On the road

The first two weeks of this month were not that busy. That's going to change starting tomorrow. I look forward to seeing you around!

May 20 - Taylorsville, NC. Rocky Face Rangers Camp, SCV. 7:00 pm

May 23 - Charlotte, NC Central Piedmont Civil War Round Table. 7:00 pm

May 27 - Petersburg, VA  Blandford Church Cemetery, Petersburg, VA 3:00 pm

May 27  - Suffolk, VA Tom Smith Camp, SCV 6:00 pm

May 28 - Roanoke, VA Fincastle Rifles Camp, SCV 6:00 pm.

An Environmental History of Watauga County and the Civil War.

Ok, that is a very lofty title. The idea is based upon a project being developed by a couple of my friends from Appalachian State University. Of course, I am not working on an Environmental History of the War. I am just writing about the Watauga County and the War, and the shared experiences of the people who lived in the area in the 1860s.

But then again, it would be relevant to include more information about how the environment influenced the war within the confines of the county. That, however, is quite a challenge. The closest newspaper to the area would either be the newspapers in Salem or Statesville or Asheville.  If you have ever spent time in the High Country of North Carolina, the weather in Statesville is nothing like the weather in Boone. To go a step further, the weather one county away, say in Lenoir in Caldwell County, is often nothing like what it is on the west side of the Crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Even the weather within a county is different. There are some portions of the county where snow accumulates to greater depth than in other parts. Or, to probably say it a little more scientifically, there are several different microclimates with the confines of one county.

My references are (as of right now) limited to these:

While none of these actually mentions Watauga County, there are several references to a drought to Ashe and Wilkes County in 1862. This was an event that affected at least much of the eastern US/CS - I've seen references to drought conditions as far away as Ohio in 1862.

There was a report of snow in the mountains of western North Carolina on October 25, 1862. (see Weekly Standard 5 November 1862.)

And, John Preston Arthur, in his history of Western North Carolina, writes that "there was frost in every month" in 1863.

So that is all that I have. I do not have a diary from Watauga County discussing daily life with regular notes about weather conditions . I do not have any letters from the home folks to the loved ones back at home.  And no newspaper. Not much to go on, for sure.  

Who is Nelson?

Folks - I've had this article for a very long time, but I do not know just who "Nelson" is. Any clues? This is from the Raleigh Register - August 21, 1861.

The Release of Nelson.

   Tidings have reached this place of a raid on the part of some tories in East Tennessee into Watauga county in this State, and the abduction of several citizens of the county. The object in making this seizure is believed to be to hold persons taken as hostages for the safety of Nelson. As Nelson has been released, we presume the persons abducted will be set at liberty.

Latta Plantation

This past weekend, I had a chance to visit Latta Plantation, in Mecklenburg County, near Huntersville. For whatever reasons, it was my first visit to Latta.

Latta was built ca.1800 by an Irish immigrant, James Latta. During the Civil War years, the property was owned by the Sample family. The house was preserved in the 1970s, was opened to the public in the mid-1970s, and is now a part of the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve.

No, there were no great battles fought on the grounds, nor were there bodies of Confederate generals laid out on the porch. There were several sons of William Sample who joined the 53rd North Carolina Troops. But for the most part, the War passed by Latta Plantation.

But what we do have is a pristine historic site in a fantastic location. According to its web site, "In addition to daily tours, Latta offers 35 special events each year, five themed summer day camps, homeschool programs, workshops, educational field trips, and daily tours year-round. The 12,000 school children that visit the site annually are able to participate in unique interactive historical programming, visit rare and endangered breeds of historic livestock, see the process of growing short-staple cotton first hand, visit our honeybee exhibit, and much more!"

Despite Latta Plantation's importance in both education and tourism, the Mecklenburg County Commissioners are moving to cut funding to the site. In an area already seriously lacking in historically relevant  tourism and educational opportunities, the county wants to cut the one really good site that it has. What's next? Rosedale Plantation? The Mint Museum? The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture? Surly not, you might argue. But remember, history is apparently no longer important.

Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are rich in history: from the Hezekiah Alexander House at the almost-defunct Charlotte Museum of History to the Confederate Naval Complex to the World War I Camp Greene. Yet no one, especially the elected leaders in Mecklenburg County, seems to care.

The one and only bright spot is the Library Walk, which details a fifteen-stop walking tour connected to the Revolutionary War in downtown Charlotte.

No apologies are going to be made for the amount of time that I have spent lately on encouraging you to contact your elected officials and ask them to preserve our history. The funding for Latta Plantation does not need to be cut. Instead, it should be increased.

Also, please consider signing this petition here.

Folks, we are really being shortchanged reagrding our history here in North Carolina. If you do not stand up and fight for it, who will? 

Some stray Watauga County notes...

In writing about the War in Watauga County, it is my goal to include as many details as possible. In the past couple of weeks, I have "uncovered" several little pieces of stories for which finding more information would be great. Does anyone have any additional information on any of these?

 

The first five of these notes came from a small typed manuscript by Roy Weaver entitled "The Civil War in Watauga County." For sources, all of them are simply family interviews.

1. An old cemetery in the Deep Gap community has the grave of a young man by the last name of Black who was killed by the home guard.

2. In the Aho community a man by the name of Hines was shot by the home guard while begging.

3. In the Bamboo community, a man by the name of Harrison was shot and buried on the top of a high ridge.

4. In the Dutch Creek community, a Shoemaker was killed by the home guard,

5. A man named Price was harassed by the home guard because his sons were not in the army. Price fled to the mountains but was captured when he returned for food. He was placed in the jail in Boone, and the following day, a mob took him out and hanged him (or possibly the sons).

 

This account comes from the Watauga County Heritage Volume II:

6. A Mr. Council was jailer when Stoneman's Raid occurred. Someone told Mr. Council that the soldiers were coming, but he paid no attention. [A] man who had been mistreated by Mr. Council told Mr.Council that he would give him five minutes to pray. Mr. Council threw up his hands and prayed "God be merciful." Then the man shot and killed Mr. Council.

 

 Brian Fannon related that

7. There is a story passed down through his family of a man who died and was buried on the edge of the road in the Beech Creek community. This possibly dates to the War years.

 

Sandy Anderson provided this little bit of information:

8. Jim Hartley killed Abram Baird (58th NCT) during the War.

Coming soon to a North Carolina town near you - me.

Ok, so I probably will not make every town this upcoming week, but I will be on the road.

Monday, April 8, 2013 -  Lt. F. C. Frazier Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, High Point - Women's Club, 7:00 pm.

Saturday, April 13, 2013 - Latta Plantation, Huntersville, NC - All Day.

Sunday, April 14, 2013 - Broadwater Genealogical Society of Cleveland County. 3:00 pm. Neal Senior Center, near Shelby.

At the Vance Birthplace

See this photo? It was taken this morning at the Vance Birthplace near Weaverville. The person who recommended closing this state historic site, Secretary Susan Kluttz, of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, is in the back row, behind all of the Tar heel Junior Historians with the signs asking that the Vance Birthplace be saved. If you have not done so, please contact your General Assembly representatives and ask them to save the Vance Birthplace. And, if you have not done so, please sign this petition here.

This photo is from the facebook page of Rep. Nathan Ramsey.