Browsing All Posts filed under »Southern Unionism«

On Thomas Nast’s 176th Birthday

September 27, 2016 by

0

It’s his art and the way he could say so much in it, with so few words. That’s why I take time to remember Thomas Nast on his 176th birthday… and the fact that Facebook reminded me that, for whatever reason that compelled me at the time, I paid tribute to him on his birthday, back in […]

A decade of Southern Unionist studies

September 19, 2016 by

2

After receiving a comment last night on a recent post, and while driving into work this morning, I realized that, for over a decade, I’ve been involved in the study of Southern Unionists in the Shenandoah Valley. It was ten years ago this fall when I started writing my thesis on Southern Unionism and disaffected […]

“I’ve got through crying long ago” – a refugee from the Shenandoah

September 13, 2016 by

5

A few months ago, I came across an old sketch on Ebay showing a woman and her children above the title “Flight from the Shenandoah Valley”. Wanting to know the source, I found it in the Pictorial Book of Anecdotes and Incidents of the War of the Rebellion, by Richard Miller Devens (1824-1900). While there […]

A year after Appomattox – the Hagerstown mayoral election, Unionism, and the continued “Negro question”

April 9, 2016 by

1

Looking among the archives of Hagerstown newspapers this week, I took time to pay particular attention to anything found from 150 years ago. In an editorial in the Herald and Torch Light (Hagerstown), of April 18, 1866, I ran across an interesting piece discussing the mayoral election, candidates, loyalty, and Union. At the center of […]

Revising a revised version of Maryland’s state song

March 27, 2016 by

0

If you haven’t seen it yet, there’s an interesting article on History New Network, today, regarding the latest changes to Maryland’s state song. I’ve followed the news about the efforts, and frankly, I’m 1) surprised on the “memory” (in the legislative body) of versions going back only to 1939 (and, seemingly skipping all the years […]

Northern aid to the Shenandoah Valley (1865)

March 2, 2016 by

0

  Scanning through some (relatively) local postwar newspapers, I ran across the mention of a relief society for the Shenandoah Valley… that’s right, Northern aid for civilians of the Shenandoah Valley in the wake of “The Burning”. The only article (in Hagerstown’s Herald and Torch) available to me via newspaper.com, about this society, dated to […]

A recent acquisition with ties to a Virginia Unionist

November 1, 2015 by

1

Though I usually limit myself to collecting titles written by residents of the Shenandoah Valley during the antebellum period, or those focused on the antebellum Shenandoah written after the fact by those who lived it, I do stray from that path from time to time. In one such instance, not too terribly long ago, I […]

The Confederate Flag… what some people seem to fail to realize

July 13, 2015 by

16

I’m going to go off topic for just a bit… Still sitting back, watching all that’s taking place… Anyway, I drove down a long country back road in the Shenandoah Valley yesterday. It’s not unusual to see an occasional Confederate flag… not at all. Before mid-June, you’d zip past it in a car and might not […]

Consider, for example, an unwelcome army on your doorstep…

July 2, 2015 by

10

Think about it. When was the last time your government threatened to deploy the military of your government to your neck of the woods. Of course, I’m not talking about a simple military exercise, but a full-blown deployment set on silencing what appeared to be… for better or worse, whether you were in agreement with it […]

A Southern Unionist goes home, pt. 2.

June 17, 2015 by

1

Continuing with Porte Crayon’s “Home”… but first, as mentioned in the blog post on Tuesday, keep in mind that Crayon (David Hunter Strother) lays out a story that differs from his actual experiences of returning home to Martinsburg and then later, Berkeley Springs. Still, one has to wonder where reality might intersect with fiction. We […]

A Southern Unionist goes home.

June 16, 2015 by

1

By far, one of my favorite blogging experiences of the Sesqui was posting David Hunter Strother’s accounts of the early war (before he joined the Union army), in real time. It should be no surprise, therefore, that I often find myself returning to Strother for the rich content he left behind. Interestingly, in addition to […]

Present for the last gasps… on the 150th of Five Forks

April 1, 2015 by

1

I thought about how this post might come together, and I think my reflections are on both the meaning of the day, and on the manner in which I’ve taken-in a lot of the Sesqui. So… … it was on this day, 150 years ago that the Army of Northern Virginia suffered a critical defeat […]

“Marion Harland’s” Civil War

December 27, 2014 by

1

Though not a Shenandoah Valley author, Mary Virginia Hawes Terhune (aka… “Marion Harland”) is still someone who caught my attention. Yes… Virginia-born, but… she comes with a particular twist when dealing with the Civil War. Here’s what the entry in Encyclopedia Virginia has to say about her and the war… Harland’s novels were written over […]

Charles T. O’Ferrall remembers the trial of Southern Unionist, Col. John Strother

December 8, 2014 by

0

Something I ran across again, just recently… and, a pleasant “revisit” of a couple of my favorite topics (Southern Unionism and David Hunter Strother). As some may recall, I have mentioned the incident relating to the capture and trial of Col. John Strother in a previous post… as remembered by his son, David Hunter Strother. No […]

Thinking about the Sesqui of Strother’s farewell from the army

August 9, 2014 by

1

Around 1:30 p.m. (I’m almost to the very minute when posting this), 150 years ago on this day, David Hunter Strother boarded a train at Harper’s Ferry, bound for Baltimore. He was just taking 20 days leave of absence… but ultimately, it sure appears as if he had had his fill of war. Was it […]

Dissecting a battlefield: on the Sesquicentenial of the Battle of Cool Spring

July 19, 2014 by

0

I attended the first half of the Sesqui commemorative tour at Cool Spring yesterday… and a well-attended event it was (see Craig’s post about it, here). While I enjoyed hearing about the battle that unfolded along the Shenandoah River, I have to say… the infatuation I have with the cultural (pre-war and wartime) settings of […]

Valley men rush to the defense of… Washington?

