CHARLESTON - Kenneth Bailey will give a talk titled “Scratch ‘em and Sue ‘em: Post Civil War Legal Issues” at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Archives and History Library in the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex, Charleston. Bailey’s talk is free and open to the public.
For many years following the war much of West Virginia’s court system was consumed by war-related legal issues. Former Confederates were “scratched” from the voting rolls and sued for alleged wrongs on civilians during the war.
Bailey will discuss legal cases of the Supreme Court dealing with the reconstruction-era issues of voting, false arrest, belligerent rights, property disputes, acts of Confederate county officers and the value of Confederate money, from the end of the war until the “let up” restored rights to former rebels. He will have images of individuals and documents available to enhance the lecture.
Bailey is professor emeritus at West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery where he taught history and was dean of the College of Business, Humanities and Sciences. He was president of the West Virginia Historical Society for two terms and editor society’s publication. In 2003 he received the Virgil A. Lewis award for contributions to the writing and preservation of West Virginia history. Bailey is the author of numerous articles and books including Mountaineers are Free: A History of the West Virginia National Guard (1979, revised and expanded 2008).
On Nov. 13, the library will close at 5 p.m. and reopen at 5:45 p.m. for participants only. For planning purposes, participants are encouraged to register for the lecture, but advance registration is not required to attend. To register in advance, contact Robert Taylor, library manager, by e-mail at bobby.l.taylor@wv.gov or at (304) 558-0230, ext. 163. Participants interested in registering by e-mail should send their name, telephone number and the name and date of the session. For additional information, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.