May 6, 2026 - Brunswick, NC CWRT
May 27, 2026 - Fredericksburg CWRT
May 30, 2026 - Appomattox Petersburg Preservation Society Tour
Nov. 24, 2026 - Williamsburg CWRT
Dec. 8, 2026 - Richmond CWRT
June 14, 2027 - Raleigh CWRT
November 11, 2027 - Milwaukee CWRT
November 12, 2027 - Chicago CWRT
May 11, 2028 - Seattle CWRT
As we approach the anniversary of the New Bern Expedition and the Kinston Hangings (both covered in detail in The Fight For the Old North State (Univ. Press of Kansas, 2019)), I wanted to repost a little background on those little-known events.
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| New Bern, N.C. |
On February 1, 1864, Confederate forces led by George Pickett attacked the Union base at New Bern. The plan originated with Robert E Lee, who proposed the operation to Jefferson Davis in early January. Lee believed success would alleviate the supply crisis plaguing the Army of Northern Virginia and quell an emerging peace movement in North Carolina. As N.C. Supreme Court Justice Walter A. Montgomery later explained: "A great majority of the people . . . thought that the time had arrived when the question of peace with the United States government should be considered. It was thought that the contest was hopeless after the surrender of Vicksburg and the defeat . . . at Gettysburg, and that the further effusion of blood and destruction of property should cease." Understanding these concerns, Lee proposed operations in North Carolina hoping to open up the rich agricultural region for Confederate subsistence officers and to boost Confederate morale in the state.
Over several days, Pickett's forces sought to find a way to take the Federal base. The offensive generated pockets of fighting at Bachelor Creek, Newport Barracks, and Brice's Creek. During the expedition, Confederate forces nearly captured and boarded a train headed into the New Bern defenses and managed to seize a Union gunboat, the Underwriter, only to be forced to abandon the prize almost immediately. Ultimately, the Union forces at New Bern under Innis Palmer managed to fend off the rebels and maintain Union control over eastern North Carolina.
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| George Pickett |
On the retreat from New Bern, Pickett's forces determined that several dozen Union prisoners captured during the expedition had previously served in Confederate units within the state. A court-martial quickly reviewed the cases and passed judgment. Some of the prisoners escaped the ordeal with their lives. One was transferred to civil authorities; another, described as mentally and physically impaired, received a year of hard labor; and three more were branded with a four-inch "D" (for deserter), shackled with a ball and chain, and confined to hard labor for the rest of the war. But most of the accused were not so lucky. The first men identified in the dragnet were hung almost immediately after Pickett’s return to the Confederate base at Kinston. The condemned struck one witness as illiterate, hardened men who expressed little concern for their own plight and “marched to the gallows with apparent indifference.” Several more executions followed, carried out on gallows constructed of "rude" material in a field behind the Kinston jail and all witnessed by troops in Pickett's command.
The hangings triggered swift and widespread condemnation in the Northern press and produced protests from Union officers. Lieutenant Colonel Charles Henry Foster, commander of the 2nd North Carolina Union Volunteers (NCUV,) labeled the hangings an "inexcusable massacre." John Peck, in charge of Federal troops in North Carolina, protested and provided a list of his men captured a New Bern. A truculent Pickett taunted Peck, pointing out that the list "so kindly furnished . . . will enable me to bring to justice many who have up to this time escaped their just desserts."
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The audiobook for The Fight for the Old North State: The Civil War in North Carolina, January-May 1864 is now available.
Gettysburg's Southern Front is now available on audio from Tantor Media and University Press of Kansas. Read by David Colacci.
May 6, 2026 - Brunswick, NC CWRT
May 27, 2026 - Fredericksburg CWRT
Nov. 24, 2026 - Williamsburg CWRT
Dec. 8, 2026 - Richmond CWRT
I was thrilled to hear recently that Civil War Talks: Further Reminiscences of George S. Bernard and His Fellow Veterans will be published soon in paperback from University Press of Virginia. This was my first book project – and I was lucky to work with my co-editors John Selby and John Horn. It is a source rich in little-known battle and campaign accounts and has been cited often since its initial publication in 2012.
The volume is a detailed, extensive collection of firsthand accounts covering the major military campaigns in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Most of these reminiscences have remained obscure and, until now, have been largely unknown. They appear in the form of speeches and letters gathered by Petersburg veteran George S. Bernard covering many battles and campaigns, including Seven Pines, Malvern Hill as well as the Maryland, Gettysburg, Overland, Petersburg, and Appomattox Campaigns. Bernard, a political ally of and personal lawyer for William Mahone, solicited several battle accounts from the former Confederate general, including descriptions of Seven Pines, Malvern Hill, Weldon Railroad, Burgess Mill, and the Appomattox Campaign.
