Tag Archives: North Carolina Digital Collections

First Wednesdays – “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude … shall exist…”

Posted on December 2, 2015 by WilliamH

As described in an earlier blog post, Provisional Governor William W. Holden had convened a convention composed of “properly pardoned” delegates to fulfill a number of obligations necessary to complete President Andrew Johnson’s requirements for reentry into the United States. … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, First Wednesdays, News | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on First Wednesdays – “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude … shall exist…”

First Wednesdays – “…to surrender the ship…”

Posted on November 4, 2015 by WilliamH

Many North Carolinians saw the repeal of the Ordinance of Secession and repudiation of slavery as the final steps to be completed for their re-entry into the United States. Now, the voting population of North Carolina had to select a … Continue reading →

Posted in First Wednesdays, News | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

First Wednesdays – Challenges for a Provisional Government 1865

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Chris

In post-war 1865, Provisional Governor William Woods Holden went about the business of mending a state rent in every facet by the recent struggle.  Infrastructure such as the railroad system not only had to be repaired but also the governing … Continue reading →

Posted in First Wednesdays, News | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on First Wednesdays – Challenges for a Provisional Government 1865

First Wednesdays – “…Ankle Shattered by shell…”

Posted on August 5, 2015 by WilliamH

With the ending of the American Civil War, North Carolina began the long process to rehabilitate itself for re-entry back into the United States of America. In addition, the state’s veterans also started the process of their rehabilitation back into … Continue reading →

Posted in News, Second Mondays Lectures | Tagged , , | Comments Off on First Wednesdays – “…Ankle Shattered by shell…”

First Wednesdays – “…doing anything whatsoever calculated to cause excitement…”

Posted on May 6, 2015 by WilliamH

Toward the end of April 1865, North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance was becoming increasing irrelevant in the rapidly unfolding events in North Carolina. He was unable to participate in the surrender negotiations between Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston and Union … Continue reading →

Posted in First Wednesdays, News | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on First Wednesdays – “…doing anything whatsoever calculated to cause excitement…”

“…returned to their usual place of deposit…”

Posted on May 1, 2015 by WilliamH

In the world of politics, an ability to deal with crisis whether generated by yourself or others can truly define the value of an individual seeking to serve his or her constituents or using political office as a way to … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on “…returned to their usual place of deposit…”

“…to remove as soon as possible to the valley of the Haw River…”

Posted on April 8, 2015 by WilliamH

By mid-April 1865, the eastern and western theaters of the American Civil War were now within 150 miles of each other. To the north in Virginia, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia had abandoned Richmond, Virginia and … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , | Comments Off on “…to remove as soon as possible to the valley of the Haw River…”

First Wednesdays – “They never come to hand…”

Posted on April 1, 2015 by WilliamH

As the state of North Carolina was becoming increasingly besieged by enemy forces entering the state from all sides, the civil authority within the interior of the state was collapsing as well. This was not an overnight phenomenon. The cracks … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on First Wednesdays – “They never come to hand…”

“The aid of the people of the county is necessary…”

Posted on March 31, 2015 by WilliamH

After the engagement at Bentonville, North Carolina, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston pulled his army back to the area near Smithfield to reorganize his growing forces and to keep an eye on Major General William T. Sherman’s Union armies in … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on “The aid of the people of the county is necessary…”

“I was on the Skirmish Line”

Posted on March 21, 2015 by WilliamH

By nightfall on March 20th, Major General William T. Sherman had finally connected both wings of his combined Union armies along the Goldsboro Road. He finally felt secure in the knowledge that his veteran regiments were now in support of … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on “I was on the Skirmish Line”