Free Program – “Civil War Charlotte: Last Capital of the Confederacy” –
Book Talk/Signing with Michael C. Hardy
Saturday, September 29 – 1-2 PM
About the book
Civil War Charlotte: Last Capital of the Confederacy, explores the role the city played in the Confederacy’s effort at attaining victory during the Civil War. Charlotte was influential in transportation and providing industrial needs to the largely agrarian South. Hardy describes how the city's factories produced gunpowder, percussion caps and medicine for the Confederate cause. In addition, the Queen City housed the Confederate Naval Ordnance Depot and Naval Works, manufacturing iron for ironclad vessels and artillery projectiles and providing valuable ammunition for the South. Charlotte sent over 2,500 men into the Confederate army and served as home to a military hospital, a Ladies Aid Society, and a prison. When Richmond fell, Jefferson Davis set up his headquarters in Charlotte, making it the unofficial capital. Join historian Michael C. Hardy as he recounts the triumphs and struggles of Queen City civilians and soldiers in the Civil War.
About the author
History has been a life-long passion for Michael. He participated in his first Civil War re-enactment at the age of ten in 1982. Since then, he has participated in hundreds of events in locations ranging from south Florida to Pennsylvania. Multiple awards include a six-time winner of the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award from the North Carolina Society of Historians. In 2009 he was presented the Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Michael also received the Superior Achievement Award from the Sons of Confederate Veterans for his work in preserving Confederate history. He lives with his wife Elizabeth, an English professor at Maryland Community College and his children Nathanial and Isabella.
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Contact: Jeff Pruett, Director, 704.922.7681 x101 or jpruett@co.gaston.nc.us
Gaston County Museum of Art & History, Dallas, North Carolina
131 West Main Street, Dallas, NC 28034 – The Gaston County Museum is located near Gastonia, North Carolina on the square in historic Dallas.
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