Tuesday, December 9, 2008

A Note About North Carolina's Civil War History

Check out this link to the blog page for the Raleigh News & Observer for an interesting piece about Henry Lawson Wyatt, first Confederate killed in the Civil War (and a North Carolinian to boot). Hat tip to Marty Matthews, Curator of Research for NC Historic Sites for passing this along.

2 comments:

NCMeekins said...

Andrew, good to see you at the Archives the other day.
This piece is especially interesting for me. In one of the first Civil War 150th planning meetings I broached this very subject - finding monuments and markers originally placed by the State of NC with an eye towards preservation and, maybe, a re-dedication. The thought is that we can use the moment as both a commemoration and a teaching moment. Wyatt is one of the central figures in the Tar Heel Boast (First at Bethel, Fartherest at Gettysburg and Chicamauga, Last at Appomattox. I am eyeball deep in this, standing shoulder to shoulder with Tom Vincent.
It might be interesting to note: his portrait was also commissioned and placed in the State Capital; as early as 1864 (at least that I can document) Virginia was styling Wyatt as a native-born Virginian and adopted son of North Carolina. Hard core Lost Cause.
Best,
Chris Meekins

Andrew Duppstadt said...

Chris,
It was nice seeing you as well, and thanks for the comment. Doing something with the Wyatt monument, such that it is, would seem to be a worthwhile effort I think. He is very key to the first part of the Tar Heel Boast, as you say. Let me know if anything comes of that.