The Civil War in North Carolina: Soldiers’ and Civilians’ Letters and Diaries, 1861-1865 : The Piedmont

＂I think that we can hold our position here against any force that the enemy can bring against us, as we have an admirable position & are all ready. I can give you no idea when the general attack will take place. It may be this evening, tomorrow or at any moment as both parties are apparently ready & we have nothing to do but pitch in.＂--Captain Charles C. Blacknall, ＂Granville Rifles,＂ Company G, 23rd North Carolina Troops, Yorktown, Virginia, April 22, 1862

This work is a compilation of letters and diary entries (and a few other documents) that tell the Civil War experiences of soldiers and citizens from 29 North Carolina counties: Alamance, Alexander, Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Granville, Guilford, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Orange, Person, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes, Union, and Yadkin.

The book is arranged chronologically, 1861 through 1865, and a chart at the beginning of each chapter tells the date, subject, document type (letter, diary entry, or other), author, recipient, and the home county and unit of soldiers.

Christopher M. Watford, a high school teacher, is a member of the Central Piedmont Historic Preservation Association and the Davidson County (North Carolina) Civil War Roundtable. He lives in the Light area near Thomasville, North Carolina.