2011) Hartley

The Thirty-seventh North Carolina Troops: Tar Heels in the Army of Northern Virginia. (2003) Hardy

The Fifty-eighth North Carolina Troops: Tar Heels in the Army of Tennessee. (2011) Hardy

The 5th and 7th Battalions North Carolina Cavalry and the 6th North Carolina Cavalry. (1995) Weaver

Added to all of this is a chapter in John Preston Arthur's A History of Watauga County (1915); two chapters in Shepherd M. Dugger's War Trails of the Blue Ridge (1932); a short chapter in History of Watauga County (1949) by Whitener; several mentions in Altmayer's A Family History of Watauga County  (1994); and two chapters in my own A Short History of Old Watauga County (2005).

You can also add three books on Stoneman's Raid: Van Noppens (1961); Hartley's (2010), and Blackwell and Bostick (2011).

And then there are a host of fictional accounts, like Sharyn McCumb's Ghost Riders  (2004) and Robert Greene's Haversack and Hog Rifle (1992).

Finally, there is my newest book, due out some time later this year, entitled, Watauga County and the Civil War (The History Press).  

So - what do you think? Is Watauga County, Civil War speaking, the best written about County in North Carolina?

Watauga Confederate Veterans Photographs

Friends - these are all Confederate Veterans Reunion photographs from Watauga County. I am looking for better copies. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

On the road

The first two weeks of this month were not that busy. That's going to change starting tomorrow. I look forward to seeing you around!

May 20 - Taylorsville, NC. Rocky Face Rangers Camp, SCV. 7:00 pm

May 23 - Charlotte, NC Central Piedmont Civil War Round Table. 7:00 pm

May 27 - Petersburg, VA  Blandford Church Cemetery, Petersburg, VA 3:00 pm

May 27  - Suffolk, VA Tom Smith Camp, SCV 6:00 pm

May 28 - Roanoke, VA Fincastle Rifles Camp, SCV 6:00 pm.

An Environmental History of Watauga County and the Civil War.

Ok, that is a very lofty title. The idea is based upon a project being developed by a couple of my friends from Appalachian State University. Of course, I am not working on an Environmental History of the War. I am just writing about the Watauga County and the War, and the shared experiences of the people who lived in the area in the 1860s.

But then again, it would be relevant to include more information about how the environment influenced the war within the confines of the county. That, however, is quite a challenge. The closest newspaper to the area would either be the newspapers in Salem or Statesville or Asheville.  If you have ever spent time in the High Country of North Carolina, the weather in Statesville is nothing like the weather in Boone. To go a step further, the weather one county away, say in Lenoir in Caldwell County, is often nothing like what it is on the west side of the Crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Even the weather within a county is different. There are some portions of the county where snow accumulates to greater depth than in other parts. Or, to probably say it a little more scientifically, there are several different microclimates with the confines of one county.

My references are (as of right now) limited to these:

While none of these actually mentions Watauga County, there are several references to a drought to Ashe and Wilkes County in 1862. This was an event that affected at least much of the eastern US/CS - I've seen references to drought conditions as far away as Ohio in 1862.

There was a report of snow in the mountains of western North Carolina on October 25, 1862. (see Weekly Standard 5 November 1862.)

And, John Preston Arthur, in his history of Western North Carolina, writes that "there was frost in every month" in 1863.

So that is all that I have. I do not have a diary from Watauga County discussing daily life with regular notes about weather conditions . I do not have any letters from the home folks to the loved ones back at home.  And no newspaper. Not much to go on, for sure.  

Who is Nelson?

Folks - I've had this article for a very long time, but I do not know just who "Nelson" is. Any clues? This is from the Raleigh Register - August 21, 1861.

The Release of Nelson.

   Tidings have reached this place of a raid on the part of some tories in East Tennessee into Watauga county in this State, and the abduction of several citizens of the county. The object in making this seizure is believed to be to hold persons taken as hostages for the safety of Nelson. As Nelson has been released, we presume the persons abducted will be set at liberty.

Latta Plantation

This past weekend, I had a chance to visit Latta Plantation, in Mecklenburg County, near Huntersville. For whatever reasons, it was my first visit to Latta.

Latta was built ca.1800 by an Irish immigrant, James Latta. During the Civil War years, the property was owned by the Sample family. The house was preserved in the 1970s, was opened to the public in the mid-1970s, and is now a part of the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve.

