Browse Items (76 total)

Holden, despairing of a fair trial in the civil courts, had resolved to try them by military commission. He therefore wrote Pearson a lengthy public letter on July 26, justifying his proclamations of insurrection and politely declining to surrender…

The great majority of the Klan’s victims were blacks; they were attacked and beaten everywhere in the county for many reasons. The raiders explained on one occasion that they were simply out whipping Radicals that night. In December, a disguised…

Thomas Lanier Clingman was a unique man. Born and raised in western North Carolina, Clingman studied law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He later settled in the Ashville area where he bace a prominent politician. He strongly…

On May 1, the legislature met ins special secession. Governor Eillis, in his message, Reviewed the theory on which the government of the United States was founded and discussed fully the Constitutional aspects of coercion. Assuming that the state…

This document describes numerous situations that Western North Carolina Confederate soldiers were put through, which lead to their decision to desert from the army. Questions such as "Is my loyalty worth it if my family is starving?" and "What good…

“Fort Fisher was the strongest fort in the South,” proclaimed the New York Tribune. “Now for the first time is a really formidable earthwork carried by a direct assault, and in a military view, therefore, the storming of Fort Fisher…

Recognizing the importance of Wilmington, Union blockaders sought to prevent ships from reaching the port since the summer of 1861, though to no avail. The first Federal ship, the Daylight, arrived in July 1861. This tiny vessel was soon disabled,…

A major problem that faced both armies during the Civil war was desertion. As the conflict dragged on into a protracted war of attrition, the loss of men through absenteeism struck hardest at the South. Before the end of 1861 it had become a problem…

Mountain Unionists are brutally murdered in the Shelton Laurell area of the NOrth Carolina Mountains. Among the victims was a 13 year old boy. The Unionists were accused of raiding a nearby town and stealing basic necessities as well as raiding a…