Gaston County, North Carolina, in the Civil War

Civil War histories typically center on the deeds of generals and sweeping depictions of battle. This unique study of one Southern county's war experience tells of ordinary soldiers and their wives, mothers and children, slaves, farmers, merchants, Unionists and deserters--through an examination of tax records. The recently discovered 1863 Gaston County, North Carolina, tax list provides a detailed economic and social picture of a war-weary community, recording what taxpayers owned, cataloging slaves by name, age and monetary value, and assessing luxury items. Contemporary diaries, letters and other previously unpublished documents complete the picture, describing cotton mill operations, the lives of slaves, political disagreements, rationales for soldiers' enlistments and desertions, and economic struggles on the home front.

1122575897
Gaston County, North Carolina, in the Civil War

Civil War histories typically center on the deeds of generals and sweeping depictions of battle. This unique study of one Southern county's war experience tells of ordinary soldiers and their wives, mothers and children, slaves, farmers, merchants, Unionists and deserters--through an examination of tax records. The recently discovered 1863 Gaston County, North Carolina, tax list provides a detailed economic and social picture of a war-weary community, recording what taxpayers owned, cataloging slaves by name, age and monetary value, and assessing luxury items. Contemporary diaries, letters and other previously unpublished documents complete the picture, describing cotton mill operations, the lives of slaves, political disagreements, rationales for soldiers' enlistments and desertions, and economic struggles on the home front.

39.95 In Stock
Gaston County, North Carolina, in the Civil War

Gaston County, North Carolina, in the Civil War

by Robert C. Carpenter
Gaston County, North Carolina, in the Civil War

Gaston County, North Carolina, in the Civil War

by Robert C. Carpenter

Paperback

$39.95 
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Overview

Civil War histories typically center on the deeds of generals and sweeping depictions of battle. This unique study of one Southern county's war experience tells of ordinary soldiers and their wives, mothers and children, slaves, farmers, merchants, Unionists and deserters--through an examination of tax records. The recently discovered 1863 Gaston County, North Carolina, tax list provides a detailed economic and social picture of a war-weary community, recording what taxpayers owned, cataloging slaves by name, age and monetary value, and assessing luxury items. Contemporary diaries, letters and other previously unpublished documents complete the picture, describing cotton mill operations, the lives of slaves, political disagreements, rationales for soldiers' enlistments and desertions, and economic struggles on the home front.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781476662442
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date: 04/29/2016
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.67(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Retired principal Robert C. Carpenter is an adjunct professor at Belmont Abbey College and the president and editor of Footprints in Time, the bulletin for the Gaston Lincoln Genealogical Society. He lives in Bessemer City, North Carolina.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Preface 1

Introduction 3

1 Life in Gaston County 7

2 Dallas, Iron and Gold Manufacturing and Cotton Mills 30

3 Gaston's Fighting Confederates 52

4 Soldiers, Wives and Mothers 75

5 Family Life 91

6 Unionists and Deserters 106

7 Gaston Violence and Lawlessness 128

8 Changing Politics During the Civil War 144

9 The African American During the War 166

Concluding Thoughts 189

Appendix: Gaston County Tax List of 1863 193

Chapter Notes 283

Bibliography 307

Index 313

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