 It has been an amazingly busy summer at MCWI, the busiest since I took the helm in January 2017. As you will read in this newsletter, we’ve been quite active at Cool Spring, both continuing with existing programs and embarking on some new initiatives. As I reflect on this summer and the hundreds of individuals I’ve had the pleasure to meet throughout the season, I am even more energized to continue in our mission of educating individuals about our nation’s most tumultuous and defining moment and working with our enthusiastic undergraduate students, who have proved essential to our efforts. The expansion MCWI has enjoyed is due in part to your support. Without our friends and supporters attending events, purchasing copies of the Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era, registering for conferences, and making donations, none of what MCWI has been able to achieve would be possible. For that continued support, I extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone.
Jonathan Noyalas '01, M.A.
Director, McCormick Civil War Institute
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Headlines from the Quarter
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Fall 2019 Semester Seminar and Tour – SOLD OUT!
The MCWI's fall semester seminar and tour,... "Defeat... Could be Ill-Afforded,": Clashes of Arms Around Berryville, Virginia, August-September 1864, slated for Saturday, Oct. 26, is sold out. Anyone who wishes to attend can have their name placed on a waiting list by emailing MCWI's director at jnoyalas01@su.edu.
The registration fee of $25 covers the morning lecture, lunch in Allen Dining Hall, and afternoon caravan tour of sites. Schedule of the day is as follows: 10-10:30 a.m., check-in at Shenandoah University; 10:30-11:30 a.m., welcome and lecture by Prof. Noyalas, “A Lucky Inspiration”: Sheridan Takes Command; 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., lunch in Allen Dining Hall; 12:30-4:30 p.m., caravan tour of sites associated with the Battle of Berryville, sites related to John Singleton Mosby’s activities in August and September, and the grave of Thomas Laws.
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155th Anniversary Commemoration of the Battle of Cool Spring Held
Despite record heat on Saturday, July 20, MCWI welcomed nearly 200 people to the Shenandoah River Campus at Cool Spring Battlefield throughout the course of the day for the battle’s 155th anniversary commemoration. The day included a two-hour walking tour with our director and afternoon presentations with Jennifer Murray and Jonathan White. Civil War firearms expert Phil Spaugy, a great friend and supporter, was also on hand to discuss arms used by Ohio troops during the war. This exhibition was particularly relevant to Cool Spring as a number of Ohio regiments fought at the battle. The 155th anniversary also marked the debut of “Through Their Eyes” — an augmented reality experience at Cool Spring which follows particular Union and Confederate soldiers who fought at the battle. The debut included four scenes; over the next year an additional ten scenes will be produced and be ready for viewing in the spring of 2020.
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Other Cool Spring Activities Contribute to Busy Summer
In addition to our 155th anniversary commemoration, MCWI had an active summer at Cool Spring. On July 17, MCWI, in partnership with Clarke County Department of Parks and Recreation, hosted a kids’ camp at Cool Spring, which focused on the life of the Civil War soldier, Civil War communication, technology used during the conflict, and personal stories from the battle. Additionally, our dedicated volunteer corps staffed the exhibition in the Lodge, both welcoming visitors and helping them understand the battle, on the final Saturday of June, as well as on all Saturdays in July, and the first Saturday in August.
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MCWI Rolls Out New Website and Undergraduate Certificate in Civil War Era Studies
After months of work by Shenandoah University’s Office of Marketing and Communications, specifically Rebecca Ellis, MCWI has a new website. The website, www.su.edu/MCWI, contains much more content about upcoming conferences, tours, and seminars. Additionally, it contains information about Cool Spring and tours of the battlefield, sections for digitized historic documents and photographs, as well as information about our new undergraduate certificate in Civil War-era studies, which rolled out with the start of the fall 2019 semester. In the coming months, additional items will be added to the website.
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Descendant Donates Letters and Other Ephemera
This summer, Harriet Johnston, a descendant of Corporal Robert Bradbury, Battery D, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery, donated a substantial collection of Bradbury’s letters, photographs, and other ephemera related to Bradbury to MCWI. At the heart of the collection are thirty letters written by Bradbury during the conflict. Many of those letters were written during his time in the Shenandoah Valley. Bradbury’s letters are quite rich in content and explore such topics as motivation for enlistment, perspectives on battle, musings on President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, and thoughts on Jefferson Davis’ capture. These letters are currently being properly conserved, cataloged, and digitized. Within a year, MCWI’s director will edit the collection. MCWI will publish the letters with all proceeds going to support our myriad efforts. This donation will help as we build and strengthen our archives.
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Dr. David and Mrs. Melanie Miles Scholars Complete MCWI Research
At the end of July, summer fellows Kelly Evans and Jessica Kronenwetter, as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Summer Scholars program, presented their initial findings about the antebellum history of Judge Richard Parker’s Retreat and other hidden stories of Cool Spring. That research, which includes information about slaves living and working on the property, will be used to develop additional interpretation at the site.
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Middletown Heritage Society Honors MCWI & Director
In mid-June, the Middletown Heritage Society presented the McCormick Civil War Institute and its director with a special award recognizing MCWI’s efforts to identify potential burial sites of enslaved individuals and map the Mount Zion African American cemetery in Middletown, which had been abandoned for decades.