No, there were no great battles fought on the grounds, nor were there bodies of Confederate generals laid out on the porch. There were several sons of William Sample who joined the 53rd North Carolina Troops. But for the most part, the War passed by Latta Plantation.

But what we do have is a pristine historic site in a fantastic location. According to its web site, "In addition to daily tours, Latta offers 35 special events each year, five themed summer day camps, homeschool programs, workshops, educational field trips, and daily tours year-round. The 12,000 school children that visit the site annually are able to participate in unique interactive historical programming, visit rare and endangered breeds of historic livestock, see the process of growing short-staple cotton first hand, visit our honeybee exhibit, and much more!"

Despite Latta Plantation's importance in both education and tourism, the Mecklenburg County Commissioners are moving to cut funding to the site. In an area already seriously lacking in historically relevant  tourism and educational opportunities, the county wants to cut the one really good site that it has. What's next? Rosedale Plantation? The Mint Museum? The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture? Surly not, you might argue. But remember, history is apparently no longer important.

Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are rich in history: from the Hezekiah Alexander House at the almost-defunct Charlotte Museum of History to the Confederate Naval Complex to the World War I Camp Greene. Yet no one, especially the elected leaders in Mecklenburg County, seems to care.

The one and only bright spot is the Library Walk, which details a fifteen-stop walking tour connected to the Revolutionary War in downtown Charlotte.

No apologies are going to be made for the amount of time that I have spent lately on encouraging you to contact your elected officials and ask them to preserve our history. The funding for Latta Plantation does not need to be cut. Instead, it should be increased.

Also, please consider signing this petition here.

Folks, we are really being shortchanged reagrding our history here in North Carolina. If you do not stand up and fight for it, who will? 

Some stray Watauga County notes...

In writing about the War in Watauga County, it is my goal to include as many details as possible. In the past couple of weeks, I have "uncovered" several little pieces of stories for which finding more information would be great. Does anyone have any additional information on any of these?

 

The first five of these notes came from a small typed manuscript by Roy Weaver entitled "The Civil War in Watauga County." For sources, all of them are simply family interviews.

1. An old cemetery in the Deep Gap community has the grave of a young man by the last name of Black who was killed by the home guard.

2. In the Aho community a man by the name of Hines was shot by the home guard while begging.

3. In the Bamboo community, a man by the name of Harrison was shot and buried on the top of a high ridge.

4. In the Dutch Creek community, a Shoemaker was killed by the home guard,

5. A man named Price was harassed by the home guard because his sons were not in the army. Price fled to the mountains but was captured when he returned for food. He was placed in the jail in Boone, and the following day, a mob took him out and hanged him (or possibly the sons).

 

This account comes from the Watauga County Heritage Volume II:

6. A Mr. Council was jailer when Stoneman's Raid occurred. Someone told Mr. Council that the soldiers were coming, but he paid no attention. [A] man who had been mistreated by Mr. Council told Mr.Council that he would give him five minutes to pray. Mr. Council threw up his hands and prayed "God be merciful." Then the man shot and killed Mr. Council.

 

 Brian Fannon related that

7. There is a story passed down through his family of a man who died and was buried on the edge of the road in the Beech Creek community. This possibly dates to the War years.

 

Sandy Anderson provided this little bit of information:

8. Jim Hartley killed Abram Baird (58th NCT) during the War.

Coming soon to a North Carolina town near you - me.

Ok, so I probably will not make every town this upcoming week, but I will be on the road.

Monday, April 8, 2013 -  Lt. F. C. Frazier Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, High Point - Women's Club, 7:00 pm.

Saturday, April 13, 2013 - Latta Plantation, Huntersville, NC - All Day.

Sunday, April 14, 2013 - Broadwater Genealogical Society of Cleveland County. 3:00 pm. Neal Senior Center, near Shelby.

At the Vance Birthplace

See this photo? It was taken this morning at the Vance Birthplace near Weaverville. The person who recommended closing this state historic site, Secretary Susan Kluttz, of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, is in the back row, behind all of the Tar heel Junior Historians with the signs asking that the Vance Birthplace be saved. If you have not done so, please contact your General Assembly representatives and ask them to save the Vance Birthplace. And, if you have not done so, please sign this petition here.

This photo is from the facebook page of Rep. Nathan Ramsey.

In a hand basket

This upcoming Saturday, I have the pleasure of being one of the judges in the regional competition for the National History Day. It is an honor, and I am looking forward to seeing what the young people present. However, I am also dismayed. There are by far even fewer students competing this year than last.

