Copy
March 2021
 Volume No. 5, Issue No. 1
View this email in your browser

A Note from Our Director

It is hard to believe that spring is nearly upon us and that our spring conference, the Civil War on the Water, is just a few weeks away. If you haven’t yet registered there is still time to do so. Although the conference will occur exclusively online, we are delighted to be able to host a great cast of historians virtually between March 29 andApril 7. In addition to preparing for the spring conference, a great deal has been accomplished at MCWI during this year’s first quarter. Along with inventorying all of our collections and making those inventories available via our website, we’ve spent a great deal of time focusing our efforts on finalizing the augmented and virtual reality experiences app at Cool Spring. Although the pandemic has caused some delays, the app should go live early this spring. Please stay tuned for future announcements about when the app will become available for download. As I close, I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to all of our friends and supporters. Your attendance at virtual events, purchase of MCWI publications, and support are appreciated beyond what any words can describe.

Jonathan Noyalas '01, M.A. 
Director, McCormick Civil War Institute 
 

Headlines from the Quarter

There is Still Time to Register for MCWI’s Spring Conference –The Civil War on the Water, March 29-April 7

MCWI’s spring 2021 conference will be held exclusively online this year via Zoom. The conference will feature the following presentations (all sessions begin at 7 p.m. EST): Monday, March 29 – “The Eagle Cowering to the Feet of the Lion”: The Trent Affair and the Freedom of the Seas (Jonathan A. Noyalas, Shenandoah University); Wednesday, March 31 – Commander Hunter Davidson: The Travels, Travails, Triumphs, and Tribulations of a Naval Life (John Coski, American Civil War Museum, retired); Monday, April 5 – Raising the Merrimack: Rescuing the Memory of a Civil War Vessel (Anna Gibson Holloway, Naval History & Heritage Command); and Wednesday, April 7 – Our Little Monitor: The Greatest Invention of the Civil War (Jonathan White, Christopher Newport University). The registration fee of $25 covers the cost of all sessions, including links to recorded sessions. For more details about the conference and to register, please visit the conference webpage
 

Director’s Recent Presentations Focus on Wide Array of Topics


In the closing weeks of 2020 and opening months of 2021, MCWI’s director made a number of public presentations including a virtual presentation about Christmas during the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley to the Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Roundtable, conducted a walking tour of African American Civil War-era sites in Winchester, and participated in an online discussion with historians James Broomall, John Heckman, Lauren Thompson, and Joe Rizzo about soldier life during winter months. Watch the discussion on Facebook.
 

Clarke County Historical Association and MCWI to Partner for Cool Spring Tour on April 24

On Saturday, April 24, from 9:30-11:30 a.m., MCWI’s director will lead a special tour “Through Their Eyes” at Shenandoah University’s River Campus at Cool Spring in partnership with the Clarke County Historical Association. The tour will focus on the individual experiences of soldiers who fought at Cool Spring. The tour will have limited capacity with all COVID-19 protocols maintained. For registration information, please visit the spring tour webpage
 

MCWI Continues to Remain Busy Amid Pandemic


Since mid-March 2020, MCWI and its director have continued to remain busy. In addition to the more than two dozen virtual tour stops which aired on MCWI’s Facebook page by mid-May, MCWI’s director has done a number of Facebook Live events with organizations such as the Clarke County Historical Association and Mosby Heritage Area Association. Additionally, our director has spoken in various online seminars about an array of topics related to the Shenandoah Valley’s Civil War-era history.
 

Director’s 14th Book Slated for Release in Spring 2021


The University Press of Florida will release “Slavery and Freedom in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War Era,” the 14th volume either authored or edited by MCWI’s director Jonathan Noyalas, in April 2021. Dr. James Broomall, director of the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War at Shepherd University, called Noyalas’ latest book “a groundbreaking study that demonstrates how African Americans shaped the Civil War era.” For additional details, visit the book's webpage on the University of Florida Press website.
 

MCWI Archival Holdings Continue to Grow


Near the end of 2020, MCWI received a donation of a substantial amount of materials related to the family of Josiah Baker and his wife Alcinda Baker. The Baker home, Osborn, situated east of Winchester near the Berryville Pike, experienced the the Civil War incessantly. This robust collection includes various photographs, letters, documents, and artifacts from Osborn. Many thanks to MCWI friends and supporter Jon-Erik Gilot for his assistance in bringing this important collection to MCWI.
 

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: Lynette Alley; Gary Brashear; Duncan Campbell; Mary Grace Dorsey; John Grady; Stephanie Hagiwara; Warren Hofstra, Ph.D.; Diane Kerns; John and Cara Lowry; Dr. David and Mrs. Melanie MilesWilliam Miller; Rex and Helen Ritchie; Kirk Sikorowski; Robert and Bessie Solenberger; Barbara StrangfeldValley Guns II; Kanisorn Wangsrichanalai, Ph. D.; Dr. Ed and Mrs. Prue Yelinek; and Joe Young.
,

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.
 

Publication of Note

James M. Dalzell, “Private Dalzell: His Autobiography, Poems and Comic War Papers” (Cincinnati, OH: Robert Clarke & Co., 1888).

*Throughout 2021 the “Publication of Note” portion of the newsletter will highlight some of our director’s favorite histories and reminiscences published in the immediate decades following the Civil War.

From his home in Caldwell, Ohio, slightly more than two decades after the Civil War’s end, James Dalzell fulfilled a promise he made to the “public” and published his autobiography. By the time of the book’s publication, Dalzell had been elected to various political posts in Ohio including prosecuting attorney for Noble County and member of the Buckeye State’s House of Representatives. 

» Continue Reading 

Artifact of the Quarter


Carte-de-visite (cdv) of Corporal John Nabel

Among the various images in MCWI’s growing collections is a carte-de-visite of Corporal John Nabel. Born in Switzerland, Nabel was a 32-year-old carpenter at the time he enlisted in the 30th Massachusetts on May 13, 1862. He was promoted to corporal on June 1, 1864. During the Battle of Cedar Creek, Nabel was shot in the right thigh. Six days after the battle he was admitted to Patterson Park Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Records note that Nabel “was admitted to hospital… with gun shot wound of the right thigh and an extension abscess involving the upper portion of the thigh and hip.” Nabel died from his wound on Nov. 4, 1864, and is buried in grave 968 in Loudoun Park National Cemetery in Baltimore.

 

Coming Events


March 29-April 7:
MCWI’s annual spring conference, The Civil War on the Water.

Saturday, April 24: "Through their Eyes" tour at Cool Spring with Jonathan Noyalas. Event in partnership with Clarke County Historical Association.

Copyright © 2021 Shenandoah University, All rights reserved.