by Erin Stephens

By the end of 1860, it was obvious to   the nation that the secession of the South, particularly South Carolina, was no small issue.  Rumors of war circulated throughout  the country and onto the campus of Davidson College.  Though the college was located in North Carolina, many students had apathetic  
 reactions.  An unknown student wrote home, “there is nothing stirring here at       

Letter by  F. B.  McDowell              present worthy of notice . . . It there will be war I’m willing to let those who began it end it . . .”(“Miss Kate”).   This apathetic spirit reverberated through the campus.  In response to a letter, another student wrote,  “I was considerably amused at your warning me not to desert my books and become a soldier.  I shall always hold myself ready at the call of my country, but shall make it a point to wait until I am called…” (“Excerpts”).  Student J. L. Greenlee echoed this young man’s sentiment. In a letter to his father he pointed out his father’s lack of comment concerning the controversy.  Quickly he tried to assuage any fears his father might have had concerning abandoning his studies: “I suppose you do not wish to arouse my martial spirit . . .Not much danger of that. I know I was never made for a soldier . . . .”  

Despite this apathy concerning the war, the students were politically active, particularly concerning the Presidential elections of 1860.  Once Lincoln was elected, there was some tension in the south because of his anti-slavery stand.  Many of the students sided with the Democrats, against Lincoln, but there were also supporters of the Constitutional Union party, which was composed of Whig supporters and previous American Party members.  This party took no stand on the slavery issue because they realized that it would cause the union to fall apart. The students demonstrated their support for presidential candidate John Bell by erecting a flagpole.  When rumors of war reached the campus, a few students began to have target practice off-campus, but everyone remained diligent to their studies (Shaw 101-102).  When a few students from the seceding South Carolina left to fight, there were a few ripples of excitement on campus.  However, the change from apathy to patriotism began when Lincoln rallied for armies to keep the south from seceding.  Student Henry A. Chambers remembers, “. . .a complete revolution in feeling and conduct occurred in North Carolina and at the college.” (3) The Bell supporters were some of the first to volunteer for service and demonstrate their support of the South. President Kirkpatrick reminisced, “The excitement became intense and uncontrollable” (Shaw 103).

As the Civil War continued, the student composition and population changed.  In the school year of 1861-62, there was no senior class.  The enrollment dropped, and there was a notable difference in the amount of returning students, particularly in the junior class. The pre-war student body dissipated and was replaced with disabled soldiers and young men who were not well schooled, causing the college to resemble a preparatory school (Shaw 104).  Students, who had fled from service in the army, came to campus bringing a dispirited element to the campus.  However, the presence of the soldiers overcame this element and encouraged the spirit of pride and patriotism among the students (F. Brevard McDowell).  The apathetic spirit disappeared once the students were faced with the reality of war and was transformed to patriotism.