What has been (I believe) a growing movement away from the importance of studying history seems to have taken some great strides in the wrong direction in the past few weeks. A couple of weeks ago, Governor McCrory released his proposed budget for 2013-2015. In that budget, he advocated the closing of five different historic sites in North Carolina, for a scant savings of just under $500,000, while announcing at the same time a budget surplus of $139 million.

Then, this past week, it was announced that a Confederate flag, hanging in the Old Capitol building in Raleigh, was being removed "after complaints from civil rights leaders." The display was part of a re-creation of flags that actually were hung in the Capitol during the War. I'm outraged that it was taken down to placate individuals who did not look at the whole picture of which that was one element - but then, no one really cares when I'm outraged. I regret that I did not make it over to Raleigh to see the display during its short life.

And then there is the History Day regional competition. It will not take as much time to judge this year. Why? Few than the usual number of participants. In fact, my son, Nathaniel, who is home schooled, is the only entry from Avery County. There look to be four participants from Mitchell County, none from Yancey, none from Madison. I don't see any from Burke, Buncombe, or Haywood either. It could be one of the private schools from the area has a student or two entered. Maybe it is just that the competition doesn't have the best publicity in this neck of the woods. We know of it primarily because my wife competed when she was a student.

And, to further compound my not-so-good attitude so far this week, I went on a research trip last night. The microfilm reader was broken (the only one in the App collection), so I had to just surf the shelves. I found a couple of interesting little bits of information, but it constantly amazes me how little has been written about the history of the area that I call home (western North Carolina).

So my thoughts? No wonder we are going to hell in a hand basket so quickly these days. No one has a clue where we came from. And most of them don't even realize that there is a clue to be had.

GOV. ZEBULON VANCE BIRTHPLACE SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR PARK DAY

(Weaverville, NC) – Nearly 150 years after the final shots of the Civil War were fired, a new wave of volunteers will descend on America’s battlefields and historic sites – only these dedicated troops will wield paint brushes, trash bags and hammers in the line of duty.

On Saturday, April 6, 2013, history buffs and preservationists from around the country will team up with the Civil War Trust to help clean and restore America’s priceless battlefields, cemeteries and shrines. Park Day is the nationwide volunteer effort created by the Civil War Trust, underwritten with a grant from History™ and endorsed by Take Pride in America, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Now in its 17th year, the annual hands-on preservation event comprises more than 100 sites in 24 states. Volunteers will participate in activities ranging from trash removal to trail building, while learning more about each site from local experts. In exchange for their effort, volunteers receive t-shirts or patches. Individuals of all ages and ability levels are welcome, and many activities are appropriate for groups, like scout troops or corporate outings.

In Weaverville, NC, the Gov. Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace State Historic Site will participate in Park Day with a focus on fence restoration. Noted Civil War Historian, Michael Hardy, will present a lecture and book signing at 1 p.m. Refreshments will be provided for volunteers free of charge thanks to The Vance Birthplace Support Associates along with water and coffee. For more information about Park Day at the Gov. Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace, please contact Chris Morton at (828) 645-6706 or chris.morton@ncdcr.gov.

WHAT: “Park Day” historic preservation event at Gov. Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace State Historic Site.

WHEN: April 5, 2013, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

WHERE: Gov. Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace State Historic Site, 911 Reems Creek Road, Weaverville, NC 28787.

The Civil War Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve our nation’s endangered Civil War battlefields and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds. To date, the Trust has preserved more than 35,000 acres of battlefield land in 20 states. Learn more at www.civilwar.org, the home of the Civil War sesquicentennial.

The Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace State Historic Site, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, is the childhood home of Zebulon Vance, North Carolina’s Civil War Governor. The site consists of the reconstructed Vance Home, six log outbuildings, a modern Visitor Center, and a picnic shelter. Located in the Reems Creek Valley, the site is twelve miles north of Asheville on Reems Creek Road. For more information call (828) 645-6706.

“Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” Civil War Exhibit at Mount Airy Public Library in April

RALEIGH – Heroic tales and valiant feats are depicted in images that reflect North Carolina’s dedication to the war in the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit” (www.nccivilwar150.com). The Mount Airy Public Library will host the traveling exhibit April 8-28, sharing images and stories that capture the history and people of the Civil War (1861-1865).

