Douglas J. Butler
Author and Photographer
|
|||||||||
| | Welcome | Photo Gallery | Book Press Release | Contact Douglas Butler | |
|||||||||
North Carolina Civil War MonumentsAn Illustrated Historyby Douglas J. Butler272 pp., 137 photos, ISBN: 978-0-7864-6856-0, Softcover. $29.95. Now Available!
Monuments of stone and statues of bronze have honored victorious armies and successful leaders through much of recorded history. Following the American Civil War this commemorative tradition expanded to include soldiers of the defeated Confederate States of America (CSA). By the early 20th century, cemetery memorials and courthouse soldier statues honoring the Southern dead and surviving veterans were regional icons, and men of the Confederate army ranked among history’s most commemorated troops. North Carolina Civil War Monuments: An Illustrated History is a carefully researched book with 137 photographs which details North Carolina’s commemorative response to a war in which more than 30,000 of its soldiers died in military service: 101 Confederate monuments – and eight Union memorials, including one honoring African American troops – were dedicated across NC between 1865 and the Civil War centennial in 1961. The location, design, funding and dedication of these soldier statues reveal a society’s evolving grief and the forging of collective memory. Committee minutes of United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) chapters, financial accounts of Ladies’ Memorial Associations (LMA), legal documents, and contemporaneous accounts are quoted, highlighting the challenging and often contentious process through which these monuments were realized. Manufacturers’ catalogs and advertisements, as well as spirited editorial exchanges in newspapers and magazines, provide further insight into the sculptural, technological and cultural milieu in which these North Carolina monuments, memorials and commemorations were raised. Photographs by the author, an award-winning photographer, illustrate each monument and provide an invaluable record of all 109 memorials early in the 21st century. Additional images showcase sculptural details, while paired appendices, Union and Confederate, summarize key data in an easy-to-use tabular reference. Book Awards
Willie Parker Peace History Book Award from the North Carolina Society of HistoriansJudges’ Comments: “A phenomenal volume” “Careful research extracted from a myriad of sources.” Book Reviews
“This is a well-researched and well-written book... an excellent source” – Civil War News“Degree and depth of the research is very impressive... a most useful book” – Blue & Gray Magazine “A very thorough account of the various monuments built to honor the fallen of the war” – Salisbury Post “Facts on each monument are fascinating and will keep the book in your hands” – Yadkin Valley Living Radio Interviews
Listen to my WFDD NPR Radio Interview (shorter)Listen to my WFDD NPR Radio Interview (longer) Newspaper ArticlesLocal Photographer Presents Civil War Nonument Exhibit at High Point Museum – Winston-Salem Journal |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
|
Confederate Monument Fairview Cemetery Warrenton, NC Dedicated: August 27, 1903 Speaker: NC Supreme Court Justice W. A. Montgomery Manufacturer: Cooper Brothers, Raleigh, NC “Featured Monument” |
|||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||
|
Vance County Confederate Monument Henderson, NC Dedicated November 10, 1910 Sponsor: United Daughters of the Confederacy Monument prose by Orren Randolph Smith, a prominent local citizen widely credited with designing the first Confederate national flag. |
“Silent Sam” University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC Dedicated June 2, 1913 Sponsored jointly by UNC alumni and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, this statue was designed by John Wilson and cast by the Gorham Co. of New York. Sam is considered “silent” because, although armed, he does not wear a cartridge box. Three hundred twenty one UNC students, alumni, and faculty died fighting for the Confederacy. |
||||||||
About the Author
Dr. Douglas Butler is an independent scholar and practicing physician living in northwestern North Carolina. For twenty years this award-winning photographer explored remote areas across five continents, sharing these adventures through prose and image. During the past five years his travels have been closer to home as he studied the history of North Carolina’s Civil War monuments and photographed each of the state’s 109 commemorations raised in the century after Appomattox. North Carolina Civil War Monuments: An Illustrated History (McFarland, 2013), a carefully researched and fully documented book with photographs of each monument, is the result—as is a traveling photo exhibition. Butler’s work has been featured in regional and national publications, and he has written two previous books, Ashe County: Discovering the Lost Province (1992, out of print) and A Walk Atop America: Fifty State Summits and a Dream to Reach Them All (Parkway, 2007). |
|||||||||
Other Books by Douglas Butler
A Walk Atop America |
|||||||||
Appearances and Events
Lecture and Book Signing:After Appomattox: North Carolina Civil War Monuments Lewisville Historical Society Lewisville Branch Public Library 6490 Shallowford Road Lewisville, NC 27023 336-703-2940 Monday May 13, 2019; 6:00 p.m. Memorial Day Presentation: After Appomattox: North Carolina Civil War Monuments Old Stokes County Courthouse 1012 Main St. Danbury, NC 27016 Sunday May 26, 2019; 3:00 p.m. Book Signing and Photography Sale: Art on the Mountain Ashe County Arts Council 303 School Ave. West Jefferson, NC 28694 336-846-2787 Saturday September 28, 2019; 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Lecture and Book Signing: After Appomattox: North Carolina Civil War Monuments Yadkin County Public Library 233 E. Main St. Yadkinville, NC 27055 336-679-8792 Tuesday October 8, 2019; 12:00 p.m. Veterans Presentation and Book Signing: After Appomattox: North Carolina Civil War Monuments Ashe County Public Library 148 Library Rd. West Jefferson, NC 28694 336-846-2041 Wednesday November 13, 2019; 11:00 a.m. Lecture and Book Signing: After Appomattox: North Carolina Civil War Monuments Alleghany County Public Library 115 Atwood St. Sparta, NC 28675 336-372-5573 Thursday May 28, 2020; 6:30 p.m. |
|||||||||
     |
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
Memberships & Links
A Walk Atop AmericaHighpointers North Carolina Humanities Council Speakers Bureau Muddy River Art Associated Artists of Winston-Salem |
|||||||||
Douglas J. Butler
Author and Photographer
5754 US Highway 221 NCrumpler, NC 28617-9403 |
|||||||||
| | Welcome | Photo Gallery | Contact Douglas Butler | |
|||||||||
©2022 Douglas J. Butler - Author and Photographer North Carolina Civil War Monuments-An Illustrated History North Carolina Civil War History Books - North Carolina Civil War Books |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
