The Southern Mind Under Union Rule: The Diary of James Rumley, Beaufort, North Carolina, 1862-1865 Contributor(s): Browning, Judkin (Author) |
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ISBN: 081303728X ISBN-13: 9780813037288 Publisher: University Press of Florida OUR PRICE: $17.96 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: May 2011 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Historical - History | United States - Civil War Period (1850-1877) - History | United States - State & Local - South (al,ar,fl,ga,ky,la,ms,nc,sc,tn,va,wv) |
Dewey: B |
Series: New Perspectives on the History of the South (Paperback) |
Physical Information: 0.7" H x 6" W x 8.9" (0.65 lbs) 216 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 - Topical - Civil War - Cultural Region - South - Geographic Orientation - North Carolina - Cultural Region - Southeast U.S. |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: James Rumley was nearly fifty years old when the Civil War reached the remote outer banks community of Beaufort, North Carolina. Comfortably employed as clerk of the Superior Court of Carteret County, he could only watch as a Union fleet commanded by General Ambrose Burnside snaked its way up the Neuse River in March 1862 and took control of the area. In response to laws enacted by occupying forces, Rumley took the Oath of Allegiance, stood aside as his beloved courthouse was used for pro-Union rallies, and watched helplessly as friends and neighbors had their property seized and taken away. In public, Rumley appeared calm and cooperative, but behind closed doors he poured all his horror, disgust, and outrage into his diary. Safely hidden from the view of military authority, he explained in rational terms how his pledge of allegiance to the invading forces was not morally binding and expressed his endless worry over seeing former slaves emancipated and empowered. This constantly surprising diary provides a rare window onto the mind of a Confederate sympathizer under the rule of what he considered to be an alien, unlawful, and "pestilent" power. |