“The Civil War occurred when photography was just becoming popular and became the first conflict to be widely recorded in this manner,” explains N.C. State Historic Sites Division Director Keith Hardison. “Battlefield images fascinated the public and acquainted them, in a dramatic way, with the horrors of war. The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’ exhibit presents images that compare and contrast the conditions of war, then and now.”

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

One of the images is a portrait of three Confederate colonels who served with the 26th Regiment, N.C. Troops: Zebulon Vance, who became governor; Henry Burgwyn, who was promoted when Vance resigned; and John Randolph Lane, who was Burgwyn’s lieutenant colonel.

For information on the exhibit call the library at 336-789-5108. For tour information visit www.nccivilwar150.com or call 919-807-7389.

Carteret County Public Library Honors “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” With Traveling Civil War Photography Exhibit in April

RALEIGH – Since the beginning of the Civil War (1861-1865) 150 years have passed, but its widespread impact and defining characteristics remain vivid. These can especially be seen in North Carolina as illustrated by the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit” (www.nccivilwar150.com).

The exhibit will be hosted by Carteret County Public Library in Beaufort from April 2 to 28, commemorating the Civil War Sesquicentennial with a variety of images.

“The Civil War occurred when photography was just becoming popular and became the first conflict to be widely recorded in this manner,” explains N.C. State Historic Sites Division Director Keith Hardison. “Battlefield images fascinated the public and acquainted them, in a dramatic way, with the horrors of war. The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’ exhibit presents images that compare and contrast the conditions of war, then and now.”

The exhibit has been traveling around the state since April 2011 on simultaneous eastern and western routes, visiting 50 libraries and four museums with its showcase of 24 images. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncdcr.gov) commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with images gathered from the State Archives (www.archives.ncdcr.gov), the N.C. Museum of History (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org) and State Historic Sites (www.nchistoricsites.org). A notebook will accompany the exhibit with further information and seeking viewer comments.

Among the exhibit’s pictures is one of a Union Army charge at Fort Fisher near Wilmington. At the time Fort Fisher was the largest earthen fortification in the world and received ships laden with supplies needed by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army. Fort Fisher fell to Union forces in January 1865. The fort and surrounding property in Kure Beach is now a state historic site.

The exhibit was displayed by the N.C. Maritime Museum (NCMM) in Beaufort in January 2012. Currently the Civil War exhibit Watched by Sound and Sea: Occupied Beaufort 1862 at the NCMM examines the role of the Beaufort harbor as a resupply station for the Union Army.

Call the Carteret County Public Library (252) 728-2050 for more information on the exhibit. Contact the Department of Cultural Resources (919) 807-7389 for tour information.

Closing North Carolina Historic Sites

On Wednesday, North Carolina governor Pat McCrory announced his budget proposal for 2013-2015. While there is much to be applauded in the budget, including a $139 million dollar surplus at the end of the year, the closing of five North Carolina historic sites, an estimated savings of a mere $498,712, is not an appropriate move. The historic sites which Governor McCrory’s budget plan proposes to cut are as follows: the Aycock Birthplace, the Polk Memorial, the Vance Birthplace, the House in the Horseshoe, and the Mountain Gateway Museum. 

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit up front that I have not personally had the opportunity to  visit the House in the Horseshoe nor the Aycock Birthplace. If you have followed me along on my journey for any length of time, you know that I enjoy visiting historic sites and museums more than most folks. But my travels have not yet taken me to these sites. Secondly, I am personally acquainted with the people at the Vance Birthplace and the Mountain Gateway Museum. And I've volunteered at both in some form or fashion over the years.

There are only three North Carolina "historic sites" in western North Carolina. They are the Vance Birthplace, the Mountain Gateway Museum, and the Thomas Wolfe House in Asheville. By closing the first two, western North Carolina is left with only one: the Thomas Wolfe House. What detrimental effect will this have on our region?

In 2011, tourism was a $18.4 billion dollar industry in North Carolina, and it had increased by eight percent from 2010. According to the annual report of the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film, and Sports Development, tourism supported 188,400 jobs, and directly contributed $4.19 billion to the state's payroll in 2011. Visitors generated $2.8 billion in tax receipts. North Carolina ranked sixth out of the fifty states in tourism, and with historic sites and museums at 17.5 percent for overnight visitors.

But these sites are far more important that just numbers. I live in western North Carolina. It is a great place. But there is no science museum like the one in Raleigh, there are not a half-dozen state-funded historic sites like those found in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. We have three state-funded historic sites for both the out-of-town visitor and local school children to visit.

The Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage center is the only western North Carolina museum dedicated to the mountain culture. The mountains of western North Carolina generate more than their fair share of tax revenue for our great state. Where else can people come and learn about the area from a state-sponsored museum?

Concerning the Vance birthplace—it seems that until recently, everyone understood than Zebulon Baird Vance was the greatest governor we have ever had in North Carolina. While opposed to the Civil War, he nevertheless piloted our great state through those awful times, with great success. He served in the general assembly, the US House, as a three-term governor, and in the US Senate. We honored him by naming a county and town in Iredell County after him. He has a monument to his memory in Asheville, in Charlotte, in Weaverville, on the grounds of the state house in Raleigh, and one of our two statues in the US Capitol is of Vance (the other is of Governor Aycock). Is it possible that since Vance (and Aycock) held some views not considered politically correct today that we are attempting to relegated them to the footnotes of history?

We seem to be suffering from a large degree of historical ignorance in this country. David McCullough, in an interview in the Wall Street Journal in 2011 said that, "We're raising young people who are, by and large, historically illiterate." The closing of any historic site just adds to that problem, depriving people who make the effort to self educate themselves the opportunity to become better North Carolinians, and better Americans.

So, let me encourage you, my readers, to write to Governor McCrory and your representative in the General Assembly, and to sign the online petitions to keep our historic sites open. And even more, to devote the time and tax dollars to make them better places.

Save Vance Birthplace petition

Save Mountain Gateway Museum petition

Do you have a photo of my ancestor?

Often, I get emails of people wanting a photo of their Confederate ancestor, or one of the regiment that their ancestor fought in. And my answer, ninety-nine percent of the time is the same: unless the photograph came down through your family (unless you have it), the chances of your finding a photograph are next to impossible.

Over the past fifteen years, two of the seventeen books that I have written have been regimentals. There were a little over 2,000 men who served in each of these regiments. Counting pre-war, wartime, and post-war, I probably have photographs of perhaps 100 men out of each book. That is something like half a percent. Did the soldiers visit local photographers? Sure, if the photographers were around. Most of the photographers set up in studios in places in like Charlotte (although war-time images from Charlotte are rare), Raleigh, and Wilmington. Sometimes, you will see references to a soldier visiting a photographer, having his image struck, and telling the people back at home that he was going to send them the photo.

Of course, what are the odds that that the photograph has survived the past 150 years? Some were damaged in the journey home; others have been lost over the years. A high number are in collections with no provenance. They were sold by family members and we no longer know who these men are, and from whence they came. While I hate to just throw out numbers, I'm going to do it. There were 126,000 (or so) Confederate soldiers from North Carolina. There might be somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 war-time images out there.

And regimental photos. I don't believe I have ever seen a photograph (correct me if I am wrong) of an entire Confederate infantry regiment. I have seen, maybe, a dozen Confederate company photos, all early war. Probably the most famous would be the photograph of Alabama soldiers stationed in Pensacola, Florida (pictured below). There are a couple of early war Confederate company photos from North Carolina, but that is it. If any others exist, they are well hidden.

 

So, the chances of my having or knowing about a photograph of your Confederate ancestor in uniform, or a photograph of his regiment, are exceptionally slim. The best thing to do is to start asking around in your own family. And as a disclaimer, I don't have any photos of my own Confederate ancestors.

 

Back on the Road

I'll be hitting the road again this evening. Tonight, I'll be speaking to the Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur Camp, SCV. They meet at the Box Car Grille in Statesville at 6:00 pm, and they would love it if you would join them.

Tuesday, March 19, I'll be speaking to the Col. John B. Palmer Camp, SCV. They meet at 6:30 pm at the Burnsville Towncenter in Burnsville, North Carolina.

On Saturday, March 23, I'll be speaking and signing books all day at the Bennett Place Historic Site in Durham, North Carolina. Please stop by and bring a friend.

It's my birthday...

Do you remember the old song (from the '50s, I think) - "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to"? Well, it is my birthday (not sixteenth, I'll admit) today, and while the weather is gloomy (rain and snow), I'm not crying. I do have a couple of announcements for you.

