In Memoriam: Stephen V. Ash

We are saddened to learn that noted Civil War historian and UNC Press author Stephen (Steve) V. Ash passed away on October 10, 2021.

“Steve was a skilled social historian of the South in the Civil War era, and one who mastered the art of writing deeply researched books that were approachable for the trade while still earning the respect of scholars. I often speak of translational scholarship—work that takes the best methods of the academy and communicates it to readers outside—and Steve is one of those people who helped me understand what it looked like in practice.”—Mark Simpson-Vos, UNC Press Editorial Director.

Steve’s first UNC Press book, When the Yankees Came: Conflict and Chaos in the Occupied South, 1861-1865, was originally published in 1995. According to the Journal of Southern History, “Ash’s scholarship is impeccable, as he has refreshingly applied to the war years recent southern historiography on race and gender relations, on notions of honor, and on community structure. . . . This is a very good book that combines extraordinary detail with close analysis of the experiences and the meanings of the encounters between Yankee soldiers and Confederate civilians during the Civil War.”

More recently, Steve returned to the UNC Press fold with Rebel Richmond: Life and Death in the Confederate Capital in 2019. Library Journal called it “deeply researched, revealing, and compelling. . . . Will set the standard for other much-needed intensive, close-up examinations of what the Civil War meant on the ground.”

All at UNC Press offer our deepest condolences to Steve’s family and colleagues.