Jonathan A. Noyalas – författare

When the South fired the first shot of the Civil War in April 1861, hundreds of volunteers flocked to answer President Lincoln's call to arms, anxious to defend their country and uphold the sanctity of the Union. Among these first volunteers was Robert H. Milroy. Determined to obtain a military education and denied his wish to attend West Point, Milroy had at last secured a position to attend Captain Partridge's Military Academy at Norwich University in Vermont. After graduating, however, he was thwarted time and again in his desire for a military career, quickly discovering that military appointments tended to favor West Point graduates. A fervent abolitionist and dedicated patriot, Milroy craved military action and viewed the Civil War as his long-awaited opportunity to achieve the glorious reputation he so ardently desired.Compiled from primary sources such as Milroy's correspondence and the letters of those who knew him, this biography details the life and times of General Robert H. Milroy. Although perhaps not one of the major players on the stage of Civil War drama, Milroy was one of the staunchest defenders not only of the Union but of the Emancipation Proclamation as well. Focusing primarily on Milroy's Civil War career, this work serves to provide information about lesser known operations in western Virginia during 1861 and 1862 as well as illustrate the bonds that formed between commanders and their men. It also provides a case study of how an abolitionist general enforced his will in various regions throughout the Confederacy. Appendices contain a portion of Milroy's unfinished autobiography and a list of troops commanded by Milroy in combat.

This book examines the complexities of life for African Americans in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley from the antebellum period through Reconstruction. Although the Valley was a site of fierce conflicts during the Civil War and its military activity has been extensively studied, scholars have largely ignored the Black experience in the region until now.Correcting previous assumptions that slavery was not important to the Valley, and that enslaved people were treated better here than in other parts of the South, Jonathan Noyalas demonstrates the strong hold of slavery in the region. He explains that during the war, enslaved and free African Americans navigated a borderland that changed hands frequently-where it was possible to be in Union territory one day, Confederate territory the next, and no-man's land another. He shows that the region's enslaved population resisted slavery and supported the Union war effort by serving as scouts, spies, and laborers, or by fleeing to enlist in regiments of the United States Colored Troops.Noyalas draws on untapped primary resources, including thousands of records from the Freedmen's Bureau and newspapers, to continue the story and reveal the challenges African Americans faced from former Confederates after the war. He traces their actions, which were shaped uniquely by the volatility of the struggle in this region, to ensure that the war's emancipationist legacy would survive.

The African American experience in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley from the antebellum period through ReconstructionThis book examines the complexities of life for African Americans in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley from the antebellum period through Reconstruction. Although the Valley was a site of fierce conflicts during the Civil War and its military activity has been extensively studied, scholars have largely ignored the Black experience in the region until now.Correcting previous assumptions that slavery was not important to the Valley, and that enslaved people were treated better there than in other parts of the South, Jonathan Noyalas demonstrates the strong hold of slavery in the region. He explains that during the war, enslaved and free African Americans navigated a borderland that changed hands frequently—where it was possible to be in Union territory one day, Confederate territory the next, and no-man’s land another. He shows that the region’s enslaved population resisted slavery and supported the Union war effort by serving as scouts, spies, and laborers, or by fleeing to enlist in regiments of the United States Colored Troops.Noyalas draws on untapped primary resources, including thousands of records from the Freedmen’s Bureau and contemporary newspapers, to continue the story and reveal the challenges African Americans faced from former Confederates after the war. He traces their actions, which were shaped uniquely by the volatility of the struggle in this region, to ensure that the war’s emancipationist legacy would survive.A volume in the series Southern Dissent, edited by Stanley Harrold and Randall M. MillerPublication of the paperback edition made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This biography explores General Philip H. Sheridan’s impact on the United States during and after the tumultuous Civil War era, offering a new insight into Sheridan’s changing perspectives on leadership and war, and how various individuals, including family, authors, artists, and entrepreneurs, shaped Sheridan’s legacy after his death in the summer of 1888.The son of Irish immigrants, Sheridan played a critical role in crushing the Confederacy during the Civil War, fighting to ensure the protection of Black people during Reconstruction and safeguard their political rights after the Civil War. He also exerted enormous influence as part of the federal government’s campaigns to corral Indigenous peoples onto reservations in the 1850s and the decades after the Civil War, earning Sheridan the ire of Indigenous peoples and their allies. With an array of primary sources, maps, and illustrations, this volume enriches understanding of one of the most significant military figures in the second half of the nineteenth century.General Philip H. Sheridan is an ideal resource for students and scholars interested in the Civil War, Reconstruction, Indigenous peoples and historical memory.

This biography explores General Philip H. Sheridan’s impact on the United States during and after the tumultuous Civil War era, offering a new insight into Sheridan’s changing perspectives on leadership and war, and how various individuals, including family, authors, artists, and entrepreneurs, shaped Sheridan’s legacy after his death in the summer of 1888.The son of Irish immigrants, Sheridan played a critical role in crushing the Confederacy during the Civil War, fighting to ensure the protection of Black people during Reconstruction and safeguard their political rights after the Civil War. He also exerted enormous influence as part of the federal government’s campaigns to corral Indigenous peoples onto reservations in the 1850s and the decades after the Civil War, earning Sheridan the ire of Indigenous peoples and their allies. With an array of primary sources, maps, and illustrations, this volume enriches understanding of one of the most significant military figures in the second half of the nineteenth century.General Philip H. Sheridan is an ideal resource for students and scholars interested in the Civil War, Reconstruction, Indigenous peoples and historical memory.