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Western North Carolina: American Civil War History
"A great majority of the
people were poor and had no interest in slavery, present or prospective. But most of them had little mountain homes and,
be it ever so humble, there is no place like home...but when the Federal army occupied East Tennessee and threatened
North Carolina..." Lt. Col. William W. Stringfield: Histories of the Several Regiments and Battalions from North Carolina in the Great War 1861-'65, Vol., 3, p.
734.
"The
Cumberland Gap is the Gibraltar of America," General Ulysses S. Grant in January 1864
Western North Carolina proved invaluable in the defense of the vital and strategic Saltworks and railroads. For example, while guarding the Strawberry Plains
Bridge, the Thomas Legion's Private James Keelan was posthumously awarded the rare Confederate Medal of Honor. The Western North Carolina mountains were also in striking distance of several major battles, and, during the Civil War, it was
a refuge for bushwhackers, deserters and outlaws.
During the 1864 Valley Campaigns, General Jubal Early's Army of the Valley absorbed the majority
of the Department of East Tennessee and Western District of North Carolina (aka District of Western North Carolina). By transferring
the bulk of both commands into the Shenandoah Valley, it allowed bushwhackers to plunder Southern Appalachia. The
ruthless Shelton Laurel Massacre epitomized the region's lawlessness and anarchy, while Captain Goldman Bryson's Union Volunteers reflected the region's divided loyalties.
Regarding the mountains, William Holland Thomas,
a Cherokee chief, Confederate colonel, and senator, had an outstanding War Strategy; however, the war's
demands and political infighting nullified Thomas's
strategy. Regarding the defense of the region, Confederate President Jefferson Davis wrote an official letter of confidence in Thomas' Legion (January 4, 1865). However, by 1865, it was too late because Union General George Stoneman enjoyed a series of fierce raids, known as Stoneman's Raid, through the mountains.
During the conflict, Western North Carolina was in striking distance of Georgia, East Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia. In
1861, depending on which cartographic map you study, it included 20 or 21 western counties (see North Carolina Maps). In 1861, however, there were 21 mountain counties, and 71% of North Carolina's slave population resided in the Coastal Plain Region, with the Southern Appalachian Mountains considered the poorest of the three North Carolina Regions.
Many East Tennesseans also served
in Western North Carolina regiments. As border states, the two Regions reflected many similarities: East Tennessee was the poorest of Tennessee's three Regions; within Tennessee, East Tennessee possessed the least
amount of slaves; both were rugged mountainous Regions; both Regions experienced lawlessness and anarchy during the Civil
War; and they experienced many battles and skirmishes against the same Union commands.
Divided loyalties in the
regions had no boundaries and during the aftermath spawned feuds which would last for
decades. According to John L. Ransom, Andersonville Diary (1881), pp. 20-21, Madame Collier was a federal
soldier from East Tennessee who enjoyed army life until her capture and subsequent
imprisonment at Belle Isle, Virginia. She decided to make the most of the difficult situation and continued concealing
her gender, hoping for exchange. Another prisoner learned her secret and reported it to Confederate authorities, who sent
her North under a flag of truce.
1860 Western North Carolina Census Data
(North Carolina comprised 86 counties in 1860; presently there are 100 counties)
Western
North Carolina comprised 18 counties in 1860. In 1861, however, it added 3 "mountain counties." Although created
after the 1860 census, the 3 newly formed mountain counties were carved from existing counties so they had
no impact on the 1860 population.
The
3 newly formed counties in 1861:
Clay
County (formed from part of Cherokee County), Mitchell County (formed from parts of Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Watauga, and
Yancey counties), and Transylvania County (formed from parts of Henderson County and Jackson County).
Sources: University of Virginia Library; United States Census
|
County |
Total Pop.
|
White |
Free
Blacks |
Slaves |
|
Alleghany |
3590
|
3351 |
33 |
206 |
|
Ashe |
7956
|
7423 |
142
|
391 |
|
Buncombe |
12654 |
10610 |
111
|
1933 |
|
Burke |
9237
|
6645 |
221
|
2371 |
|
Caldwell |
7497
|
6295 |
114
|
1088 |
|
Cherokee* |
9166
|
8609 |
38 |
519 |
|
Haywood |
5801
|
5474 |
14
|
313 |
|
Henderson |
10448
|
8981 |
85
|
1382 |
|
Jackson** |
5515
|
4179 |
6
|
268 |
|
Macon* |
6004 |
5370 |
115 |
519 |
|
Madison
|
5908 |
5678 |
17 |
213 |
|
McDowell |
7120 |
5542 |
273 |
1305 |
|
Polk* |
4043 |
3317 |
106 |
620 |
|
Rutherford |
11573 |
9059 |
123 |
2391 |
|
Surry |
10380 |
8950 |
184 |
1246 |
|
Watauga |
4957
|
4772 |
81 |
104 |
|
Wilkes |
14749 |
13280 |
261 |
1208 |
|
Yancey |
8655 |
8226 |
67 |
362 | Total 145,253** 125,761
1,991 16,439
* The 1860 census does not include the Cherokees in Cherokee,
Macon, and Polk counties. In 1860, however, additional census records reflect 26 Cherokees in Cherokee County, 55 Cherokees in Macon County, and 5 Cherokees in Polk County.
