Here is a half-century of North Carolina life, from the 1830s to the 1880s, as seen through the keenly observant eyes and the friendly humor of the man who put the state university back on its feet after the war of the sixties and remained its active president until 1891. As a politician and a trusted public servant, Kemp Plummer Battle comments on his times, with many anecdotes and sidelights.

Originally published in 1945.

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