"Rugged, dynamic, controversial -- Zebulon Baird Vance was one of the dominant personalities of the South for nearly half a century. Here is the first full-scale biography of this important figure. This colorful and carefully researched study centers on Vance's dedication to democratic institutions during the Civil War. He maintained unyieldingly -- alone of all the governors, North and South -- the writ of habeas corpus in its full vigor, yet it was the Governor's state, North Carolina, which made the greatest contribution in men and spirit to the Southern cause. As a staunch unionist before the war, Vance was dedicated to individual liberty. Under the Confederacy, where he was called 'the war governor of the South', he battled for personal rights. Again, in the reunited nation, he was a powerful debater in the Senate during the 1880s and 1890s"--Jacket

"Rugged, dynamic, controversial -- Zebulon Baird Vance was one of the dominant personalities of the South for nearly half a century. Here is the first full-scale biography of this important figure. This colorful and carefully researched study centers on Vance's dedication to democratic institutions during the Civil War. He maintained unyieldingly -- alone of all the governors, North and South -- the writ of habeas corpus in its full vigor, yet it was the Governor's state, North Carolina, which made the greatest contribution in men and spirit to the Southern cause. As a staunch unionist before the war, Vance was dedicated to individual liberty. Under the Confederacy, where he was called 'the war governor of the South', he battled for personal rights. Again, in the reunited nation, he was a powerful debater in the Senate during the 1880s and 1890s"--Jacket

In this comprehensive biography of the man who led North Carolina through the Civil War and, as a U.S. senator from 1878 to 1894, served as the state's leading spokesman, Gordon McKinney presents Zebulon Baird Vance (1830-94) as a far more complex figure than has been previously recognized. Vance campaigned to keep North Carolina in the Union, but after Southern troops fired on Fort Sumter, he joined the army and rose to the rank of colonel. He was viewed as a champion of individual rights and enjoyed great popularity among voters. But McKinney demonstrates that Vance was not as progressive as earlier biographers suggest. Vance was a tireless advocate for white North Carolinians in the Reconstruction Period, and his policies and positions often favored the rich and powerful. McKinney provides significant new information about Vance's third governorship, his senatorial career, and his role in the origins of the modern Democratic Party in North Carolina. This new biography offers the fullest, most complete understanding yet of a legendary North Carolina leader.

This splendid anthology offers an engaging journey through four centuries of North Carolina life. It draws on a wealth of sources--histories, biographies, diaries, novels, short stories, newspapers, and magazines--to show how North Carolina's rich history and remarkable literary achievements cut across economic and racial lines in often surprising ways. There are selections by or about some of the state's best-known sons and daughters, from Daniel Boone and Andrew Jackson to Ava Gardner, Doris Betts, and Tom Wicker; and topics covered include politics, sports, business, family life, education, race, religion, and war.

Writing North Carolina History is the first book to assess fully the historical literature of North Carolina. It combines the talents and insights of eight noted scholars of state and southern history: William S. Powell, Alan D. Watson, Robert M. Calhoon, Harry L. Watson, Sarah M. Lemmon, and H. G. Jones. Their essays are arranged in chronological order from the founding of the first English colony in North America in 1585 to the present. Traditionally North Carolina has not received the same scholarly attention as Virginia and South Carolina, despite the excellent resources available on Tar Heel history. This study, derived from a symposium sponsored by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History in 1977, asks questions and describes methodologies needed to redress past neglect. Besides providing a comprehensive evaluation of what has been written about North Carolina, the essayists offer perspectives on how historians have interpreted the state's history and what directions future historians need to take. Particularly important, the book provides a bibliography and suggests opportunities for future historical investigation by discussing topics, themes, and source materials that remain untapped or underused. North Carolina's unique and colorful culture, folklore, geography, politics, and growth demand new and creative historical analysis. Collectively the authors and editors of Writing North Carolina History offer a welcome, necessary guide to the study of Tar Heel history. Originally published in 1979. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

This collection of thirteen essays examines the leaders of the southern states during the Civil War. Malcolm C. McMillan writes of the futile efforts of Alabama's wealthy governors to keep the trust of the poor non-slaveholding whites. Paul D. Escott shows Georgia Governor Joseph Emerson Brown's ability to please both the planter elite and the yeoman farmers. John B. Edmunds, Jr. examines the tremendous problems faced by the governors of South Carolina, the state that would suffer the highest losses. Each of the contributors describes the governor's reaction to undertaking duties never before required of men in their positions—urging men to battle, searching for means to feed and clothe the poor, boosting morale, and defending their state's territories, even against great odds.

Studies diverse topics on the writing of Civil War history No event has transformed the United States more fundamentally—or been studied more exhaustively—than the Civil War. In Writing the Civil War, fourteen distinguished historians present a wide-ranging examination of the vast effort to chronicle the conflict—an undertaking that began with the remembrances of Civil War veterans and has become an increasingly prolific field of scholarship. Covering topics from battlefield operations to the impact of race and gender, this volume is an informative guide through the labyrinth of Civil War literature. The contributors provide authoritative and interpretive evaluations of the study and explication of the struggle that has been called the American Iliad. The first four essays consider military history: Joseph Thomas Glatthaar writes on battlefield tactics, Gary W. Gallagher on Union strategy, Emory M. Thomas on Confederate strategy, and Reid Mitchell on soldiers. In essays that focus on political concerns, Mark E. Neely, Jr. links the military and political with his examination of presidential leadership, while Michael F. Holt surveys the study of Union politics, and George C. Rable examines the work on Confederate politics. Michael Les Benedict bridges political and societal concerns in his discussion of constitutional questions; Phillip Shaw Paludan and james L. roark confront the broad themes of economics and society in the North and South; and Drew Gilpin Faust and Peter Kolchin evaluate the importance of gender, slavery, and race relations. Writing the Civil War demonstrates the richness and diversity of Civil War scholarship and identifies topics yet to be explored. Noting a surprising dearth of scholarship in several area, the essays point to new directions in the quest to understand the complexities of the most momentous event in American history.