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William A. Link’s book provided basic background information on North Carolina before the Civil War and secession. I used this book to gain general knowledge on the subject in order to figure out which way to direct my research.

I aided one who I was well acquainted with by the name of W. R. Shull. I signed a petition and used all the influence I could and helped to prevent the Rebel army from shooting him, and they did not carry out their sentence.
…I was glad to hear of…

Among the speeches noticed by the Herald, was one by Robert strange, Esq., who argued, as the Herald understands Him, that a seceding State has a right to take the forts and other government property within its limits or on its coast; and that the…

This engraving reproduced in "The Adventures of Daniel Ellis the Union Guide" in 1867 was designed by Ellis to show his contempt of Thomas' Indians. William W. Stringfield and James W. Terrell differed on the frequency of scalping incidents by the…

North Carolina and Secession—North Carolina will not secede from the Union for existing causes. Nearly all the Union candidates in this State advocated a Convention; if they had opposed it, it would have been voted down by 30,000 majority. We…

At the time of this photograph, taken in 1858, Thomas was 53 and had become, perhaps next to Zeb Vance, the most influential man in western North Carolina.

There was no officer with the first men that came, and our drooping spirits were revived about one o’clock by the sight of a Yankie officer. He came in the house and introduced himself as Lt. Bracht, Mamma and I immediately appealed to him for…

From Wm. H. Thomas Knoxville Nov. 22. 1862 In the progress of the war men and circumstances change. At the commencement you were in Military I in Civil positions. Now my position is what your position is then. I find myself at the head of a…

My Sympathies were on the side of the Union at the beginning and close of the war.
During the war, I fed and protected union men who were deserting from the rebel army and going through the hills to join the union army.
I took the…