Sunday, January 3, 2010
Holiday Assignment #4
Lastly, for this assignment, I have decided to write a little about the North Carolina 37th and their role both in and out of the state. This regiment is also known as the Tar Heels. It has so far been difficult to find enough information about them, and the only resources I can find are websites. Some books I have found have small paragraphs of information, but that’s about it. It began in 1861 and was created as soon as the war had begun. Most of its volunteers were from the mountainous west or from around Charlotte. They were initially given muskets and lead balls, a technology that was dated at the time. These were replaced later by converted percussion cap rifles, many of which were converted from muskets captured in the War of 1812. The regiment itself played a major role in battles from Northern Virginia to Gettysburg. Heir most famous battle occurred while deterring the advance from General Ambrose Burnsides down through the Carolinas. Although they were successful in temporarily prolonging the life of the Confederacy, they were unsuccessful in maintaining proper numbers and morale, and their colonel had been captured and was going to be used by federal soldiers, along with 49 other confederate officers, as cannon fodder. By the end of the war, 115 out of 2,000 soldiers, including officers, were able to surrender. They became known as the tar heels due to their ability to stand their ground in the numerous battles that they fought, but this tactic must have also caused such losses.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Holiday Assignment #3
Yet another book that I found about North Carolina in the Civil War is titled Sherman’s March Through the Carolinas. In fact, the first line of the book is what really caught my attention. It states that, General William Tecumseh Sherman always maintained that the Carolinas campaign of 1865 was his greatest military achievement.” A quote from Sherman later begins to explain that the famous march to Savannah that he later took may have gathered everyone’s attention and is popular among historians, but he viewed it as “child’s play”. I believe this to be one of the main aspects of my paper. This is the kind of change in history that I’ve been looking for. The Civil War is controversial and has many different views and retellings of different stories, but to find an entire book written with the help of a UNC professor about something I had never even heard of seems like a great opportunity. The march through the Carolinas occurred after the march to Savannah, in early 1865. It also discusses how the push to move Sherman out of the deep south became a top priority of the Confederates, and that stopping his advance into the Carolinas was the first, and most important step in doing so. Sherman also seemed to have realized this, and did not underestimate the small, but strong fighting force he had put up against him. He could also, however, see the disparity of the confederates, when they claimed that England and France had joined their cause.
Holiday Assignment #2
For this Blog, I am going to describe the role that the mountainous region of North Carolina played in the Civil War. This was one of the first regions to first start organizing actual companies and outfits of soldiers. In fact, some even did so before North Carolina official seceded from the Union. The Black Mountain Boys from Yancey County, the Watauga Troopers of Watauga County, and the Rough and Ready Guards of Buncombe County are three examples that the book brings to mind. What is most unique about this region during the war, in my opinion, is the controversy surrounded around it. The difficultly traversed terrain meant that traitors form both sides used them as a safe hold. This separated communities against each other, and even family members who had different ideas of the war. This mentality carried on for years after the war. This region also has less monuments and graves for its veterans than the rest of the state, but the veterans met more personally during reunions to remember their own sacrifices and pay homage to those who died. Even the first casualty of the entire war was a North Carolina soldier named Henry Wyatt (he was actually a member of the 37th, adding to the legacy of the Tar Heels). With a total of 125,000 soldiers sent to fight in the war, the acts of men joining together on their own accord and enlisting in groups comprised much of the war effort, and this region seemed to showcase this reoccurring theme.
Holiday Assignment #1
Earlier this month, before the holiday vacation, my dad went down to North Carolina. I asked him if he could find anything on North Carolina’s role in the Civil War, and he managed to find me a book in a local library called Remembering North Carolina’s Confederates. Flipping through this book, the chapters are divided into one covering each of the four geographical areas of North Carolina, one on Jefferson Davis, and one on the soldiers’ involvements in battles outside of the state. For this first assignment I brushed over the part on coastal plains and am going to give a brief description of what was in it. The coast of North Carolina saw the majority of real battles that took place on the state’s soil. The Northern cities such as New Bern and the Outer Banks were captured relatively soon by the Union army, but southern ports such as the one in Wilmington and the Fort Fisher complex, fell in early 1865. These served as some of the last ties to the outside world for the confederates and provided vital supplies. This area contains the most civil war memorials in the state, as well as the largest civil war graveyards. A number of Civil War generals, one even which died in Gettysburg are scattered across the state, buried with different memorials and statues. The book even discusses the legacy of some of these generals. One of them, Charles M. Stedman who was born in Wilmington North Carolina, was a U.S. representative until 1930, and was the last Civil War veteran to do so.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Videos of Civil War
Here's a link to youtube, but I'm not so sure on its quality, considering the Microsoft Sam voice over. I'm going to keep researching for something better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5jKIS71MqI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5jKIS71MqI
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Biographies
North Carolina in the Civil War Blog Biographies
Henry Toole Clark
Henry T. Clark was the governor of North Carolina during some of the most climactic years of the Civil War. He ran as a democrat, yet was never actually elected. He was speaker of the North Carolina Senate, and when the previous governor died, he took his position, soon after North Carolina succeeded after the Battle of Fort Sumter. The state is known for having lost the most soldiers in all the war, and Clark is considered responsible for this as well as the mentality of the state at the time for trying to contribute as much as possible to the southern cause, despite the relatively mall amount of battles actually fought in North Carolina. Important to the foreign relations of the Confederacy, he exported many good to countries such as England to raise money for the effort, as well setting up more long-term trade agreements. By 1862, he had retired, although without leaving his mark, making him an important character in the history of the Civil War. Clark was part of an elite ruling class of the South, gained through the power held in his many acres of plantation lands and many slaves. This economic power made him and his family quite conservative.
