The Fight For the Old Nrth State: The Civil War in North Carolina, January-May 1864
Hampton NewsomeUniversity Press of Kansas (2019)
WINNER: Richard Barksdale Harwell Award
BOOK OF THE YEAR (2019): Civil War Books and Authors
"Readers appreciative of the high-level research and narrative interpretation skills displayed in Newsome's earlier military study Richmond Must Fall will find the same qualities here . . . In a narrative that details battlefield events and analyzes their military, political, and social contexts in equal measure, The Fight for the Old North State is an excellent history of an understudied late-war offensive that was a rare (though qualified) Confederate success. While racial and political violence were certainly not new to 1864, Newsome's account of the campaign also usefully portrays it as a clear, early demonstration that the coming year's increasingly frequent confrontations between the most volatile combinations of battlefield combatants would be characterized by rising levels of lethal violence. Highly recommended." - Civil War Books and Authors
"... meticulously researched and confidently written new monograph .... [Newsome] places the campaign's military component within a larger political and social context, and he provides astute analytical insights in both his own words and those of contemporaries." - America's Civil War
"... a detailed, fact-filled journey through joint land and water operations by the Federals and Confederates in their struggle for North Carolina during the early part of 1864 ... the social and political climate is expertly relayed ... Hampton Newsome's recommended book tells the chain of events - the highs and lows, the bumbling and the courageous, from January to May, 1864 in the Old North State. It's all here." - Joan Wenner, Civil War News
"Finally, I was able to finish Hampton Newsome's The Fight for the Old North State and oh my, what a terrific book! There is nothing to dislike about this book. It is the most comprehensive thing written on North Carolina during the first half of 1864. Well-researched, well-written, balanced, and well-illustrated, if this book doesn't win some awards, people simply aren't paying attention. The Conclusion alone is the best summary of the topic one could hope to read. It includes the most detailed coverage of the Battle of Plymouth that you will find anywhere. Newsome's understanding of what was going on in North Carolina during this time is second to none and I encourage ANYONE interested in the Civil War, or even simply North Carolina history, to read this book. It will ultimately give you a better understanding of the time." - Civil War Navy, the History Profession, and Other Historical Musings blog
"[Newsome] brings North Carolina’s story into the light and tells how North Carolina military events affected social transformations and politics in the state. Fight for the Old North State is deeply researched, carefully noted and an enjoyable read.” - Gary Barnes, Atlanta Civil War Roundtable
"The Best Civil War Books of 2013"
- The Civil War Monitor, Winter 2013
Finalist for the Richard B. Harwell Book Award from the Atlanta Civil War Round Table
“With meticulous research, Newsome seamlessly weaves
together the stories of the Union and Confederate high command, blending them
with tales told by the ordinary Johnny Reb and Billy Yank. . . . Richmond
Must Fall is an exemplary piece of military history, one that brings to
life the stories of the forgotten battles of October 1864 in a fresh,
page-turning way.” - Timothy J. Orr, History: Reviews of New Books
“Newsome's clear prose and organization, which make a fairly complex series of battles into a logical, effective, and highly readable tome, are the highlight of the work. . . . Overall, Newsome has added to the growing body of knowledge of the Civil War by covering in detail this important but often forgotten campaign in the fall of 1864. The author's extensive use of source materials is impressive and should be a model for other scholars in the field, and his adroit use of first-person accounts is excellent.” - Robert R. Mackey, The Journal of Southern History
“Newsome’s considerable skill in constructing battle narrative from a wide depth and breadth of sources is on full display in this book. … Not only does it fill a gap in the military historiography of the campaign but it does so with a contribution of surpassing quality.”- Civil War Books and Authors blog
"This extensively researched, well-written account, illustrated with an astonishing number of maps, takes the wraps off these forgotten battles. Newsome's detailed descriptions should satisfy even the most demanding Civil War armchair generals." - The Seattle Times
"[Newsome] seamlessly integrates personal accounts from letters and diaries into the text, providing a field-level sense of how the clashes unfolded. Newsome also provides a well-crafted sense of presence to the conflicts in the book . . . The result is a highly detailed but very readable description of the October battles around Petersburg." - Civil War Book Review
"Richmond Must Fall is a first-rate addition to scholarship on the military history of the Civil War . . . [Newsome’s] research is solid, while his analyses of men, terrain and events are both persuasive and compelling. Newsome also demonstrates a keen talent for describing events in a way that is thoroughly detailed but does not lose track of the larger picture." - Ethan S. Rafuse, America’s Civil War
"This is an excellent book. Newsome writes in an engaging style, always keeping the story moving along . . . Siege of Petersburg students, of the war in the east, and of the armies and their constituent parts will want to own this book . . . This book is highly, highly recommended." - TOCWOC, A Civil War Blog
"Richmond Must Fall is a worthwhile addition to the field of Civil War military literature, not only in covering a neglected portion of a complex campaign, but also in illustrating its importance to the political side of the war . . . . [It] thus successfully integrates several diverse topics into a readable and useful narrative about a particular crucial phase of the war." - Michael W. Coffey, The North Carolina Historical Review
Further Reminiscences of George S. Bernard and His Fellow Veterans
Edited with John Horn and John Selby
"The result is a rich collection of primary sources on the military history of the Civil War that, at times, also speaks to issues of historical memory . . . . The editors do an excellent job of clearly but unobtrusively guiding the reader through the documents . . . . The working historian will certainly appreciate the richness of the collection . . . . Military historians will find the collection particularly useful." - Andre M. Fleche, The Journal of Southern History
"Students of the Petersburg Campaign, the Army of Northern Virginia, and first person accounts of the Civil War will want to own this book. In fact, I’d go so far as to say this is one of the most important new books on the war to come out in the past decade. Items long forgotten by most, and some which may never have seen the light of day in any form, are now available thanks to some luck, some great editing, and the publishers at the University of Virginia Press." - TOCWOC, A Civil War Blog
" . . . this thoroughly documented and superbly edited volume belongs on every serious Civil War student's shelf. Bernard's collections of primary sources about Petersburg, the Weldon Railroad and Burgess' Mill are proverbial gold mines of personal accounts of those battles from both sides. ... one of the best Civil War histories I have read in the last few years." John Michael Priest, Civil War News
