Comments on: A story about Henry Berry Lowry/Lowrie, “a free man of color” in the Civil War

By: cenantua

cenantua — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:27:08 +0000

Hi Jeffrey, Thanks for commenting. I’d be curious to hear how the story was passed down through the family, if you would like to share. – Best, Robert

By: jeffrey

jeffrey — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:56:15 +0000

i am a direct desendent of henry berry lowry if u would like to ask any questions e-mail me

By: jeremy long

jeremy long — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:53:50 +0000

youre right i did…sorry. I do find it confusing sometimes.

By: cenantua

cenantua — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:28:01 +0000

Mr. Long,

Thank you for taking the time to comment, but I think you missed the point of my post. My objective was to show yet another Southern perspective of the Civil War, atypical of that so frequently remembered.

By: Jeremy Long

Jeremy Long — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:57:46 +0000

I am related to a murder victim of the Lowery Gang. His story is parallel to that of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, only he was not successful in his efforts bring in HBL or hide the fact that before the civil war he was known to associate with the lowery brothers, Andrew Strong and other local mulattos his age. His name was John Taylor. Accounts of his hunt for the Lowery gang and association with the rich, white effort are described in Mary Norments book and George Alfted Townsends romantic account of the story. There’s alot more in newspapers and random legal documents too. When I was a eight my dad took me to see Strike at the Wind. I had no idea I had relation in this story, but I was easily entertained and remembered it in detail. A couple of years later I was fed some interesting facts by grandpa during one of our local history talks which I constantly initiated with him about Grandmas side of the family being related to a significant character in the story of HBL. A few minutes in the attic and
I had in my hands a 1906 copy of Mary C. Norments paperback. Not following his advice and tactfully attempting to question my grandmother and her sister about it, my interest was immediately scorned and questions were responded to with claims of plausible denial. My dad sat me down after I complained to him and then told me of his failed attempts to learn more and that we werent the only ones. He told me that sometime in the first years of the 70’s my grandmother and her sister were contacted by historians interested in details, family rumors, and the gravesite of John Taylor. They were told that whatever they were looking for was not around here and that they were not related to the Taylors they spoke of. Even when presented with accurate connections of their grandmother to John Taylor himself they persuaded the professor that the history of John Taylor was lost and he wasnt going to get any cooperation from them. I dont know for sure if Adolf Dial sat in my grandmothers house in Rieglewood, NC around 1970 something, fishing for details to complete his audio research project. But I have read over the documentation and heard random interviews and I remember seeing a small list of people including J. Taylor and some others were left blank and left to a dead end. What a shame. I was born too late and my dad was on his honeymoon. Once again fear has successfully projected exteme sides to history rather than expose a more intimate, realistic account of human nature. Political history is so easy to write about and debate. Black or white, north or south, rich or poor. Once grew up and out of school and quit studying history just to get an A. My eyes and perception of yesterday seemed to credit and question things that extreme politcal and historical accounts obliviously debate around and above. In a nation that seems to be so one way or another, if you look close enough and beyond pen and paper you might see that most people were to poor and hungry to take a side and when the rest of the aristocrats and fighters of the cause, and rebellious militia, and repressed gangs of vengance were fighting their battles, the rest of the god fearing, hard working families worked together and shared mules, and farm help, and obviously socially, and sexually mixed. I never read or hear about those stories beyond the old timers of my area that I grew up listening to. For some reason their stories are easily discredited in the world of educated historians. It confuses me to read all the debates about the unscathed, pure blood origin of Lumbees. So focused are these debates, and so detailed in different theories, that somewhere in the search for truth, research and speculation is driven by an ego to separate and establish pride in being different. Im still waiting for the genetics hound that acknowledges who Lake Waccamaw was named after and what tribe they were. I realize i wasnt around back then and who am I to judge or credit but im just sayin….or askin…..nobody ever includes the good people of Buckhead, St. James, or Council. And even less, East Arcadia in their theories or debates. These towns have an untapped, less politcally smeared source of information that may not yield what some people are passionately trying to prove. But it just might echo the voices and true stories of good people that were all the same in someways. In a post civil war enviornment the most radical change was unity down here. Hey when youre poor and everybody lived on the same dirt road and harvested food from the same Cape Fear lowland you tend to realize that being poor is your race. Money proves to be the oppressive race in our history. Poor people down here engaged in the most racical, underated movement you could attempt since the country was founded. And the same fear that tried to hide and stop it and keep different blood pure was the same fear that shamed families from telling the truth forces us to embrace easy street, political history. Most of us are mixed, even europeans are mixed. And though I have no cite Im just gonna say with confidence that Tuscaroas, Cheraws, Blacks, Whites, and more were just as mixed then as they are now. Its easy to try to discredit Lumbee as pure blood citizen. Just tilt your head and take a breath and maybe you will see that a Lumbee is more special and unique than any one race could ever hope to claim. Be careful anyone who entertains mockery towards the Lumbee name. You could be mocking the teachings of a certain Jesus Christ who you may or may not worship, or even worse the gene pool of the people that will eventually wipe separatism from the face of the earth….maybe. I guess we just wait and see.

