Soldiers At The Doorstep: Civil War Lore

by Larry S. Chowning

Overview

For much of the Civil War, Virginia civilians struggled to keep their homes intact as they faced the threat of Union soldiers on their doorsteps. In this revised and expanded second-edition compilation of stories passed down by word-of-mouth from the generation that experienced that divisive war, Larry Chowning shows his talent for capturing the flavor of an era and the essence of its people. The stories of everyday life in a war zone show not just the fear but the courage, defiance, and ingenuity displayed by the people in Virginia's Tidewater region. While these chronicles are Southern, the same sort of narrative could have come from people in Pennsylvania, where Southern troops roamed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870336423
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
Publication date:	05/28/2016
Edition description:	Revised and Expanded 2nd edition
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Larry S. Chowning has spent all but four of his sixty-six years in a small town in Virginia. Chowning's career as a newspaper reporter for Urbanna's Southside Sentinel complements his interest in documenting the lore of the Chesapeake Bay region.

Table of Contents

Preface 6

1 The Bloomer 9

2 A Safe Place 14

3 Behind Enemy Lines and Other Family Stories 17

4 Tales from Slave Times 26

5 Confederate Hip Boots and Other Stories 32

6 Baptized 35

7 Saving the Tavern 39

8 Mary's Warning 42

9 Cornstalk Muskets and Ta-tum, Ta-tum, Ta-tum 47

10 Naming Slaves 56

11 Mrs. Kelly's Cow 60

12 A Sleeping Hog 63

13 Yankee Hole 67

14 Crossing the River 74

15 Saving the Records 80

16 A Christmas Ham 85

17 The Burning of Barrick's Mill 89

18 Two Men with Different Fates 92

19 Recollections from Charlie Palmer 96

20 A Dark Night and a Bright Light 100

21 A Tale of Two Slaves 103

22 A Bloody Day 107

23 A Life-or-Death Choice 110

24 The Last Word 112

Notes 119

Index 120