Appalachian Collection

The Civil War in Western North Carolina

 


Scope

The Civil War (also known as the War Between the States) between 1861 and 1865 was the most divisive period in U.S. history. The Civil War in the mountains of western North Carolina was especially turbulent during this period due to it being a border area of a border state (East Tennessee being largely pro-Union). There was strong sentiment-both pro-Union and pro-Confederacy. There also existed a large number of guerrilla groups who served their own interests. Little was written specifically about the War in this region until the past decade. This pathfinder attempts to provide a starting point for research of the Civil War in Western North Carolina.


Introduction

The majority of reference materials pertaining to the Civil War do not directly address western North Carolina. Perhaps the finest example of recent scholarship that provides a good starting point into the study of the Civil War in Western North Carolina is the recent work of Drs. Inscoe and McKinney:

Inscoe, John C. & Gordon B. McKinney. The Heart of Confederate Appalachia: Western North Carolina in the Civil War . Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2000. Appalachian Collection: E524.I54.2000 c.2.


Library of Congress Subject Headings

There is not a subject heading specific to the Civil War in western North Carolina. There are, however, a number of headings that strongly pertain to the topic, either through a regional approach or through a military history approach. The following are categorized according to how strongly they correlate the Civil War and western North Carolina.

Highly Relevant

  • Appalachian Region--History
  • Appalachian Region, Southern-History, Military-19th Century
  • Appalachian Region, Southern-Social Conditions-19th Century
  • Confederate States of America Army-North Carolina Infantry Regiments 60th
  • Great Smoky Mountains (NC and TN) History-19th Century
  • Soldiers-Blue Ridge Mountains-Biography
  • Soldiers-Great Smoky Mountains (NC and Tenn)

Also Relevant

  • Confederate States of America Army-Recruiting, Enlistment, etc.
  • Confederate States of America--History
  • Desertion, Military-Confederate States of America
  • North Carolina-History-1775-1865
  • North Carolina--History-Civil War, 1861-1865
  • Secession
  • Unionists (U.S. Civil War)-Confederate States of America--Biography
  • United States-History-Civil War, 1861-1865
  • Vance, Zebulon Baird-1830-1894


Common Library of Congress Call Number Ranges

Due to the specialized area being considered, there are a number of Call Number ranges that are appropriate for examination. The following numbers correspond to the suggested Subject Headings previously mentioned.

  • E99
  • E445
  • E468
  • E470
  • E524
  • E573.5
  • E605
  • F262


Appalachian Collection Clippings File Headings

Within the Appalachian Collection, the most obvious Clippings File heading is Civil War. One can also find use, both as instructional aids and research material, of many of the clippings found in the Genealogy Clippings File.


Highly relevant Monographs

There are a number of books important to review when beginning research into the Civil War in western North Carolina. Many of the best have been written in just the past few years. Chief among the new contributors is John Inscoe. The following are an excellent starting point.

Enemies of the Country: New Perspectives on Unionists in the Civil War South . JohnC. Inscoe and Robert C. Kenzer, eds. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2001. Not yet cataloged by ASU (on order). Contains a number of essays
applicable to subject.

Inscoe, John C. Mountain Masters: Slavery and the Sectional Crisis in Western North Carolina . Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1989. Appalachian Collection: E 445.N8 I57 1989.

The Civil War in Appalachia . Kenneth W. Noe and Shannon H. Wilson, eds. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1997. Appalachian Collection: E 469.C583 1997. A collection of essays applicable to subject.

Trotter, William R. Bushwhackers! The Civil War in North Carolina: Vol. II The Mountains . Greensboro, NC: Signal Research, Inc., 1988. Appalachian Collection: E470.6.T79.1991.

Williams, John Alexander. Appalachia: A History . Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2002. Pp. 85, 118, 132-136, 152-181, 186, 234, 243, 245, 287, 305, 377. Appalachian Collection: F106.W68 2002 c.2.


Biographies

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the Civil War in western North Carolina is the impact it had (and has!) on the people of the region. There are a number of primary sources one can obtain to give a clearer picture, including diaries and other personal accounts. The following are a few accounts that have been published and are available in the Appalachian Collection.

Dugger, J.W. "A Diary Kept by J.W. Dugger and William Thomas While in the Confederate Service, and Members of the 58th N.C. Regiment." Previously printed in The Watauga Democrat , May14, 1891 through July 30, 1891. Appalachian Collection: E605.D85 1891a.

Gere, James M. Escape To The Mountains: The Life of a Northern Civil War Soldier, including his personal account of his escape from a Confederate prison . Published by author in Stanford, CA, 1988. Pp. 53-76, 106-115. Appalachian Collection: E
523.5 122nd.G47 1998.

Voices From Cemetery Hill: The Civil War Diary, Reports, and Letters of Colonel William Henry Asbury Speer (1861-1864) . Allen Paul Speer, ed. Johnson City, TN: Overmountain Press, 1997. Appalachian Collection: E470. S73 1997 c.2.


Journal Articles

Searching for journal articles is a bit problematic. Articles about the Civil War in western North Carolina are both everywhere and nowhere to be found. They are contained in a number of different scholarly journals and local journals and periodicals, but few are dedicated specifically to the topic. The Appalachian Journal has had a number of articles published throughout the years, especially book reviews, and one should consult an index.

Appalachian Journal: A Regional Studies Review . Boone, NC: Appalachian State University, Vol 1, 1972 to present. Appalachian Collection: F216.2.A66.

The following is a periodical dedicated to the Civil War, although more emphasis seems to be placed on pro-Union history:

Civil War History Vol. 1. 1955 -(present) September 2002Vol 48, Number 3 . Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. ASU Periodicals.

There was also a monthly newsletter published between 1895 and 1932, that was compiled in 1983 by Broadfoot's Bookmark:

Confederate Veteran: Published monthly in the interest of Confederate Veterans and Kindred Topics , Vol I No. I 1895-1932 (Nashville, TN) as reprinted in 18 volumes in Confederate Veteran . Wendell, NC: Broadfoot's Bookmark, 1983. Appalachian
Collection: E482.c744.


Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

The information found in most dictionaries and/or encyclopedias is too general to really be of use when researching the Civil War in Western North Carolina. Of marginal interest is the following:

Garrison, Webb B. The Encyclopedia of Civil War Usage: an illustrated compendium of the everyday language of soldiers and civilians . Nashville, TN: Cumberland House, 2001.


Microfilm

The following entry is found in the Appalachian Collection. It contains the papers of Zebulan Vance, a mountain native, who served as Governor of North Carolina during the Civil War.

Vance, Zebulon Baird 1830-1894. The Papers of Zebulon Vance . Gordon McKinney and Richard McMurry, eds. Frederick, MD: University Publications of America, 1987. Appalachian Collection: MicF 383.

 

Compiler: Carl Larsen, 4 November 2002