References

Method for Research

This research was conducted by first reading secondary sources as a way to become familiarized with the subject of my study. These secondary sources included a text book by William A. Link on North Carolina history, chapters from Joe A. Mobley's book on Zebulon B. Vance titled "War Governor of the South," followed by chapters from Gordon B. McKinney's work titled "Zeb Vance," and finally, research on Wilfred B. Yearns' "Peace Movement in the Confederate Congress."

The previously mentioned secondary sources referred to a plethora of primary source material in order organize firsthand information on Zebulon B. Vance and his thoughts during his election campaign. These primary sources included correspondences between Governor Vance and his colleagues, which had been compiled by Joe A. Mobley in two volumes of Zebulon Vance's Papers which spanned from August 1851 through December 1863. Within these volumes, it became clear that a full understanding of Vance's beliefs would require investigating his colleagues’ inquiring correspondences which prompted Vance's bold statements in addition to Vance’s returned sentiments in which he laid out his philosophies. In the research for this essay I delved through many letters to attain a more complete understanding of Vance's perspective; however, only a handful of these letters were referred to within my essay and posted to this website. For a more full understanding of Vance's political positions and motives, I encourage that Joe Mobley’s two collections on the Papers of Zebulon Vance be scoured for the rich information about North Carolina’s war-time governor that exists between their covers.

In addition to the research conducted in the primary sources of Vance's correspondences, the Governor's "Weekly Conservative" newspaper also contributed a wealth of knowledge on Vance's election campaign. The "Weekly Conservative," which was published in Raleigh, is now preserved as a microfilm at North Carolina State's James B. Hunt Library. That being said, it is important to note that the quality of the preserved sections of the newspaper had significantly deteriorated before the duplication. While all of the fully legible articles which were referred to in this research are posted to this website, there is certainly more information about North Carolina politics from 1864 to 1865 that could be found within the microfilm.

It is important, however, to note that these primary sources, as well as any primary sources to be referred to in research, are riddled with biases. For example, this is clearly seen in Zebulon Vance's letter to President Jefferson Davis on July 6, 1863 as Vance clearly objected to having a Virginian appointed to a tax collecting position in North Carolina; however, his writing to President Davis is excessively passive due to the respect which was to be given to the President of the Confederacy. This same level of respect, on the other hand would not be shown to the Union's Military Governor of Eastern North Carolina, Edward Stanly; whom Vance barraged with insults and direct accusations. Therefore, in order to excavate any concrete beliefs in historical research it is important to understand the context of the dialogs within his existing primary sources while recognizing the colorful language of respect and insults as accents to the underlying motive of the primary sources.

Some other primary source resources that could be obtained should anyone desire further research into the events surrounding the North Carolina Gubernatorial Election of 1864 would be found in the Papers of William Woods Holden, which was edited by Horace W. Raper, as well as the newspaper "The Weekly Standard," which supported Holden throughout the 1864 campaign.

Primary Sources

Stanly, Edward to Zebulon Baird Vance, October 21, 1862. The Papers of Zebulon Baird Vance. Edited by Frontis W. Johnston. Vol. 1, 1843-1862. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1963.

Vance, Zebulon Baird. “Another Change in Color,” Weekly Conservative (Raleigh), August 3, 1864, Microfilm.

Vance, Zebulon Baird. “Secession and Civil War.” Weekly Conservative (Raleigh), July 20, 1864, Microfilm.

Vance, Zebulon Baird. “Secret Circular,” Weekly Conservative (Raleigh), July 13, 1864, Microfilm.

Vance, Zebulon Baird. “What Could Holden Do For Peace?” Weekly Conservative (Raleigh), June 8, 1864, Microfilm.

Vance, Zebulon Baird. “To the Polls! To the Polls!!” Weekly Conservative (Raleigh), Aug 3, 1864, microfilm.

Vance, Zebulon Baird to Edward J. Hale, August 11, 1863. The Papers of Zebulon Baird Vance. Edited by Joe A. Mobley. Vol. 2, 1863. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1995.

Vance, Zebulon Baird to Edward Stanly, November 24, 1862. The Papers of Zebulon Baird Vance. Edited by Frontis W. Johnston. Vol. 1, 1843-1862. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1963.

Vance, Zebulon Baird to Edward Stanly, October 29, 1862. The Papers of Zebulon Baird Vance. Edited by Frontis W. Johnston. Vol. 1, 1843-1862. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1963.

Vance, Zebulon Baird to Edward J. Hale, August 13, 1863. The Papers of Zebulon Baird Vance. Edited by Joe A. Mobley. Vol. 2, 1863. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1995.

Vance, Zebulon Baird to President Jefferson Davis, December 30, 1863. The Papers of Zebulon Baird Vance. Edited by Joe A. Mobley. Vol. 2, 1863. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1995.

Vance, Zebulon Baird to President Jefferson Davis, July 6, 1863. The Papers of Zebulon Baird Vance. Edited by Joe A. Mobley. Vol. 2, 1863. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1995. 

Secondary Sources

McKinney, Gordon B. Zeb Vance: North Carolina’s Civil War Governor and Gilded Age Political Leader. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2004.

Mobley, Joe A. “My Life Popularity and Everything Shall Go into This Contest.” War Governor of the South: North Carolina’s Zeb Vance in the Confederacy, 113-126. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2005.

Mobley, Joe A. “To Their Hands I am Content to Leave it.” War Governor of the South: North Carolina’s Zeb Vance in the Confederacy, 99-112. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2005.

Yearns Jr., Wilfred B. “The Peace Movement in the Confederate Congress.” The Georgia Historical Quarterly 41, no. 1 (March 1957): 7.