"North Carolina History Project : Henry Toole Clark." North Carolina History Project : Encyclopedia. Web. 06 Dec. 2009..
Daniel Harvey Hill
Hill was an accomplished general who went to West Point in upstate New York. Despite being born in South Carolina, he spent much of his career in North Carolina. He saw his first action in the Mexican American War, where he became well known for his ability to command. He soon became a general afterward, and was put under General Bragg, where he made his first political enemies. He viewed Bragg as incompetent and unable to make good decisions that would benefit the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis was a good friend with Bragg, and this created a feeling of resentment between the two. He was soon let off from his position, and led a group of volunteers on the coast of the Carolinas, where he sat out the war. His legacy consisted of the Battle of Big Bethel, Yorktown, and Seven Pines, leading historians today to believe that he was an unused asset of the Confederate Army, that could have added in strategic advances into the North. However, the political controversy around him made this unlikely to happen. The main issue that happened between Bragg and Hill, is that Hill wanted to pursue the recently defeated Union soldiers, thinking then was the time, but Bragg gave it no second thought, and remained in the South.
"Daniel Harvey Hill Biography." The American Civil War Home Page. Web. 06 Dec. 2009..
"General Daniel Hill." Web. 06 Dec. 2009..
Ambrose Burnside
Although General Ambrose Burnside was not a Confederate, but a Union General, he still played a pivotal role in the state’s history of the time. In fact, it from his mutton chops that the word sideburns comes from. Some of the most important objectives of the union army were achieved through this man. It is interesting to look at something through the perspective that would not normally be linked with it. The campaign lasted all of one year, bust captured many major ports, helping to cut off the Confederates from their outside resources and support. Possibly one of the characters about him that he is most famous for, despite his remarkable facial hair, his is true inability to control men, mostly linked to a lack of experience. Luckily for him, and unluckily for the North Carolinians, this trait did not become evident until later campaigns in Virginia. At the battle of Roanoke, he managed to take part in one of the most important battles of the North Carolina Campaign. The body of water surrounding it was the largest body of water in the inter-coastal waterway (the area of shallow water between the mainland and the outer banks). This directly connected to the northern ports of North Carolina, as well as indirectly impeded the shipment of goods from the major southern ports.
Barrett, John G. "Sherman's Carolina campaign: February-March 1865." The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1998. 405+. General OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .
General Braxton Bragg
General Braxton Bragg was a famous general from North Carolina that actually saw much of his Civil War action outside of the state, but still left a noticeable influence behind. In fact, Fort Bragg, one of the country’s largest military forts, is today stationing the 82nd Airborne. Tennessee was one of his most frequent areas of campaign, along with other border states, including Kentucky. At first beginning in the New Orleans, Louisiana militia, he soon went up the ranks of the Confederate Army to become a general. He spent much of his time in Pensacola, Florida, where he gained control of his own army (aptly named the Pensacola Army), where his main responsibility was to install discipline. He later was put in control of the army of Mississippi as other generals began to die during major conflicts, until he was General of the Tennessee Army, ending his gain in power. He soon began to take control of Tennessee through numerous battles, including one in which he captured 5,000 union soldiers. This gathered fame soon ended once he decided to invade Kentucky, which later became known as a military blunder for the Confederacy. Despite bringing union troops out of the general area, it ended up not being worth the total expense.
North Carolina: December 1864-February 1865." The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1998. 401+. General OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=mlin_n_merhs.
Henry Toole Clark
Henry T. Clark was the governor of North Carolina during some of the most climactic years of the Civil War. He ran as a democrat, yet was never actually elected. He was speaker of the North Carolina Senate, and when the previous governor died, he took his position, soon after North Carolina succeeded after the Battle of Fort Sumter. The state is known for having lost the most soldiers in all the war, and Clark is considered responsible for this as well as the mentality of the state at the time for trying to contribute as much as possible to the southern cause, despite the relatively mall amount of battles actually fought in North Carolina. Important to the foreign relations of the Confederacy, he exported many good to countries such as England to raise money for the effort, as well setting up more long-term trade agreements. By 1862, he had retired, although without leaving his mark, making him an important character in the history of the Civil War. Clark was part of an elite ruling class of the South, gained through the power held in his many acres of plantation lands and many slaves. This economic power made him and his family quite conservative.
