- About me
- Cenantua – What and why?
- Cenantua’s pages (bio sketches & so on)
- Citing… this site
As a Southerner and native of the Shenandoah Valley, I offer reflections on the Civil War-era South… and sometimes a little more. But… expect the unexpected
Browsing All posts tagged under »Southern Unionist«
What does this have to do with the Civil War?
For one… I offer a friendly reminder to consider, again, the title of the blog. It’s not just about the Civil War… it’s more about the area, and, because who I am and because of my interests… yes, it usually comes back to the Civil War, in some way or the other. Nonetheless, I’ve actually […]
The battle for and against Southern Heritage
August 21, 2013 by Robert Moore
There is a struggle that exists (and thrives) that continues to feed misconceptions, and I can’t help but cringe when I hear either argument. There are those who say that they defend Southern Heritage… but that is usually limited to a fraction of the heritage that did, in fact, make up the South. Usually, it’s […]
Ward Hill Lamon, his brother, Robert… and Christian F. Laise
July 24, 2013 by Robert Moore
It might seem that the title implies a connection between all three. Yes, all three can be considered Southern Unionists, but I don’t think Laise had any actual association with the Lamon brothers. Apart from their Southern Unionist leanings, all three had a connection to place… Gerrardstown, West Virginia. That was the focus of my […]
Do the little things matter?
June 8, 2013 by Robert Moore
It My concern in bringing this up might seem trivial to some, but it’s not. I assure you. Just stop for a minute and consider a couple of things… keeping in mind, of course, the Civil War era. When someone is identified as an abolitionist… what do you envision? When someone is identified as being […]
“Favoriting” people in history… responsibly
June 2, 2013 by Robert Moore
Recalling that David Hunter Strother’s memoirs picked-up again (the last entry, just before that, was May 19, 1863) around June 1, 1863, or so, I started this morning (somewhat of a “Sesqui moment”) by flipping to a page in A Virginia Yankee in the Civil War. After campaigning in the deep South, Strother had returned […]
He gave them victories
May 1, 2013 by Robert Moore
May 1, 2013… so begins the Sesqui of the Battle of Chancellorsville. As such, I’ve been thinking… What if Stonewall Jackson lived to command beyond Chancellorsville? Frankly, any forward speculation of his possible performances in battles after Chancellorsville is subject to so many factors that it’s not even funny. As such, forward speculation is a […]
“Missing” Southern Unionists
April 20, 2013 by Robert Moore
Pardon my absence, folks, but in the wake of neck surgery, on Monday, I’ve been recuperating… trying to feel well enough to “get back in the game” in the blog. Despite the time spent recovering, I did take a few ventures (between naps) into online Southern Unionist claims. As such, I’ve discovered… “missing” Southern Unionists. […]
With Copperhead coming… when will there be a movie about divided Southern sentiments?
March 27, 2013 by Robert Moore
I’ve seen several previews for the upcoming movie, Copperhead. While many may be weary of another Ron Maxwell Civil War film, I think the previews are suggesting a step forward/up from Gods & Generals. I would enjoy a chance to see the movie in its entirety, prior to release. That said, however, I can’t help […]
Georgia on my mind… and a different sort of Southern Unionist
January 18, 2013 by Robert Moore
While the Shenandoah Valley is first in my heart among favorite places, Georgia holds a very special place in it as well… specifically, coastal Georgia. That’s where my mind seemed to wonder off this past weekend, as temps here in the Valley teetered between the upper 50s/lower 60s. That’s weather reminiscent of winters in coastal […]
… and, yes… Southern Unionists also charged the stone wall at Fredericksburg.
December 13, 2012 by Robert Moore
I’ll get back to my discussion of the civilian Southern Unionists who lived in and around Fredericksburg. There’s some interesting twists and turns that I’ve come across… not what I was looking for, but… and it may be that posts about some of these folks will span from this month through May. But… today being the 150th […]
Southern Unionists around Fredericksburg
December 8, 2012 by Robert Moore
As Sesqui events kick-off in Fredericksburg this weekend, leading-up to the anniversary of the battle this coming Thursday, I figured this would be a good subject to bring forward at this particular time. In retrospect, it might have been a good thing to do since the beginning of the Sesquicentennial… write short pieces, now and then, in conjunction […]
A larger project in the works
October 25, 2012 by Robert Moore
Obviously, I’ve not been writing a great deal over the past few weeks. For one, I’ve been struggling with a bout of writer’s block. On top of that I’m battling with content… what I want to put in a blog, and what I want to put in a book. Yup, a book is in the […]
John Albert Racer of Page County… Southern Unionist?
September 2, 2012 by Robert Moore
A friend of mine asked me if I thought his ancestor (John Albert Racer) might have been a Southern Unionist. He has a hunch he was, plus, there’s some pretty interesting stuff surrounding this fellow’s life in the war. For one, there’s a pretty cool story that comes out of Page County, about one of […]
The confectioner Southern Unionist of Harpers Ferry… and his Unionist son
August 24, 2012 by Robert Moore
Before writing this, I probably should have posted something about the rifts between some Southern fathers and sons, when it came to sentiments in the war, but I’ll get around to it. Tonight, I’m focusing instead on Frederick Augustus Roeder. The name might be familiar, especially if you’ve visited Harpers Ferry. Yes, THAT Frederick Roeder, […]
“You must choose & choose at once.”