** The 1860 census includes the 1062 Cherokees in Jackson County.
Advance to:
Recommended Reading: Bushwhackers, The Civil War in North Carolina: The
Mountains (338 pages). Description: Trotter's book (which could have been titled "Murder, Mayhem, and Mountain Madness") is an epic backdrop
for the most horrific murdering, plundering and pillaging of the mountain communities of western North Carolina during the
state’s darkest hour—the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as Southern Appalachia, the North
Carolina and East Tennessee mountains witnessed divided loyalties in its bushwhackers
and guerrilla units. These so-called “bushwhackers” even used the conflict to settle old feuds and scores, which,
in some cases, continued well after the war ended. Continued below...
Some bushwhackers
were highly organized ‘fighting guerrilla units’ while others were a motley group of deserters and outliers,
and, since most of them were residents of the region, they were familiar with the terrain and made for a “very formidable
foe.” In this work, Trotter does a great job on covering the many facets of the bushwhackers, including their: battles,
skirmishes, raids, activities, motives, the outcome, and even the aftermath. This book is also a great source for tracing
ancestors during the Civil War; a must have for the family researcher of Southern Appalachia. "[T]he historical events that transpired in the region are brought
to life in this study."
Recommended
Reading:
Touring the Western North Carolina Backroads (Touring the Backroads). Editorial Review: This guidebook, unlike most, is so encyclopedic in scope that I give it as a gift to newcomers
to the area. It is also an invaluable reference for the visitor who wants to see more than the fabulous Biltmore Estate. Even
though I am a native of the area, I learned nearly everything I know about Western North Carolina
from this book alone and it is my primary reference. I am still amazed at how much fact, history and folklore [just enough
to bring alive the curve of the road, the odd landmark, the abandoned building] is packed in its 300 pages. The author, who
must have collapsed from exhaustion when she finished it, takes you on a detailed tour, laid out by the tenth of the mile,
of carefully drawn sections of backroads that you can follow leisurely without getting lost. Continued below...
The author
is completely absent from the text. The lucid style will please readers who want the facts, not editorial comment. This book,
as well as the others in this publisher's backroads series, makes an excellent gift for anyone, especially the many seniors
who have relocated, or are considering relocating to this fascinating region. It is also a valuable reference for natives.
Recommended Reading:
The Civil War in North Carolina:
Soldiers' and Civilians' Letters and Diaries, 1861-1865. Volume 2: The Mountains (Civil War in North Carolina) (Hardcover). Description: As with The Civil War in North Carolina: Soldiers' and Civilians' Letters
and Diaries, 1861-1865. Vol. 1: The Piedmont, this work presents letters and diary entries (and a few other documents) that tell the experiences of soldiers and
civilians from the mountain counties of North Carolina during
the Civil War. The counties included are Alleghany, Ashe, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee,
Clay, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon,
Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Transylvania,
Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey. The book is arranged chronologically, 1861 through 1865. Before each letter or diary entry, background
information is provided about the writer. Continued below...
The Civil War
in North Carolina: Soldiers'
and Civilians' Letters and Diaries, 1861-1865 (Volume 2): The Mountains, is the soldier's story. It is an A-to-Z compilation
of what the "rank and file soldier" experienced during the American Civil War. The Western
North Carolina soldiers express their hearts to their loved ones and friends, thus allowing the reader
the most intimate and personal view of the war. From triumph to tragedy, the "soldiers' letters" express what few authors
or writers can achieve--realism. According to cartographic and demographic studies, Southern
Appalachia comprised a unique indigenous people, and by isolating these rare letters it allows the
reader the most detailed insight to their experiences. The soldier experienced various traumatic stressors in the conflict:
such as witnessing death or dismemberment, handling dead bodies, traumatic loss of comrades, realizing imminent death, killing
others and being helpless to prevent others' deaths. Plain, raw and to the point: The
reader will witness the most detailed insight to the so-called American Civil War. Intimate and personal: diseases, privation,
wounds, loneliness, exhaustion, heartache, and death are all explored. This book includes a lot of information about: Western North Carolina Civil
War History (North Carolina mountain troops), soldiers' photos (some
tintype photographs too), and rare pictures. For example, on page 143, there is a photo of Gov. Zeb Vance's brother,
Robert, at Fort Delaware Prisoner of War Camp; he had been captured by Pennsylvania cavalry in East Tennessee. You may see
a rare photo or letter of an ancestor. The maps, which reflect the region, have keys which place each regiment
to each respective western county (where the troops were raised). The soldiers - collectively - also
present a detailed North Carolina Civil War History. By reading the letters, you will easily form a timeline that is
filled with first-hand facts. To be very candid, it is not only filled with primary accounts of the war, but it is one
of the best books to read about the war...Creates an indispensable historical timeline of events of the brave
men from the Old North State.
Editor's Picks for
Western North Carolina American Civil War History; The Mountains of North Carolina - Southern Appalachia - and the
American Civil War
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