By: mojo

mojo — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:24:11 +0000

when was Henry Berry Lowry born???

By: Sherree Tannen

Sherree Tannen — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:08:08 +0000

Robert,

Yes. I will email the essay to you. Also, it is important to remember that the essay is contained in a book of essays about racial atrocities committed primarily by Confederate troops. The overall focus of the book is to highlight that racial atrocities did, in fact, occur and were committed by the Confederate army. But, this author cites this information as well, in an attempt to reach a broader understanding of the role race played in the war. It is an excellent essay. (As far as the churches go, I am not sure if they were in the North or the South.) Sherree

By: cenantua

cenantua — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:09:54 +0000

Sherree, Incidentally, can you provide the account and source of that situation with Union soldiers and black churches in the South? I’d like to have it here as a reference point.

By: cenantua

cenantua — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:55 +0000

Thanks for commenting Sherree. I think you make an excellent point. There is a lot to consider and we can’t just pick and choose what makes one argument better than another. We have to consider all the history and lay it out on the table. Only then will we begin to grasp the larger issues at hand. I think this reinforces the need to look at the war from the “bottom up,” or people first.

By: Sherree Tannen

Sherree Tannen — Fri, 01 May 2009 07:51:48 +0000

Excellent post, Robert.

Last year, a student of Lumbee descent, Corey Bird, was, at first, denied the right to wear his eagle feathers to graduation. The Native American Rights Fund and the ACLU wrote letters to the school board expressing concern that Corey’s rights were being violated. One of my Indigenous friends asked me to participate, with many others, in writing a letter of support. The letter writing campaign and sustained efforts of NARF were successful, and Corey wore his eagle feathers. This issue highlighted for me the lack of understanding between white and Indigenous communities. The school’s policy did not allow students to wear anything attached to cap and gown for a number of reasons. One of the reasons cited was that gang members abused the privilege. That is understandable. Yet, this did not apply to Corey Bird, at all. There was a fundamental lack of understanding of Indigenous culture. The eagle feathers connected Corey to his ancestors. Happily, this instance of inter-cultural misunderstanding ended favorably.

It is a cliche, but it is true. We can’t understand where we are, or where we are going, until we know where we have been. Apparently men of color were forced into service in both the South and the North. While researching another topic, I came upon a reference by reputable scholars indicating that Union construction gangs sometimes surrounded black churches on Sundays and forced men into service. I had quite a different picture of the North. I know that this was not the norm; but I did not know it happened at all. Now, if this was done in the North, what do think happened in the South, in which the institution of slavery was at its height? My problem with the sectional labels is that they are so divisive. It is truly time to open up full dialogue in which all aspects of the Civil War are discussed. Yes, Henry Berry Lowry and the Lumbee should be commemorated and honored, and their descendants should have their full and active rights restored in modern society–as should all of the other forgotten men and women buried by history. Thanks, Robert.