 It is almost incomprehensible to think that 2019 nears its end. As I reflect on all that 2019 brought with it, I am overwhelmed with joy as I consider the enormous support you have offered MCWI throughout the year. Tallying the numbers of individuals who attended various tours, talks, lectures and programs throughout 2019, MCWI reached more than 1,000 people. That is an unprecedented amount of people in all of MCWI’s 27 years. As the dawn of a new year approaches, MCWI has much to celebrate and much to anticipate as we develop new programs, plan to expand our publishing endeavors, continue our important work at Cool Spring, and strengthen our collections. All of you have played a part in the work we’ve done and the opportunities that stand in front of us, and, for that, I am eternally appreciative. Here’s wishing all of you the best as this year ends and a new one begins. I look forward to seeing you in 2020.
Jonathan Noyalas '01, M.A.
Director, McCormick Civil War Institute
|
|
Headlines from the Quarter
|
|
|
Registration for MCWI’s spring 2020 conference, "The Civil War on the Water," is now open . The conference will be held on the campus of Shenandoah University, Hester Auditorium, Henkel Hall, on Saturday, April 4. Presenters include John Coski, Anna Gibson Holloway, Jonathan A. Noyalas, Karen Needles and Jonathan White. The $50 registration fee covers the cost of all presentations and lunch in Allen Dining Hall. There is a reduced registration fee of $25 for students.
|
|
Students who wish to register must first email jnoyalas01@su.edu to obtain a unique registration code. Space is limited for this event, so register soon to reserve your spot. A detailed conference schedule and link to online registration can be found at the McCormick Civil War Institute Spring Conference webpage. The conference also marks the release of the first-ever book published by the McCormick Civil War Institute, “So Much to Say: The Civil War Letters of Corporal Robert Bradbury, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery.”
|
|
 MCWI Releases Volume 3 of the Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era
Volume 3 of the Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era has been released and is now available for purchase. Volume 3 includes essays related to the Union dead at Cool Spring, units that fought in the Valley in the summer of 1864 (Battery G, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery and 170th Ohio Infantry), the apprenticeship of African American children after the conflict, Sheridan’s refugee wagon train, and Judge Richard Parker’s loyalty. Reviews of 11 books related to the Valley’s Civil War-era story are also included. The journal retails for $10 with all proceeds benefiting MCWI’s myriad efforts. Copies can be purchased at various locales in the Valley including Winchester Book Gallery, Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum, Hupp’s Hill, and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation headquarters in New Market, Virginia. Copies can also be purchased online at Amazon.com.
|
|
|
Fall 2019 Semester Seminar and Tour a Success
On Saturday, Oct. 26, MCWI conducted its annual fall seminar and tour, “‘Defeat… Could be Ill-Afforded’: Clashes of Arms Around Berryville, Virginia, August-September 1864.” Participants who attended the sold-out event visited various sites associated with the Battle of Berryville and John Singleton Mosby’s operations around Berryville, including the privately owned Hill and Dale. Many thanks to all who attended.
|
|
|
Dr. Caroline Janney Delivers Fall 2019 “Perspectives” Lecture
On Thursday, Nov. 14, Caroline Janney, Ph.D., Nau professor of Civil War history and director of the Nau Center for Civil War Studies at the University of Virginia, delivered MCWI’s fall semester “Perspectives” lecture, “Lee’s Army After Appomattox.” Prior to her public presentation, Dr. Janney spoke to Shenandoah history majors during a private dinner in Davis Hall. Students who attended received a copy of Janney’s groundbreaking study “Remembering the Civil War: Reunion and the Limits of Reconciliation.”
|
|
MCWI Library & Collections Continue to Grow
Due to the generosity of donors, MCWI’s library and archival collections have grown in recent months. In addition to receiving 178 volumes of the Virginia Regimental Series and Supplement to the Official Records, MCWI has acquired various images of Union soldiers captured during the Second Battle of Winchester along with a cache of letters relevant to the Shenandoah Valley’s story. As we continue to expand, we are always open to accepting donations of items (books, letters, diaries, artifacts, etc.) that can assist our efforts in providing our students the resources they require in order to mature as young scholars.
|
|
|
Director’s Busy Autumn
MCWI’s director maintained a hectic pace throughout the final three months of 2019, delivering various presentations and tours in addition to overseeing MCWI’s programs. He conducted various tours at Cool Spring, Fisher’s Hill and Gettysburg; spoke to the Rockbridge Civil War Roundtable; lectured at the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation’s conference “Long Road to Freedom”; and conducted a gallery talk at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
|
|
Support MCWI Through the Purchase of 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 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.
|
|
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; Central Ohio Civil War Roundtable; Warren R. Hofstra, Ph.D.; Mr. & Mrs. Phil Spaugy; and Dr. and Mrs. Edward Yelinek.
|
|
The McCormick Civil War Institute Always Needs Your Help!
As MCWI continues to grow, expand and support its interpretive efforts at Cool Spring; grow its library and archives; develop quality programming and provide unique, hands-on learning opportunities for 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.
|
|
|
|
|
Clifton Johnson, “Battleground Adventures in the Civil War” (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1915).
*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.
Clifton Johnson, a prolific author, conducted dozens of interviews in the early 1900s with various individuals who experienced some of the Civil War’s most significant engagements. Of the 54 chapters in Clifton Johnson’s “Battleground Adventures,” five deal with arguably the most significant military action fought in the Shenandoah Valley—the Battle of Cedar Creek.
» Continue Reading
|
|
|
|
Carte de visite of Sergeant Martin Luther Skillman, 123rd Ohio Infantry
Skillman enlisted in the 123rd Ohio on Aug. 11, 1862, just 10 days shy of his 24th birthday and saw action at the Second Battle of Winchester.
The image was taken in the studio of B.H. Benham in Norwalk, Ohio. Benham worked as a photographer in Norwalk from 1853 until his death in 1866.
» Continue Reading
|
|
|
|
|
