This blog is an extension of the work of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
Over the next four years, historian LeRae Umfleet will tweet the words of North Carolina civilians who witnessed the triumphs and tragedies of the war. The tweets are short and this blog will be the full citation, to place the tweet into context – a tool to understand the impact of war in their words, not ours.
The photograph at the top of the blog is from the North Carolina Collection, UNC-CH and is captioned ”Loyal inhabitants of Hatteras Island expelled from their homes by the rebel troops, overtaken by the 20th Indiana Regiment, while retreating to Fort Hatteras for protection, October 4th, 1861.”
For more information about the commemoration of the Civil War in NC, visit www.nccivilwar150.com. For more about the Department of Cultural Resources, visit http://www.ncdcr.gov/
LeRae will speak to groups about North Carolina Women in the Civil War using many of the references found in the blog and using images from museum, library, and archive collections. Send her an message to schedule a talk.
Posts and comments to and from this site, in connection with the transaction of public business, are subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
Thanks for allowing these voices to be heard.
Love what you’re doing! We tweeted the Battle of Gettysburg two years ago, and have since then developed a site that makes queuing up tweets easy. If you’d like to use our tools (all free), feel free to drop by. http://twhistory.org.
You can also follow us on twitter – @twhistory
Thanks for the link and pointers about the tweets — we’ve tied our blog to the tweets and can schedule blog posts which then automatically generate the tweet… it seems to be working for now but I might be in touch!
This is a great project! I work at a museum in Catawba County and we’re setting up an exhibit of letters between a husband and wife during the war, but they only last until 1863. We would love for you to come and see it!
That sounds very interesting! I’ll send you an email!
I am co-editing a collection of NC soldier letters for a book to be released next spring. Would love to include some at home context. My soldier grew up in Mecklenburg County and then moved to Miss where he enlisted, but all his letters were saved by the NC home folks. He survived and lived back in Miss until 1899, with many descendents.
We are opening a new experience 1863 Civil War Journey and would love to share more information with you. Email me if you are interested. frey@connerprairie.org.
I thought those who follow and maintain this website might like to know about the play being put on at the Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville this June 3-11 — “An Uncivil Union: the Battle of Burnsville.” It is about the actual raids that happened on Burnsville’s Confederate Storehouses and references also the women’s raids in Salisbury in 1863. The play celebrates the bravery of local women during the war.
http://www.parkwayplayhouse.com
Thanks for sharing! I hope you have great attendance!
The shortened URLs on your tweets aren’t opening for me. I’m accessing the web from Vietnam, fyi.
Not sure why. Perhaps something there blocking them?
What a wonderful blog! Would it be possible to include any biographical information on the personalities quoted in the entries?
Is Jane Evans Elliot the “Aunt Jane” that Malinda Ray refers to?
I don’t believe so. Even though both were from the Fayetteville area, the finding aids don’t indicate any connections.
Delighted to have found your blog. Great context for my forthcoming book: So Much Blood, the Civil War Letters of CSA Private William Wallace Beard 1861-1865. Hope I can use some of your material ascontextual quotes in my book. Virginia Cornue
I’m glad you find it useful! I always provide the original source of my material so please be sure to include that information whenever possible. At the end of each post, I indicate where the original is located or the book that I used. I look forward to reading your book!
Do you have any material about north Mecklenburg County? WWB grew up in what became Huntersville,NC (in 1872). For So Much Blood I want to have material that describes life at home since his family was there even though he had moved to Mississippi in the 1850s and enlisted from there. Virginia
Not off the top of my head, I’ll think on it and get back in touch with what I might have. I’d recommend you google Michael Hardy, he’s written some on that part of the world. I’d also look at the works of John Inscoe about western NC during the War.
Do you send these out as a daily email? I don’t tweet.
You can sign up to receive posts emailed to you – click the “follow” button at the bottom right and enter your email address! Thanks!