On Wednesday, Aug. 14, at 6:30 p.m., the Rowan Rifles Camp 405 Sons of Confederate Veterans will be hosting author and historian Michael Hardy. Hardy will speak on his newest book “North Carolina Remembers Chancellorsville: A Collection of First-Hand Accounts Written by North Carolina Soldiers.”
The Battle of Chancellorsville is regarded by many historians to be the greatest military victory by Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia during the course of the War Between the States, and soldiers from North Carolina served with distinction, often in the midst of some of the heaviest fighting in the battle.
Despite such a proud record, the contributions by soldiers from the Old North State have long been overlooked. This collection of accounts, written during and after the war by North Carolina soldiers, describe in vivid, and often graphic, detail the bravery and sacrifice exhibited during those fateful days in May of 1863.
As one Tar Heel wrote a week after the battle, “North Carolina has reason to be prouder than ever of her sons.” This book recounts that story as told by those very sons.
Hardy has written numerous books, articles, and essays focusing on the War Between the States. He lives in western North Carolina and has won the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award multiple times.
In 2009 he was presented the Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Superior Achievement Award from the Sons of Confederate Veterans, both for his work in preserving Confederate history.
In October 2010, Hardy was honored as the North Carolina Historian of the Year by the North Carolina Society of Historians.
The event will be held in the Stanback Room at the Rowan Public Library and is free to the public.