The Extremest Condition of Humanity: Emancipation, Conflict
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THE EXTREMEST CONDITION OF HUMANITY: EMANCIPATION, CONFLICT AND PROGRESS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, 1865-1880 by STEVEN E. NASH (Under the Direction of John C. Inscoe) ABSTRACT Reconstruction in western North Carolina brings into great relief the disconnection between national policy and local reality that has become a driving force in American historians’ study of their nation’s reconstruction following the Civil War. This project is part of a growing trend that examines southern Reconstruction at the local level. It explores the transformation of western North Carolina’s political culture from a localized emphasis on community autonomy to a blending of local rule by elites mixed with external sources of power. It reveals the complexity beneath the surface of the overarching interpretation of Reconstruction as dominated by the struggle over black freedom. Race and the redefinition of African Americans’ place within the region, the state, and the nation were vital components of the mountain region’s Reconstruction, but due to the smaller black presence it was not the dominating issue. Western North Carolina’s similarities and differences with the plantation belt underscore the diversity and complexity of the postwar period throughout the South. Reconstruction in western Carolina forces scholars to recognize the broader issues of loyalty, industrial development and market integration, and reunification that played critical roles in restoring the United States after the war. At the heart of these issues was the exercise of power of the national state over local communities, white over black highlanders, and between different classes of white mountaineers. The political culture of the western counties changed because of the expansion of federal power in the form of tax collectors, soldiers, and conscription officials during the Civil War. Union victory intensified this tension between national and local power. Occupation troops, Freedmen’s Bureau agents, and other officials expanded the reach of the federal government into communities accustomed to exercising complete control over their local affairs. The political culture that expanded to include federal power in the 1860s and 1870s also opened the door to outside investors and further integration into the national market economy. INDEX WORDS: Reconstruction, Southern Appalachia, American South, New South, North Carolina, Political Culture, Civil War Era Loyalties, Unionism, Emancipation, Military Occupation, Freedmen’s Bureau, Ku Klux Klan, Southern Republicans, Post-Civil War Agriculture THE EXTREMEST CONDITION OF HUMANITY: EMANCIPATION, CONFLICT AND PROGRESS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, 1865-1880 By STEVEN E. NASH B.A., The Pennsylvania State University, 1998 M.A., Western Carolina University, 2001 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2009 © 2009 Steven E. Nash All Rights Reserved THE EXTREMEST CONDITION OF HUMANITY: EMANCIPATION, CONFLICT AND PROGRESS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, 1865-1880 By STEVEN EUGENE NASH Major Professor: John C. Inscoe Committee: James C. Cobb Paul S. Sutter Ronald E. Butchart Stephen W. Berry II Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2009 DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my family: my parents, Carl and Brenda Nash, my sister Julie Nash, my brother-in-law Kevin Foster, my nephew, Holden, and my niece, Avery. Each of them has been instrumental in helping me complete this project. I could not have done it without the love and support of each of them. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing a project of this size is a daunting task, made only more so when one takes account of the many debts accrued in completing it. John Inscoe sits high atop that list. Whenever you meet anyone who knows him, they invariably say the same thing: he is the nicest man in academia. It is a reputation well-grounded in fact. Despite his busy schedule and many commitments, he has always welcomed me into his office when I needed advice, a book, or anything else. He has read numerous drafts of this dissertation—in all its various forms—and offered his characteristically incisive and positive assessment of each one. He is a role model, both professionally and personally. I am incredibly fortunate to have him as a mentor and a friend. I would like to thank my dissertation committee. Numerous mistakes in analysis and conception have been prevented by the careful attention given by James Cobb, Paul Sutter, Ronald Butchart, and Steve Berry. For graduate students interested in southern history, Dr. Cobb’s “highlights of southern history” class offers a rare opportunity to learn from a true master. It was a highlight of my career at UGA. Paul Sutter introduced me to environmental history my first year here, and it has since been ingrained in both my teaching and research. Ronald Butchart is an unsurpassed expert on the Freedmen’s Bureau. His eye for detail and his advice on how to sharpen my analysis greatly enhanced this project. Since Steve Berry came to UGA, he has taken a great interest in those of us working on the Civil War era. I have enjoyed our conversations on history, academia, and countless other topics. I am thankful that he was able to be a part of this project. v This dissertation originated as a master’s thesis at Western Carolina University, where I was incredibly fortunate to have Peter Carmichael as my advisor. Pete was an ideal advisor for a young graduate student who sort of stumbled his way to western North Carolina. He made the transition from Penn State to the mountains of North Carolina easier, and he has been a great source of support since then as well. Richard Starnes, Gael Graham, and Curtis Wood served as my thesis committee, and I appreciate their efforts in setting me on the path to completing this dissertation. Librarians and research staff at a number of archives and universities have given me great help in locating sources and collections. The staff at the Southern Historical Collection at UNC- Chapel Hill is unflinchingly friendly and helpful. I also appreciate the help I received at Duke University’s Special Collections. At the North Carolina state archives I was fortunate to make a friend in Kate Martin Standish, who helped make trips to Raleigh both productive and fun. The North Caroliniana Society awarded me an Archie K. Davis Research Fellowship in 2008 that contributed substantially to chapters five and six. Finally, after many years of going to the National Archives I had the good fortune to meet Reggie Washington one afternoon. Although he would never remember it, that day set chapter four in an exciting new direction. Between Western Carolina and UGA, I have been part of a great cadre of graduate students. Bruce Stewart was the bridge between both places. He has served as a sounding board for my thoughts on Southern Appalachia and he is a great friend. Barton Myers and I go back a long way as well. Although I no longer bribe him with Pizza Hut to do research for me, we have passed countless hours arguing about just about everything. It has been a real pleasure. Rod Steward, Heather Murray, Greg McLamb, Vince Castano, Daniel Menestres, and Rob Ferguson were great colleagues in Cullowhee. Jason Manthorne is one of the smartest and funniest people vi I know, and he has helped to make graduate school fun at UGA. In addition, Jim Gigantino, Jenny Schwartzberg, Min Song, LaShonda Mims, Ichiro Miyata, Lain Hughes, Justin Nystrom, Bert Way, Aaron Safane, Robby Luckett, and others have made Athens a great place for me to live both personally and professionally. Jennifer Malto and Zac Smith have been great friends and roommates, who, thankfully, let me park my mess in the “dissertating room” for the last two years of this project. I greatly appreciate their patience. My debt to my family goes beyond my ability to describe in words. My parents, Carl and Brenda Nash, have never failed to give me the encouragement or the kick in the butt that I needed, just when I needed it. Their faith in me appears boundless, and I appreciate everything they have done for me. My sister, Julie, and my brother-in-law, Kevin, have let me spend more nights—rent free—than anyone could reasonably expect from family members. The last few years of research and writing have also let me play “manny” to Holden and Avery, which has made this dissertation a mix of business and pleasure. It has been a long road, but it has all be worth it. I love you all. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................x INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1 SETTING THE STAGE: ANTEBELLUM AND CIVIL WAR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA ............................................................13 2 “THE OTHER WAR WAS BUT THE BEGINNING”: THE POLITICS OF LOYALTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, 1865-1867 ..........41 3 MOUNTAIN MASTERS WITHOUT SLAVES: THE AFTERMATH OF SLAVERY IN NORTH CAROLINA’S MOUNTAINS, 1865-1867 ..................................................................................................82 4 “GREAT TIME FOR THE TORIES & NEGROES”: THE UNITED STATES