Civil War in North Carolina - by John G Barrett (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Eleven battles and seventy-three skirmishes were fought in North Carolina during the Civil War. Although the number of men involved in many of these engagements was comparatively small, the campaigns and battles themselves were crucial in the grand strategy of the conflict and involved some of the most famous generals of the war. John Barrett presents the complete story of military engagements across the state, including the classical pitched battle of Bentonville, the siege of Fort Fisher, the amphibious campaigns on the coast, and cavalry sweeps such as Stoneman's raid. From and through North Carolina, men and supplies went to Lee's army in Virginia, making the Tar Heel state critical to Lee's ability to remain in the field during the closing months of the war, when the Union had cut off the West and Gulf South. This dependence upon North Carolina led to Stoneman's cavalry raid and Sherman's march through the state in 1865, the latter of which brought the horrors of total war and eventual defeat.

From the Back Cover

Eleven battles and seventy-three skirmishes were fought in North Carolina during the Civil War. Although the number of men involved in many of these engagements was comparatively small, the campaigns and battles themselves were crucial in the grand strategy of the conflict and involved some of the most famous generals of the war. John Barrett presents the complete story of military engagements across the state, including the classical pitched battle of Bentonville, the siege of Fort Fisher, the amphibious campaigns on the coast, and cavalry sweeps such as Stoneman's raid. From and through North Carolina, men and supplies went to Lee's army in Virginia, making the Tar Heel state critical to Lee's ability to remain in the field during the closing months of the war, when the Union had cut off the West and Gulf South. This dependence upon North Carolina led to Stoneman's cavalry raid and Sherman's march through the state in 1865, the latter of which brought the horrors of total war and eventual defeat.

Review Quotes

"A scholarly, thought-provoking, and extremely well-done monograph."--The Historian

"Barrett not only provide[s] balanced views of the social, political, economic, and military activities . . but also, insofar as is possible, relate[s] these activities to the larger picture of the war. In so doing, [The Civil War in North Carolina] add[s] to our already vast store of knowledge about this profoundly significant period in our nation's history."--Civil War History

"The exhaustively researched material (footnotes and bibliography cover seventy-seven pages) is mastered, synthesized, and presented in a solid, direct style. . . . The sharp focus and unadorned style allow the state and its people to emerge as the real heroes of the book."--South Carolina Historical Magazine

"This competent and scholarly work describes, clearly and in detail, the military engagements fought on North Carolina soil. . . . The book is solidly moored to a great variety of source materials and secondary works-official records, newspapers, manuscript collections, diaries, unit histories, monographs, and the like. His search has been a thorough one, and the materials have been used with insight and generally with critical care."--Journal of American History

"With indefatigable research . . . Barrett has brought together a splendid account of the part of the Civil War fought within the borders of North Carolina."--North Carolina Historical Review