July 8, 2014 by

4

This past weekend, I spent a little time enjoying the “Invasion Stalled” program at Harper’s Ferry. While it did indeed stall… Gen. Jubal Early bypassed Harper’s Ferry, and continued his press toward Washington. Gen. Ulysses Grant, however, didn’t hesitate, and by July 6 had dispatched more troops to deal with Early’s advance. Those extra troops […]

Strother and the 1st New York Cavalry on African-American Conscripts in Winchester

June 14, 2014 by

2

I’ve been enjoying myself much this morning by reading through David Hunter Strother’s coverage of events from March to June 1864. Whenever I read Strother, I’m never disappointed at his observations and what he is thinking. That said, I’m pretty sure if I actually had the opportunity, this guy would be at the top of […]

“Porte Crayon” in Harrisonburg, June 2, 1864

June 2, 2014 by

1

It’s been an extraordinarily busy past few months, and postings here have suffered mightily for it. That said, last night I happened to “catch-up” with David Hunter Strother, as the Federal army advanced up the Shenandoah Valley toward Staunton. As of June 2, Strother awoke (near New Market) to find his “fine bay horse” gone… […]

Confederate deserters… gone bad: Shenandoah, January, 1864.

January 30, 2014 by

0

A little something to consider, regarding how some Confederates had turned lawless, even by this time, 150 years ago, in the Shenandoah Valley. From the Daily Dispatch (Richmond), January 25, 1864: Along the Shenandoah river, in Jefferson and Clarke counties, a regular band of robbers has been organized, composed of deserters from our army. This […]

“Poor deluded African, he leaves his kind Master…”

January 29, 2014 by

2

Note: The post got ahead of me, just a bit. Prior to posting this I planned to add one more comment… which I’ve since added at the end of this post. From page 1, column 2 of Staunton’s Republican Vindicator, January 29, 1864: We have been informed by a gentleman who has lately returned from Winchester […]

A day after [the official] Lee-Jackson Day… reflections on Jackson

January 18, 2014 by

9

There are, obviously, varying opinions of Lee-Jackson Day. It’s not my intent to field all of those opinions, here, in this post. Rather, for me, I found yesterday’s awareness of the observation, a chance to reflect. It wasn’t Lee, however, who held my attention, but Jackson. For that matter, it wasn’t the time in Jackson’s […]

Some shots from yesterday’s Loudoun Heights Sesqui Event

January 12, 2014 by

4

I greatly enjoyed the chance, yesterday, to be part of the Loudoun Heights 150th commemorative event. It was nice to speak about my perspective, as a relative of two of Cole’s men… and I was glad to share the experience with one other descendant (friend, Mark Dudrow) of one of Cole’s men (Abraham Dern), who […]

Tomorrow’s Loudoun Heights Sesquicentennial event

January 10, 2014 by

2

Though the 150th anniversary of Loudoun Heights is today… the actual commemorative event takes place tomorrow, January 11, 2014. As I’m related to two of Cole’s men (distant granduncle, Joseph Lake McKinney, and cousin James Draper Moore), I’m particularly honored to be a part of the event. I am slated to speak, for about 15 minutes, about the […]

The Civil War, “Puritan influence” and Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America”

December 30, 2013 by

21

First, I sincerely hope everyone had a pleasant Christmas and holiday season. I meant to post prior to Christmas, but time got away from me. So, back at it, then… This is a different sort of post, but… I’m in a discussion elsewhere, and this is the result. I’ve heard, on more than one occasion, where […]

The reach of religion in the Shenandoah Valley in 1860

September 15, 2013 by

3

In part, my interest in looking into churches in the Shenandoah Valley is to see if there is any connection to the literacy rate. I’m also curious how the denominations reflect anything that may help me further in my understanding of Southern Unionism in the Valley. Though I don’t think I have anything that gives […]

Another assist to Southern Unionists, under the Bowman and Tucker Acts

September 13, 2013 by

1

I’ll get back to my current run on the discussion of literacy and literature in the antebellum Shenandoah Valley, but, as I promised… still having a deep and dedicated interest in Southern Unionism…  I know I’ve mentioned it before, that though a Southern Loyalist Claim might be barred or disallowed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it […]

Following-up on the panel dicussion on the Legacy of the American Civil War, at the Library of Virginia

August 24, 2013 by

3

Finally getting around to posting about it, but I had a great time at the panel held at the Library of Virginia. For those who weren’t able to make it, check out the video below. There were some great folks on the panel, who shared their perspectives, and gave me time to think more about […]

Legacy lost – Valley men of the 54th Massachusetts at Wagner

July 17, 2013 by

4

Tomorrow marks the day made famous by the movie Glory. It might be that we are only truly aware of it, on a larger scale, because of the movie (update: Craig’s got an excellent piece on the fight… and a word to the wise, just in case the movie made you think otherwise… the 54th wasn’t the […]

Who was this Capt. Summers who fell at White House Farm?

July 9, 2013 by

8

I first encountered a reference to Capt. Summers (see yesterday’s post in which I mention his death) when I was looking into the names of the different G.A.R. posts in this general area. It so happens that George D. Summers Post No. 13 was out of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. There is, by the way, […]

Creative Commons License
Cenantua's Blog ©
by Robert H. Moore, II
is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at www.cenantua.wordpress.com. For more information about citing this blog, please see "How to cite this site".

Archives

Categories

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 482 other subscribers

Blog stats, since February 2008

  • 410,250 hits
Blog at WordPress.com.