"The release of a second volume of heretofore unpublished primary sources by Bernard serves both a scholarly and a nonprofessional audience. This superbly edited collection will become an essential volume on Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia." - Peter S. Carmichael, Gettysburg College, author of The Last Generation: Young Virginians in Peace, War, and Reunion
I've had a great time over the last year talking to groups about my latest book - Gettysburg's Southern Front. The best part is meeting other people who share an interest in history - especially those who are putting in the work to bring programming to their local roundtables. I also had the pleasure of conducting a small tour east of Richmond with the "Stamp Guys" from the Columbus Civil War Roundtable. We visited key locations covered in my book - Richmond Must Fall.
June 10, 2024 - Rappahannock Valley CWRT, Fredericksburg, VA
Sept. 12, 2024 - Chattanooga CWRT
Oct 2, 2024 - CWRT of Wilmington, DE
Oct. 9, 2024 - Central Ohio CWRT
Nov. 12, 2024 - Charlottesville CWRT
Nov. 21, 2024 - Hampton Roads CWRT
Dec. 9, 2024 - Raleigh CWRT
Feb. 1, 2025 - Appomattox Free Civil War Seminar, Longwood Univ., Va.
Feb. 13, 2025 - Milwaukee CRWT
Feb. 14, 2025 - Chicago CWRT
March 10, 2025 - Fort Sumter CWRT, Charleston, SC
April 17, 2025 - Austin CWRT (virtual)
May 8, 2025 - Rocky Mountain CWRT
May 15, 2025 - Barringer CWRT
June 2, 2025 - Richmond Kiwanis
Nov. 6, 2025 - Pamplin Park CWRT
Nov. 20, 2025 - Gettysburg CWRT
Dec. 8, 2026 - Richmond CWRT
But there is more to come. If you are around for any these upcoming events, please drop by and say hi!
Nov. 9, 2023 - Hanover Tavern, VA
March 23, 2024 - Pamplin Historical Park, Petersburg, VA
June 10, 2024 - Rappahannock Valley CWRT, Fredericksburg, VA
Sept. 12, 2024 - Chattanooga CWRT
Oct 2, 2024 - CWRT of Wilmington, DE
Oct. 9, 2024 - Columbus (OH) CWRT
Nov. 21, 2024 - Hampton Roads CWRT
Feb. 13, 2025 - Milwaukee CRWT
Feb. 14, 2025 - Chicago CWRT
March 10, 2025 - Fort Sumter CWRT, Charleston, SC
May 15, 2025 - Rufus Barringer CWRT
Nov. 20, 2025 - Gettysburg CWRT
Thanks so much to Chris Mackowski from Emerging Civil War for chatting with me about Gettysburg's Southern Front. As a special bonus, I learned during the interview that the book had received the 2023 Emerging Civil War Book Award. Check out the podcast or the video interview.
Thanks so much to Harry Smeltzer for posting an interview with me about Gettysburg’s Southern Front on his Bull Runnings site. We covered a lot of ground - my childhood, some of my favorite authors, my writing "process," the U.S. attack at Richmond during the Gettysburg Campaign, and a little about my next project.
Just catching up on review excerpts for Gettysburg's Southern Front:
"A monograph infused with meticulous research, probing analysis, and a smooth narrative style that can serve as a model for today’s historians attempting write a modern campaign study."—Civil War Times
"Altogether, Gettysburg’s Southern Front is well written, deeply researched, and provides excellent analysis, breaking new ground in the literature of the war, with its look at what was potentially a decisive moment in the war."—New York Military Affairs Symposium
"This study’s value extends beyond its important connections to the Gettysburg Campaign. While those seeking a broader understanding of the Army of Northern Virginia’s invasion into Pennsylvania and the Union efforts to stop it will find Newsome’s smartly crafted book essential, anyone desirous of deepening their knowledge about the roles African Americans played in Civil War operations, interactions between civilians and the military, or the environment's impact on troops will find Newsome’s study of great worth."—Civil War News
"A masterful campaign narrative of understudied military actions."—Civil War Monitor
"Hampton Newsome has a knack for finding parts of the Civil War that have been either ignored or undercovered and then doing a a great job of researching and writing compelling narratives about those parts. This wonderful book is no exception."—Student of the American Civil War
"Newsome’s new book is a marvelously researched history of five weeks of Union and Confederate maneuvering to control the Confederate capital."—The Reconstruction Era
"Newsome’s account of the Union operations around Richmond during the Gettysburg campaign illumines a host of issues long overlooked."—Rocky Mountain Civil War Round Table
"Newsome marshals all of his prodigious research abilities and writing talents, along with strong map support, to craft yet another masterful microhistory of a lesser-known military operation."—Civil War Books and Authors
"Thousands of books have been written about the Gettysburg Campaign, yet talented scholars with fresh insights continue to prove the last has not been said about our most studied military campaign. In Gettysburg’s Southern Front, Hampton Newsome takes readers beyond the fields of Pennsylvania to examine Union efforts to threaten Richmond and its vital railroads in June and July 1863. In doing so, he offers a masterful campaign narrative of understudied military actions, squarely integrating them in the wider scope of the war." - Jonathan M. Steplyk in The Civil War Monitor
Full review here.
