History Talk

Topic: The Civil War in Appalachia: History, Stories, and Songs

The residents of the Southern Appalachian Mountains were deeply divided during the Civil War. Loyalties to the Union and the Confederacy tore apart communities and even families. Some historians describe the conflicts here in the mountains as a civil war within the Civil War. This lecture will touch on military history, but it will primarily focus on the social history of the war.  

Campbell will analyze a few popular stories from the period, including a few from the local area, and Rullman, a recent App State graduate, will sing and discuss several mountain ballads. These stories and songs helped people make sense of the tragic times in which they lived, and they can help us understand the full history of the Civil War in Appalachia. Songs may include Dixie and Yankee Dixie, Old Man Tucker, Cumberland Gap, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, and The Scarlet Tide (from Cold Mountain), and an original ballad written by Jackie Rullman. 

Biographical Info:

Campbell is a professor of history at App State, where he teaches North Carolina and recent United States history.  Originally from Ohio, he received his B.A. degree in history and political science from Warren Wilson College in  Asheville and his M.A. and Ph.D. in history from UNC Chapel Hill. Campbell’s book Senator Sam Ervin, Last of the  Founding Fathers won the North Carolinian Society Book of the Year Award for 2007. He has written numerous articles  on civil rights, civil liberties, and North Carolina political culture, one of which was awarded the Connor Prize for the  best article published in the North Carolina Historical Review. Campbell is presently working on a biography tentatively  titled Governor Luther H. Hodges: Carolina at the Crossroads. He was inducted into the App State College of Arts and  Sciences Academy of Outstanding Teachers, and the university presented him with the App State Transforming North  Carolina Research Award. 

Rullman, a native of Shelby, graduated summa cum laude from App State in December 2023 and was awarded the Outstanding Senior Award in the Department of History. She will attend law school this fall.