First, my latest book, North Carolina Remembers Chancellorsville, will be released in about a month. This project is collection of letters and accounts written by North Carolina soldiers about the May 1863 battle. Like North Carolina Remembers Gettysburg, these letters are something that you can take to the battlefield, and stand and almost see what the soldiers themselves saw. I really think that these collections of letters are an important aspect of preserving the war, and I am looking forward to working with Ten Roads Publishing on future projects. By the way, if your group is interested in a discussion about North Carolina and the battle of Chancellorsville, please drop me a line.

Second. Most of you know that I have been fascinated with the Branch-Lane brigade for a long time. My first book was The Thirty-seventh North Carolina Troops: Tar Heels in the Army of Northern Virginia (2003). Later, I wrote The Battle of Hanover Court House: Turning Point of the Peninsula Campaign (2006). And there have been several articles about the brigade in Gettysburg Magazine and America's Civil War, among others. For the past few weeks, I've been talking to a publisher about writing a brigade history, and I'm happy to announce that I signed a contract a few days ago with Savas Beatie in California to write a book on this deserving brigade. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about this project. It is like visiting with old friends. More details will follow in the future.

Civil War Photography Exhibit “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory” Travels to Raleigh and Mooresville Libraries for March Display

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

The involvement of Confederate soldiers, African Americans and women is depicted in the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit”(www.nccivilwar150.com), which will visit the Cameron Village Branch of the Wake County Public Library system March 3-29 in Raleigh and the Mooresville Public Library March 5-29.

“The Civil War occurred when photography was just becoming popular and became the first conflict to be widely recorded in this manner,” explains N.C. State Historic Sites Division Director Keith Hardison. “Battlefield images fascinated the public and acquainted them, in a dramatic way, with the horrors of war. The ‘Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory’exhibit presents images that compare and contrast the conditions of war, then and now.”

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

The collection depicts those involved in the war and includes images of artifacts and official documents. Amy Harper is one woman featured in the exhibit who exemplifies the hardships for women and families. The Johnston County home of Amy Harper’s family was converted to a field hospital during the Battle of Bentonville March 19-21, 1865, where more than 500 wounded soldiers received care. Today the Harper House still stands and can be visited at the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site near Four Oaks.

For information on the exhibit call the Wake County library at (919) 856-6710 or the Mooresville Library at 704-664-2927. For tour information contact the Department of Cultural Resources at (919) 807-7389.

Do I have this story right?

So many times, in the course of research, I get these odd little pieces of information, and it is my job to try and get them to fit together. Here is another example. My question to you is this: do I have this story right?

In the 1860 Watauga County Census, in the Boone District, family group 179, we have Jonathan Horton, age 24, son of Phineas Horton and Rebecca Councill Horton (this is a distant cousin of mine).

In the NC Troop books (volume 14), we have Jonathan F. Horton. His record reads: "Born in Yancey County and was by occupation a farmer prior to enlisting at the age of 22. Elected 1st Lieutenant on May 29, 1862. Promoted to Captain on July 29, 1862 [of Company C, 58th North Carolina Troops]. Detailed for twenty days on October 27, 1862, to go home for clothing for his company. Resigned on May 16, 1863, because of 'chronic bronchitis with great debility" which had rendered him 'unable for duty for the last six months...'"

According to the Heritage of Watauga County, Volume 1, we learn that Jonathan Horton served as adjutant for Col. J. B. Palmer in the battle of Missionary Ridge. Died of brain fever in 1863 at Dalton, Georgia. Buried on parents property [assumed in Watauga County].

Well, we know that Colonel Palmer was not at Missionary Ridge. Considering that, do you think we are talking about the same person?

The 26th Regiment N.C. Troops, Reactivated, Funds Conservation of BATTLE OF SPOTSYLVANIA COURTHOUSE Confederate Flag

During the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse on May 12, 1864, a Union soldier ripped the battle flag of the 1st Regiment North Carolina State Troops from its staff during hand-to-hand combat with the color-bearer. The flag's missing left border attests to the ferocious fighting in the Virginia battle.

This historic banner is part of the Confederate flag collection, one of the nation's largest, at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. Conservation of these banners requires expensive, specialized textile treatment. To help fund this need, the museum has formed a partnership with the 26th Regiment North Carolina Troops, Reactivated, the state's largest Civil War re-enactment group.
During a Jan. 19 presentation at the Museum of History, the 26th Regiment unveiled the newly conserved colors of the 1st Regiment North Carolina State Troops. This represents the seventh flag the organization has helped conserve for the museum.