"North Carolina History Project : Henry Toole Clark." North Carolina History Project : Encyclopedia. Web. 06 Dec. 2009.
Daniel Harvey Hill
Hill was an accomplished general who went to West Point in upstate New York. Despite being born in South Carolina, he spent much of his career in North Carolina. He saw his first action in the Mexican American War, where he became well known for his ability to command. He soon became a general afterward, and was put under General Bragg, where he made his first political enemies. He viewed Bragg as incompetent and unable to make good decisions that would benefit the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis was a good friend with Bragg, and this created a feeling of resentment between the two. He was soon let off from his position, and led a group of volunteers on the coast of the Carolinas, where he sat out the war. His legacy consisted of the Battle of Big Bethel, Yorktown, and Seven Pines, leading historians today to believe that he was an unused asset of the Confederate Army, that could have added in strategic advances into the North. However, the political controversy around him made this unlikely to happen. The main issue that happened between Bragg and Hill, is that Hill wanted to pursue the recently defeated Union soldiers, thinking then was the time, but Bragg gave it no second thought, and remained in the South.
"Daniel Harvey Hill Biography." The American Civil War Home Page. Web. 06 Dec. 2009.
"General Daniel Hill." Web. 06 Dec. 2009.
Ambrose Burnside
Although General Ambrose Burnside was not a Confederate, but a Union General, he still played a pivotal role in the state’s history of the time. In fact, it from his mutton chops that the word sideburns comes from. Some of the most important objectives of the union army were achieved through this man. It is interesting to look at something through the perspective that would not normally be linked with it. The campaign lasted all of one year, bust captured many major ports, helping to cut off the Confederates from their outside resources and support. Possibly one of the characters about him that he is most famous for, despite his remarkable facial hair, his is true inability to control men, mostly linked to a lack of experience. Luckily for him, and unluckily for the North Carolinians, this trait did not become evident until later campaigns in Virginia. At the battle of Roanoke, he managed to take part in one of the most important battles of the North Carolina Campaign. The body of water surrounding it was the largest body of water in the inter-coastal waterway (the area of shallow water between the mainland and the outer banks). This directly connected to the northern ports of North Carolina, as well as indirectly impeded the shipment of goods from the major southern ports.
Barrett, John G. "Sherman's Carolina campaign: February-March 1865." The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1998. 405+. General OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .
General Braxton Bragg
General Braxton Bragg was a famous general from North Carolina that actually saw much of his Civil War action outside of the state, but still left a noticeable influence behind. In fact, Fort Bragg, one of the country’s largest military forts, is today stationing the 82nd Airborne. Tennessee was one of his most frequent areas of campaign, along with other border states, including Kentucky. At first beginning in the New Orleans, Louisiana militia, he soon went up the ranks of the Confederate Army to become a general. He spent much of his time in Pensacola, Florida, where he gained control of his own army (aptly named the Pensacola Army), where his main responsibility was to install discipline. He later was put in control of the army of Mississippi as other generals began to die during major conflicts, until he was General of the Tennessee Army, ending his gain in power. He soon began to take control of Tennessee through numerous battles, including one in which he captured 5,000 union soldiers. This gathered fame soon ended once he decided to invade Kentucky, which later became known as a military blunder for the Confederacy. Despite bringing union troops out of the general area, it ended up not being worth the total expense.
North Carolina: December 1864-February 1865." The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1998. 401+. General OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=mlin_n_merhs.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Online Database homework
E-books
- "American Tobacco Company." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1999. 41-42. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. MANCHESTER ESSEX SR HIGH SCHOOL. 1 Dec. 2009 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=mlin_n_merhs.
- "Civil War, Economic Causes of (Issue)." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1999. 175-178. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. MANCHESTER ESSEX SR HIGH SCHOOL. 1 Dec. 2009 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=mlin_n_merhs.
Info Track
- "Vance, Zebulon Baird (1830-1894)." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Thomson Gale, 1998. General OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=mlin_n_merhs.
- Ohls, Gary J. "Fort Fisher: amphibious victory in the American Civil War." Naval War College Review Autumn 2006: 81+. General OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=mlin_n_merhs.
- Fort Fisher." The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. Columbia University Press, 2000. 14093. General OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=mlin_n_merhs.
- North Carolina: December 1864-February 1865." The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1998. 401+. General OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=mlin_n_merhs.
- Barrett, John G. "Sherman's Carolina campaign: February-March 1865." The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1998. 405+. General OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2009.
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