 Fortunate—that is the only word I can use to describe the past three months at Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute (MCWI). Although the ongoing pandemic has altered the manner in which we operate, things have been busier than ever at MCWI. In addition to hosting various online commemorative events for the 156th anniversary of Cool Spring, including one in partnership with the National Park Service’s Civil War Defenses of Washington, MCWI launched its first-ever online seminar in June. he success of that venture has prompted me to now make this a regular offering. Please read below for additional information about not only what was done with this special series, but what’s planned for January 2021. Additionally, work proceeds on volume four of the Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era, work on two major projects at Cool Spring—an orientation film and augmented reality audio experience—are nearing completion, and we’ve just completed our fourth summer of the Miles’ Summer Civil War Research Fellowship. While we indeed live in uncertain times, one thing is eminently clear to me – that your interest and support is unflinching. For that, I cannot thank you enough.
Wishing you all good health and peace,
Jonathan Noyalas '01, M.A.
Director, McCormick Civil War Institute
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Headlines from the Quarter
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Winter 2021 Online Seminar—Perspectives on the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign—To Be Held in January
In June, MCWI conducted its first-ever online seminar examining various aspects of the Civil War era in the Shenandoah Valley. The four sessions, which attracted 216 participants from across the United States, received a great deal of positive feedback, prompting MCWI to plan another series for January 2021. The upcoming series consists of three sessions centered around aspects of the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign:
- Monday, Jan. 4: “‘Worth a Whole Brigade’: Rebecca Wright, Tom Laws, and Union Victory in the Shenandoah”
- Thursday, Jan. 7: “‘It’s Thrill Will Never Die’: Sheridan’s Ride in War & Memory”; and
- Monday, Jan. 11: “‘It is Natural that Each Comrade Should Think His Corps the Best’: Sheridan’s Veterans Re-fight the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign.”
All of these sessions begin at 7 p.m. EST. To register, simply email our director at jnoyalas01@su.edu no later than Dec. 20, 2020. Zoom links for the first session will be sent out by Jan. 3, 2021. All of these sessions are being offered for FREE via Zoom. However, donations to the McCormick Civil War Institute are much appreciated. Anyone wishing to make a donation via check may send it to our director at the following address: Prof. Jonathan A. Noyalas, Director, Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute, Davis Hall 115, 1460 University Drive, Winchester, VA 22601. Any donation is a big help and much appreciated to support this series. Checks should be made payable to “Shenandoah University” with “McCormick Civil War Institute” in the memo line.
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Fall 2020 Seminar and Tour SOLD OUT!
MCWI’s fall 2020 seminar and tour, “‘The Most Trying Time’: The Civil War’s Final Months in Winchester & Frederick County, Virginia,” scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, is SOLD OUT. If you would like to be placed on a waiting list for this event, please email MCWI’s director at jnoyalas01@su.edu. Additional details about the seminar and tour can be found at the Fall Seminar and Tour webpage.
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Bradbury Letters Featured in August 2020 Issue of Civil War Times
The August 2020 issue of Civil War Times magazine features a piece by MCWI’s director, “If This Rebellion Succeeds the Nation Is Ruined.” The article contains a number of excerpts from letters penned by Corporal Robert Bradbury during his time in the Shenandoah Valley. The entire collection of Bradbury letters appears in “'So Much to Say': The Civil War Letters of Corporal Robert Bradbury, Battery D, First Pennsylvania Light Artillery” edited by our director and Charles Givens. The book, published by the McCormick Civil War Institute, retails for $15 with all proceeds directly supporting MCWI’s myriad efforts. The book is available for purchase online at Amazon.
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Volume 4 of the Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era Being Readied for Release
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Throughout the summer, MCWI’s director, who also serves as editor of Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era, has been busy putting together the publication's fourth volume. The journal, which is slated for release near the end of this calendar year, will include a roster of the Battle of Cool Spring’s Confederate dead; the unpublished diary of Ephraim Burket (a hospital steward in the 110th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry), which offers great insight into the 1862 Valley Campaign; an essay on Battery G, First Rhode Island Light Artillery in the autumn of 1864; an essay on General William Averell’s division at the Third Battle of Winchester; the Southern Claims Commission report of an African American; and reviews of some of the most recent relevant scholarship. Previous volumes of the journal are available for purchase at various historic and museum sites throughout the Shenandoah Valley and always online at Amazon.
