Title
The Making of a Confederate: Walter Lenoir's Civil War
Creator
William L. Barney
Description
In this book, historian William L. Barney explored transformations in white southern identity through the life of Walter Lenoir of North Carolina. Before the war, Lenoir, uncomfortable as a slaveholder, contemplated abandoning slavery and moving to a free state. In the secession crisis, after initial opposition, Lenoir ultimately supported the Confederacy, even enlisting as a soldier. After his military service, Lenoir re-imagined the identity of himself and his region.
Source
William L. Barney, The Making of a Confederate: Walter Lenoir’s Civil War (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008).
Date
2008
Coverage
Caldwell County, North Carolina
Questions
- How did slaves and slavery affect the Lenoir family’s finances, politics, experiences, and ideologies?
- How did Walter Lenoir’s time as a soldier change him?
- What determined Walter Lenoir’s Confederate allegiances and what sustained them as the war dragged on?