Monuments honoring leaders and victorious armies have been raised throughout history. Following the American Civil War, however, this tradition expanded, and by the early twentieth century, the Confederate dead and surviving veterans, although defeated in battle, ranked among the world's most commemorated troops. This memorialization, described in North Carolina Civil War Monuments, evolved through a challenging and contentious process accomplished over decades. Prompted by the need to rebury wartime dead, memorialization, led by women, first expressed regional grief and mourning then expanded into a vital aspect of Southern memory. In North Carolina, 109 Civil War monuments--101 honoring Confederate troops and eight commemorating Union forces--were raised prior to the Civil War centennial. Photographs showcase each memorial while committee records, legal documents, and contemporaneous accounts are used to detail the difficult process through which these monuments were erected. Their design, location, and funding reflect not only the period's sculptural and cultural milieu but also reveal one state's evolving grief and the forging of public memory.

With over 240 photographs, maps, and related documents, McCaslin details the physical and spiritual suffering of the ordinary recruit in his fight for his country, its land, and his family's way of life.

Civil War scholar Michael Hardy delves into the story of North Carolina's Confederate past, from civilians to soldiers, as these Tar Heels proved they were a force to be reckoned with. "First at Bethel, farthest at Gettysburg and Chickamauga and last at Appomattox" is a phrase that is often used to encapsulate the role of North Carolina's Confederate soldiers. Tar Heels witnessed the pitched battles of New Bern, Averysboro and Bentonville, as well as incursions like Sherman's March and Stoneman's Raid. The state was one of the last to leave the Union but contributed more men and sustained more dead than any other Southern state. This inclusive history of the Old North State is a must-read for any Civil War buff!

Centering on the common soldier, Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of North Carolina in the Civil War, the sixth in the University of Arkansas Press's award-winning series, tells the stories of the actual people, rich and poor, whose lives were changed forever by the nation's great drama.

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.

The Photographic History of the Civil War was first published in 1911 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the great conflict. These volumes were dedicated to the American People in tribute to the courage and the valor with which they met one of the greatest crises that a nation has ever known. A crisis that changed the course of civilization. Contained within are thousands of photographs as well as the rise of photographic journalism during a conflict. This series offers a unique record of one of the greatest conflicts in the history of mankind. Included in this series are maps to mark the battles and line-art decorations that give the reader an authentic feel of the era. The photographs in this series can be viewed as art, history or more importantly journalism. Covering every aspect of war- from the frontline to everyday life- these volumes are a testament to the conflict and the country which emerged from it. Soldier Life Secret Service presents a photographic record of the Business Side of War-Making. It documents the marshalling of federal volunteers, the schools of the soldiers, and the secret services of both armies.