In January of 1861, State Representative Thomas N. Crumpler announced in the North Carolina House of Commons that Ashe County was not likely to support secession. Crumpler's estimation of his voters' opinion proved correct. In February, his constituents gathered in Jefferson to participate in what was described as a "lively debate" on the merits of leaving the Union and voted down a North Carolina secession convention by a count of758 to 144.
John Keegan, The American Civil War: A Military History (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009), 416 pp.; index, photographs, maps. Hardcover, $35.00; ISBN: 978-0-307-26343-8; Paperback, $16.95; ISBN: 978-0-307-27493-9
The Bitter Fruits: The Civil Wilr Comes to a Small Town in Pennsylvania. By David G. Colwell, 1998. Cumberland County Historical Society, 1998.
John J. Butcher, remembered as “one of Carlisle’s most highly respected colored citizens,” was born enslaved five miles from Winchester, Virginia, around 1832. On his death certificate John Butcher’s father’s name was listed as Frank. His mother’s first and maiden names weren’t recorded. Both of his parents were also born in Virginia.
Perhaps it is only a legend that a group of dissidents from Peace Church (now "Historic Peace Church") on Trindle Road set up a camp to hold services at a tiny village then called White Hill. The name was given by Dr. John D.
Caprivi is an unincorporated community in North Middleton Township about three miles from Carlisle on Waggoner’s Gap Road. The community was previously known as Grissinger’s after John J.
The final line of the entry about Captain William E. Miller, in the 1905 Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, ends with "Such is the record of Capt. William E. Miller, a worthy citizen and a gallant soldier." The biographer begins by telling us Captain Miller is "one of the best known and most highly esteemed citizens of Carlisle."
Among the historical records that are included in the archives of Cumberland County, are those of the Civil War Board of Relief. These records provide an opportunity to learn how the war affected the day to day lives of military families in Cumberland County during this tumultuous period of our history.
OFFICERS
Henry J. Biddle, William B. Blaney, James S. Colwell, George W. Comfort
When the Civil War erupted in 1861, James Colwell and his wife Ann were living in Carlisle, Pa.