"This flag is a silent witness of one of the most horrific days of battle in the Civil War, but it has not been seen by the public for nearly 100 years," said Jackson Marshall, Associate Director of the Museum of History. "Once again, the museum owes a debt of gratitude to the 26th Regiment members for donating the funds needed to conserve and exhibit the flag."

Organized in Warrenton, the 1st Regiment participated in many of the major engagements fought by the Army of Northern Virginia. The regiment suffered enormous casualties at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. During the fighting, Pvt. George W. Harris of the Pennsylvania Volunteers seized the 1st Regiment's battle flag carried by color-bearer Sgt. John Reams of Northampton County. Harris received a Medal of Honor for his deed - Reams was captured and imprisoned in Maryland and New York until he was paroled when the war ended.

The 1st Regiment's flag was sent to the U.S. War Department in Washington, D.C. It was returned to North Carolina in 1905 and generally kept in a storage vault awaiting conservation.

"The 26th Regiment is proud to work with the Museum of History in its conservation efforts, and we look forward to continuing this partnership far into the future," noted Skip Smith, Colonel of the 26th Regiment. "We encourage all North Carolinians to support the museum and to share our state's history with their children."

The Museum of History plans to feature the 1st Regiment flag in the exhibit gallery A Call to Arms as part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial commemoration.

Adds Smith, "We hope that descendants of the 1st Regiment will come see their ancestors' battle flag when it is in the exhibit."

Susan Friday Lamb
Public Information Officer
North Carolina Museum of History

Bits and Pieces

So many times, while out gathering information (researching), I come across folks who say something like "My family really did not say anything about the war." Then they usually have one or two small stories. Well, it takes a lot of small stories to make a big story. Here is one of those small stories.

There are many areas within North Carolina that sent men to fight for both armies to fight during the War. That whole “brother versus brother” happened here. One of the questions we get a lot is this: how did those families with members on opposing sides deal with it after the war? The vast majority of the time (is 99% too high?), we really don't know how, or if, the families reconciled their differences.

While I have probably read this before, I found it again last night. This story comes from the Banner family, for whom Banner Elk is named. In 1860, Banner Elk was in Watauga County.

"The story has been handed down through the Banner family that Tatum [Henry T. Banner, 4th Tennessee Cavalry US], and Frank [Franklin Banner, 21st North Carolina Infantry CS] arrived home within one hour of each other, after having served on opposite sides during the Civil War conflict. They promptly got into a fight over which side was the aggressor."

So, do you have a story of families getting together (or avoiding getting together, maybe) after the war? Please share, if you can.  

On to Watauga

A few days ago, I finished up the North Carolina Remembers Chancellorsville project, and sent it off to the publisher. The book contains forty-four first-hand accounts written by Tar Heels soldiers who fought at the battle of Chancellorsville. I'm really looking forward to this project's being released.

So what's next? A few months back, I signed a contract with the History press to write a book about Watauga County and the Civil War. This is a project that I have been working on for close to eighteen years. The book will cover the war years, but will have something a little different. There will be a chapter looking at the experiences of Watauga County soldiers who marched away to fight in the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee. You might consider it a mini version of Wiley's The Life of Johnny Reb, but only using sources from Watauga County and thus specifically covering the experiences of these men. I have maybe a dozen letter sets, written by men from Watauga County while they were in the army. I'll probably add a few post-war stories as well. Couple this with some statistical data (which we did not get in Johnny Reb), and well, this is going where no one has gone before. At least I think it is.

Well, I guess I need to go back to work, crunching those statistical numbers to include in the text.

North Carolina Remembers Chancellorsville

Well I finished North Carolina Remembers Chancellorsville yesterday. It is a collection of forty-four letters, written by Tar Heel soldiers, who fought (or had connections) to the May 1863 battle of Chancellorsville. Thirty of the letters were written within days or weeks of the battle, while the other fourteen were written in decades after the war. This is my second such endeavor, the first being North Carolina Remembers Gettysburg. I will probably work on other collections in the future

Why do I think these types of collections are important?  It gives you a chance to take what the soldiers themselves wrote, and to go and stand where they stood and see what they saw. I've done this several times at Gettysburg, like with the position of the Rowan artillery on the far Confederate right, or in retracing the steps of the 11th and 26th NCT on day one. Let me encourage you to also do this. Get a copy of the book, go figure out where the regiment or battery was (there are many really good map books on the marker), and read his words. It's like having a movie right before you.

As soon as I have information on publication date and ordering, I'll get it to you.