Many thanks to Gerald Prokopowicz for having me on his Civil War Talk Radio podcast to talk about Gettysburg's Southern Front from University Press of Kansas.
If you're curious about the book and would like to find out more in a pod format, here is your chance!
Several speaking dates coming up. If you can make it to any of these events, please drop by and say hello:
Jan. 25, 2023 - Civil War Talk Radio
Feb. 23, 2023 - Pender CWRT, Rocky Mount, NC
April 15, 2023 - "In Great Deeds, On Great Fields: Gettysburg at 160 Years. A Civil War Symposium"; Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, Pittsburgh, PA
June 23, 2023 - CSS Neuse Museum, Kinston, NC
July 6, 2023 - Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond, VA
August 10, 2023 - Rocky Mountain CWRT, Littleton, CO
Sept. 12, 2023 - Charlottesville CWRT
Sept. 21, 2023 - Barringer CWRT, Pinehurst, NC
Sept. 26, 2023 - Williamsburg (Va.) CWRT
Nov. 7, 2023 - Brunswick, NC CWRT
Nov. 9, 2023 - Hanover Tavern, VA
Jan. 10, 2024 - Lynchburg CWRT
June 10, 2024 - Rappahannock Valley CWRT, Fredericksburg, VA
Aug. 8, 2024 - Rocky Mountain CWRT
Sept. 12, 2024 - Chattanooga CWRT
Oct 2, 2024 - CWRT of Wilmington, DE
Oct. 9, 2024 - Columbus (OH) CWRT
Nov. 21, 2024 - Hampton Roads CWRT
Feb. 13, 2025 - Milwaukee CRWT
Feb. 14, 2025 - Chicago CWRT
"Hampton Newsome has a knack for finding parts of the Civil War that have been either ignored or undercovered and then doing a great job of researching and writing compelling narratives about those parts. This wonderful book is no exception." - Al Mackey at Student of the American Civil War blog.
Full review is here.
"Newsome’s new book is a marvelously researched history of five weeks of Union and Confederate maneuvering to control the Confederate capital. Nearly everything I read in it was new to me, and I am sure it will be so for most readers of Civil War history . . . . I highly recommend this new work." - Patrick Young at The Reconstruction Era: Blog Exploring the World the Civil War Created
Full review is here.
"Newsome’s coverage of this campaign was thorough and well written. I found his narrative compelling! I particularly appreciated his attention to the logistical issues and the operational fine points of the individual raids; specifics which I haven’t the space to address here. His focus on certain details – the routes taken by the various armies, the movement of prisoners, and the complex problems arising from so many runaway slaves and refugees – drew me in. His explication of the political background and operational issues was excellent. He also took time to develop the story behind Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephen’s effort to organize a prisoner exchange convention/peace conference with the Lincoln administration. While complementary to the military campaign, it gave us a clearer picture of the political context of the Gettysburg campaign as viewed from Richmond. I thought Newsome had a good grasp of the key personalities and their idiosyncrasies. While the Blackberry campaign was a sideshow to the main event (Gettysburg), this is the kind of work that enriches our understanding of the character of the war. Earl Hess calls Newsome’s book a model study! I have to agree."
- Guy Bowman, Rocky Mountain Civil War Roundtable Newsletter, Jan. 5, 2023.
I enjoyed this interview with Bjorn Skaptason at Abraham Lincoln Book Shop, Inc. about my new book, Gettysburg's Southern Front, from University Press of Kansas. You can check out the interview here and order the book here.
"As expected, Newsome marshals all of his prodigious research abilities and writing talents, along with strong map support, to craft yet another masterful microhistory of a lesser-known military operation. Dix's campaign was conducted in distinct phases, all of which are recounted in detail."
Full review is here.
Looking forward to more talks coming up. Here is the current schedule: May 6, 2026 - Brunswick, NC CWRT May 27, 2026 - Fredericksburg C...
