Every historical project worth its salt includes at least a handful of genuine archival surprises. One that shaped my book, An Unholy Traffic: Slave Trading in the Civil War South, took place in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library in the winter of 2019 (a visit made possible by the support of a Nau Center Library Fellowship).

When historians say the Civil War pitted “brother against brother,” they usually mean siblings fighting against one another on opposite sides of the conflict: one wearing Union blue, the other Confederate gray. In the case of William Tecumseh Sherman and his younger brother, John, however, two siblings on the same side of the war found themselves in frequent disagreement, usually over military affairs.

In the spring of 1867, Americans found themselves navigating uncharted political waters. Two years after the fighting between Union and Confederate forces had ended, the country remained deeply divided over how to move forward. President Andrew Johnson’s approach to Reconstruction had failed. The Republican wing of Congress, frustrated with the president’s accommodation of rapidly rehabilitated and largely unrepentant former rebels, had taken control of Reconstruction policy and set new terms for the readmission of the late Confederate states to participation in the national government.

Over the summer, I had the joy of working with the Nau Center for Civil War History at UVA on the Letters Home digital history project. The John L. Nau III Civil War History Collection, housed in UVA’s Special Collections Library, contains thousands of letters, diaries, and photographs from the Civil War era. The Letters Home project will make this material more accessible to scholars around the world. It will include transcriptions of the documents along with interactive maps and biographies of the soldiers and their families.

My name is Hannah Fleming. I am a 4th year undergraduate student studying history with a concentration in War, Violence, and Society at the University of Virginia. I have always been interested in military history, and my time at the University of Virginia has fostered a deep passion for Civil War history. I became involved with the Nau Civil War Center after taking a course on the Civil War and Reconstruction with the Nau Center’s director, Dr. Caroline Janney, that motivated me to pursue research outside of the classroom.

My name is Jacob Phillips, I’m a third-year history major at the University of Virginia, and I spent this summer as a Nau Center intern at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. The time I spent at the park gave me a personal insight into the world of public history and connected me with amazing historians and fellow interns that I otherwise would never have met. Working at a Civil War battlefield also gave me the opportunity to be physically present at critical national landmarks and immerse myself in the study of the war.

My name is Greyson Bettendorf, and I am a fourth-year student majoring in History and Psychology at UVA. This summer, I had the great opportunity to work as a Nau Center intern at Manassas National Battlefield Park, the site of the first major land battle of the American Civil War. The 5,000 acre park tells the story of both the First and Second Battles of Manassas and of the people who once lived in the area. My time at the park allowed me to dive into many different aspects of the National Park Service and public history. 

I am, first and foremost, a storyteller. It perplexes me that some people can’t seem to comprehend my love for both history and theatre when they share so many similarities. Both ask questions, study behavior, and seek the truth: importantly, both are in the business of people.

History and theatre tell us who we are and why it matters. They tell stories with purpose.

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, surrounded by rolling green hills and dense foliage, was the ideal location for a second-year graduate student such as myself to spend her summer. This Nau Center internship provided the opportunity to work hands-on with the history of the surrender meeting between Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. By caring for the artifacts and documents associated with the meeting and the landscape on which it occurred, I helped to ensure their longevity for future generations.

My name is Riley Fay, and I am a rising third-year at UVA majoring in History and Political & Social Thought. I spent my summer in Charlottesville this year, and although it might seem like I did not travel far for my internship, I found myself transported through time more often than I expected.