Browse Items (38 total)
Diary of Mrs. "H.J.B.," February 9, 1865
As I made my way to the fireplace my attention was attracted to one of the officers who sat in the corner with a map open on his knee. From the pictures I had from time to time seen of him I knew at once that this was General Sherman. I determined…
Diary of Thomas Osborn, February 17, 1865
Columbia, S.C.February 17, 1865 This day has been the most eventful one to us of the campaign, and one which the historian of South Carolina cannot forget. This morning Columbia was a beautiful little city, tonight it is a “Sea of…
Diary of Thomas Osborn, March 8, 1865
Laurel HillRichmond Co., N.C.March 8, 1865There is little of interest today, we have moved fifteen miles through a fine country, well cultivated, and affording plenty of forage. It has rained all day, the roads would have been good but for the rain;…
Drew Gilpin Faust, The Creation of Confederate Nationalism: Ideology and Identity in the Civil War South (1988)
Curiously, historians have tended to understate the importance of slavery within southern consciousness during the war. In part, this may be because in postbellum decades many southerners themselves disavowed slavery as a major cause of the…
John Barrett, Sherman's March through the Carolinas (1956)
Sherman's movements through South and North Carolina were bold, imaginative strokes, masterfully executed. One historian has rightly characterized the Carolinas campaign as "a triumph of physical endurance and mechanical skill on the part of the army…
Layers of Loyalty: Confederate Nationalism and Amnesty Letters from Western North Carolina
Letter from Edward Jones Hale Jr. to James Lane, July 31, 1865
Fayetteville, N.C., July 31st, 1865.
My Dear General:
It would be impossible to give you an adequate idea of the destruction of property in this good old town. It may not be an average instance; but it is one the force of whose truth we feel…
Letter from Janie Smith to Janie Robeson, April 12, 1865
Where Home used to be,
Apr. 12th 1865
Your precious letter, My dear Janie, was received night before last, and the pleasure it afforded me, and indeed the whole family, I leave for you to imagine, for it baffles words to express my thankfulness…
Letter from Robert Lee to Zebulon Vance, February 24, 1865
HEADQUARTERS CONFEDERATE STATES ARMIESFeb. 24, 1865. HIS EXCELLENCY Z. B. VANCE GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA RALEIGH GOVERNOR: The state of despondency that now prevails among our people is producing a bad effect upon the troops. Desertions are…
Letter from William Sherman to Sutton et. al., April 4, 1865
HDQRS Mil. Division of the Mississippi,
In The Field
April 4, 1865
Goldsboro, N.C.
Messrs. Sutton and others,
Moseley Hall, N.C.
Gentlemen:
I cannot undertake to supply horses or to encourage peaceful industry in North Carolina until the…
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Hinton Rowan Helper, 1829-1909
Hinton Rowan Helper (1829-1909), a bitter and staunch racist, was the author of one of the greatest and most influential books on antislavery of his…