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Dr. David & Mrs. Melanie Miles 2020 Summer Fellowship Presents Initial Findings
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Throughout the summer, Nicole Roland and Jay Richardson, the summer 2020 Miles’ Summer Fellows, worked with MCWI’s director in conducting preliminary research into the lives of Union veterans who resided in the Shenandoah Valley at the time of the 1890 Veterans’ Census. The preliminary investigation revealed 576 Union veterans, with more than half residing in the Valley’s three northernmost counties—Berkeley and Jefferson in West Virginia, and Frederick in Virginia. Initial research also revealed that nearly 30% of Union veterans residing in the Shenandoah Valley at the time were born and raised in the valley. To date, the team has completed nearly 80 biographies of these veterans. The team shared some of its initial findings via Zoom on July 28. Work will continue on this multi-year project with the ultimate goal of publishing these findings in print and electronic formats. Many thanks to Dr. David and Mrs. Melanie Miles, whose continued generous financial support made this summer research fellowship possible.
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MCWI Receives Significant Donation of Letters from Soldiers in 9th New York Heavy Artillery
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Earlier this summer, MCWI accepted a significant donation of letters penned by soldiers in the 9th New York Heavy Artillery from longtime friend and supporter Al MacLeod, a descendant of a soldier in the regiment. The collection of 59 letters and other various documents cover events from March 1, 1863 to June 9, 1865, and include a range of topics, from the defenses of Washington, D.C. and the Battle of Cold Harbor to operations in the Shenandoah Valley in the autumn of 1864, Petersburg, and the Grand Review. These letters are housed permanently at MCWI as part of the Al MacLeod 9th NYHA Collection. Transcription work, which began on these letters this month, will largely be conducted by students in the Civil War Era Studies program with editorial work to follow. MCWI plans to then edit and publish these letters in the future, hopefully by the end of 2021.
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Work on Cool Spring Orientation Film & Augmented Reality Audio Experience Near Completion
Two major interpretive enhancements to the history programming at the Shenandoah River Campus at Cool Spring Battlefield are near completion—an orientation film and an augmented reality audio experience. The script for the film was written by students in Noyalas’ HIST 309 course, Interpreting Civil War Sites, during the spring semester. While the nine-minute orientation film will run in the Lodge at Cool Spring, which remains closed to the public due to the pandemic, it will also be made available through online platforms, most notably MCWI’s website. Additionally, work on the augmented reality audio experience is nearing completion. Visitors to Cool Spring’s trails will soon be able to download a GPS-enabled app that shares information about particular soldiers who fought at Cool Spring and their accounts of the battle.
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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 in support of MCWI’s myriad efforts: Ms. Lynette Alley, Mr. Charles Balch, Mr. Stuart Bindeman, Mr. Phil and Mrs. Nancy Burstein, Mr. Terry and Mrs. Marilyn Carr, Mr. Gary Chandler, Mr. Glenn Corliss, Mr. Jon-Erik Gilot, Ms. Virginia Hammock, Warren R. Hofstra, Ph.D, Mr. Steve Jaren, Mr. Ron Jenkins, Mr. Richard and Mrs. Claudia Jones, Ms. Diane Kerns, Mr. Marshall Krolick, Mr. Al MacLeod, Mr. Oliver McKeithan, Ms. Julie Nash, Ms. Evalyn Nerborne, Mr. Eugene Oliver, Mr. Bill Pope, Mr. David Reed, Mr. Daniel Sherry, Mr. Robert and Mrs. Barbara Strangfeld, Ms. Christy Venham, and Dr. Edward and Mrs. Prue Yelinek.
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The McCormick Civil War Institute Always Needs Your Help!
As MCWI continues to grow, innovate, interpret at Cool Spring; grow our library and archives; develop quality programming; 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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Mary E. Johnson, ed. “From a ‘Whirlpool of Death’… to Victory.” (Charleston, WV: West Virginia History, 2002).
*Throughout 2020 the “Publication of Note” portion of the newsletter will highlight some of our director’s favorite regimental histories or collections of published primary sources.
Forty years after the Civil War’s end, Corporal Jesse Tyler Sturm, 14th West Virginia Infantry, published stories about his wartime exploits in a variety of newspapers in Kansas and West Virginia. Following the rediscovery, in 2000, of Corporal Sturm’s typed manuscript by a descendant, Sturm’s observations about the Civil War were made available through the publication of this volume.
» Continue Reading
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Tintype of Private Harrison E. White
Among the artifacts recently donated to MCWI was a tintype of Private Harrison E. White. Born in Oneida County, New York, in either 1840 or 1841, White enlisted in Co. M, 2nd New York Heavy Artillery, on Nov. 1, 1861. He served in the regiment until his enlistment expired three years later.
» Continue Reading
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Saturday, Nov. 7:
MCWI’s fall seminar and tour, “‘The Most Trying Time’: The Civil War’s Final Months in Winchester and Frederick County Virginia.” $25 registration fee.
Monday, Jan. 4; Thursday, Jan. 7; and Monday, Jan. 11:
Winter online seminar ”Perspectives on the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign.” 7 p.m. EST via Zoom. Email jnoyalas01@su.edu to register. FREE, but donations are much appreciated. Please register no later than Dec. 20.
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