August 15, 2012 by Robert Moore
Back, just an hour or so ago, from a pleasant evening drive… prompted by the writing of this post. I realized that the Southern Unionist at the center of this post rests in a cemetery not terribly far from my home. So, I ventured out… and visited Daniel and Mary Brindle. Daniel was Pennsylvania-born, but […]
No hard feelings among old enemies? – Former Confederates & Southern Unionists
July 19, 2012 by Robert Moore
I don’t think that such a claim can be made across the board, though I’ve seen evidence to support the thought that some continued to hold bitterness toward those who had proven themselves as Southern Unionists. Even so, for the most part, in my neck o’ the woods of Virginia, I think the evidence (even […]
How do you assess the Southern Confederate soldier & Southern Unionist?
July 15, 2012 by Robert Moore
It might be a good time to pause, just a bit… I’m in the midst of drafting another blog post about another Southern Unionist claim, and am realizing just how varied the picture is becoming. Granted, I had already been noting how varied the story is. In fact, I had subcategories of subcategories, breaking down […]
What manner of tolerance? – Southern citizens vs. soldiers… blue AND gray
July 10, 2012 by Robert Moore
There’s something that really strikes me when looking at Southern Claims Commission applications, and that is… how much one can take, and still adhere to the sentiments held prior to situations that can try one’s level of tolerance. Just as an example, among Southern Unionists… they are loyal (or profess to be so, after the fact, when applying for […]
At what point did I change in my focus?
April 18, 2012 by Robert Moore
A quick thought… Recently, I was had a chance to participate in a Civil War-focused luminary project in a cemetery within my home county. For a number of reasons, I declined… partly because of the time required to prepare for it. Not only that, but I think my interests in walking folks through the cemetery is not […]
Southern Unionism in music
April 12, 2012 by Robert Moore
This clip was uploaded to YouTube earlier this year and I just found it… and wow, what a great piece! The description states: It’s not commonly known that there were many southerners who fought for the union during the Civil War. Most of them were from the mountains. This song is about one such southern unionist. […]
Taking Southern Unionism on the road
April 11, 2012 by Robert Moore
While I’ve been writing a good deal about it over the past 5 1/2 years, I’ve only made one presentation about Southern Unionism… that being a response to a call for papers. The presentation, made at Frederick Community College, in Frederick Maryland (Fall, 2006), was largely focused on my masters thesis… which was actually still […]
Defining Southern Unionists… one part of what might end up a multi-part examination
February 19, 2012 by Robert Moore
On and off, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about this lately. First, I wonder just how many people have a one-dimensional, stereotype definition of Southern Unionists. Is it common to see them simply as Southerners who refused to release their embrace of the Union? Maybe folks also see them as Southerners who embraced Lincoln […]
A public information announcement… I suppose…
September 12, 2011 by Robert Moore
Once in a blue moon (and no, tonight isn’t really a blue moon, but you get the point…), I like to point out what this blog is about. Generally, it focuses on a relatively small range (really!) of topics, dealing primarily with what might (to some) be considered “alternative history” of the Shenandoah Valley in […]
Southerners who wanted to free the slaves
May 5, 2011 by Robert Moore
Yes, there were white Southerners who wanted to free the slaves. But, something that comes to my mind when I’m considering this is, well, with all of the talk about “Black Confederates”, and fair and equal treatment by the Confederacy… do tell… of those who wore gray, or were the big dogs in the Confederate […]
An opportunity for clarity… the difficulties in telling the story of Southern Unionism
April 30, 2011 by Robert Moore
As a follow-up to this morning’s post, I thought I’d bring to light some quotes that speak to the contrary. While Strother, after talking with a few folks from the Jefferson and Berkeley militia units, noted what he found to be an opinion circulating within that group (and one that he found to his liking), […]
“I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man!”
March 9, 2011 by Robert Moore
Well, the quote from True Grit is at least fitting, in part… the part relating to bold talk coming from different enlistees, early in the Civil War, or suggestions that an ancestor was making a bold statement, through his enlistment, when there is nothing there to prove it. I doubt many could claim the one-eyed […]
Rockingham County, Virginia’s John Francis Lewis: his position on secession, the Confederacy, and postwar Virginia
April 23, 2010 by Robert Moore
Following-up on my passing mention of Rockingham County, Virginia’s delegates to the Virginia Secession Convention in this post the other day, I thought it might be of interest to readers to know a little more about one of those delegates. As the obituary from the New York Times indicates, John Francis Lewis was openly opposed […]
Southern Unionists Chronicles Post, 2/19/09
February 19, 2009 by Robert Moore
See Jacob P. Kyger, Shenandoah Valley Unionist… and Brethren.
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".
October 19, 2013 by Robert Moore
7