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Dr. Caroline Janney Set to Speak at MCWI in November
MCWI is continuing its tradition of its annual Fall Perspectives in the Civil War Era lecture at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, in Henkel Hall, Hester Auditorium. This year’s speaker is Dr. Caroline Janney, director of the Nau Center for Civil War History at the University of Virginia. The lecture, “Lee’s Army After Appomattox,” is free and open to the public.
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Save the Date — Annual Spring Conference, The Civil War on the Water
We are pleased to announce that our spring 2020 conference, The Civil War on the Water, will be held on the main campus of Shenandoah University, in Hester Auditorium, Henkel Hall, on Saturday, April 4, 2020. Presenters include John Coski, Anna Gibson Holloway, Jonathan A. Noyalas, and Jonathan White. Registration opens in October. The $50 registration fee covers the cost of all presentations and lunch in Allen Dining Hall. Announcements about the opening of registration will be made via email and social media. Also look for advertisements in Civil War News, Civil War Monitor, and on our website in mid-October for additional information.
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Director Speaks at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park’s 75th Anniversary and Delivers Keynote at 155th Anniversary of Fort Stevens
In June, MCWI’s director chaired a panel, “Writing Harpers Ferry” for the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. On Saturday, July 13, MCWI’s director had the honor of delivering the keynote address for the National Park Service’s 155th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Fort Stevens. The event attracted nearly 600 individuals and also featured remarks by U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton. Noyalas’ remarks can be viewed on C-SPAN.
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MCWI Participates in Winchester’s Civil War Weekend
For the third consecutive year, MCWI participated in Winchester’s Civil War weekend. On Saturday, Aug. 17, our director led a special walking tour in the downtown historic district focusing on Winchester’s experience in the spring and summer of 1864. The tour attracted nearly 100 individuals and focused on such topics as the 19th United States Colored Troops recruitment efforts in the city and civilians during the Third Battle of Winchester.
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Support MCWI By Purchasing Mort Kunstler Prints
Via the University’s Office of Advancement, MCWI has a unique opportunity to raise funds to support our many efforts. Approximately 350 Mort Kunstler prints, featuring more than 80 different subjects, have come into the care of MCWI. MCWI is pleased to offer these prints at $50 each. Anyone who is interested in learning more about the subjects available is asked to please contact MCWI’s director at jnoyalas01@su.edu. Individuals who purchase prints can arrange a time to pick them up at MCWI’s office. For individuals not local to Winchester, prints can be shipped at an additional charge. Please contact our director for more details.
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Many Thanks to Generous Donors
MCWI wishes to thank all of those who have made contributions to support the McCormick Civil War Institute. Since the publication of our last newsletter, the following individuals have made generous contributions, which will support MCWI’s myriad efforts: Dr. Winston Cameron, Clarke County Department of Parks and Recreation, Mr. Jon-Erik Gilot, Warren R. Hofstra, Ph.D., Ms. Connie Michael, and Mr. Phil Spaugy.
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The McCormick Civil War Institute Always Needs Your Help!
As MCWI continues to grow, expand our interpretive efforts at Cool Spring, and provide unique, hands-on learning opportunities for our students, we continue to rely on the kindness and generosity of our donors. Without that outside financial support, we would not be able to do all we do at Cool Spring, in the community, and for our students. The only way MCWI can continue its upward trajectory is with your help. If you would like to make a contribution (tax-deductible) to the McCormick Civil War Institute to support its various efforts, we would be most appreciative. Any amount, however small or large, will go a long way to support the McCormick Civil War Institute’s vision.
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William Henry Locke, “The Story of the Regiment” (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1868).
*Note in our March newsletter we promised that 2019 would be devoted to highlighting important works related to the Shenandoah Valley’s Civil War-era story published in the conflict’s immediate aftermath.
The 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was one of the Union army’s most storied regiments. Organized in the spring of 1861, the regiment fought in many of conflict’s iconic battles in the war’s eastern theater.
» Continue Reading
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Merrill Carbine Bullets
As a result of a partnership between MCWI and the Clarke County Historical Association, MCWI is fortunate to display a number of artifacts in the Lodge related to the Battle of Cool Spring. Among the artifacts on display are two Merrill Carbine bullets. While to some these bullets are merely chunks of lead, they offer an important window into understanding the varied types of firearms used at the battle.
» Continue Reading
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Saturday, Oct. 26: MCWI’s Fall Semester Seminar and Tour, “Defeat… Could be Ill Afforded” Clashes of Arms Around Berryville, August-September 1864.
SOLD OUT (those interested can be added to waitlist).
Thursday, Nov. 14: Perspectives in the Civil War Era lecture featuring Dr. Caroline Janney (University of Virginia), “Lee’s Army After Appomattox,” 7 p.m. Henkel Hall, Hester Auditorium. Free.
Saturday, April 4, 2020: Spring 2020 Conference, Civil War on the Water, featuring John Coski, Anna Gibson Holloway, Jonathan A. Noyalas, and Jonathan White. $50 registration fee. Registration opens mid-October.
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