History of Resilience tells the true, hidden stories of my mother’s family — from the earliest English settlers in America to the rugged yeoman farmers who endured the American Civil War.
My ancestors Edward Waters and Lady Grace O’Neill arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, surviving starvation, disease, and conflict in the first permanent English settlement in the New World. Their Waters/Walters descendants migrated south through the colonies and into Mississippi, carrying a powerful legacy of resilience, family loyalty, and independence.
This channel follows that long journey — beginning with a special focus on the Civil War era. You’ll hear the remarkable story of my great-great-grandfather Moses Oliver Walters: a Mississippi farmer who volunteered for the Confederacy in 1861, fought at First Bull Run and Ball’s Bluff, survived the brutal Siege of Vicksburg, then made the life-changing decision to desert and join renegade bands in the legendary Free State of Jones.
History of Resilience
The Siege of Vicksburg: How One City’s Fall Split the Confederacy in Two
In the spring and summer of 1863, Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee laid siege to Vicksburg — the “Gibraltar of the Confederacy.” For 47 brutal days, Confederate Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton and his men (including my ancestor Moses Oliver Walters) endured constant artillery bombardment, dwindling rations, and starvation while trapped on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River.
By early July, the situation was hopeless. On July 3, 1863, Pemberton rode out under a white flag to meet Grant. The two generals met between the lines near a stunted oak tree. Pemberton hoped for generous terms. Grant, wanting to avoid the massive burden of feeding and guarding 30,000 prisoners, offered parole instead of unconditional surrender.
On July 4, 1863 — Independence Day — Pemberton formally surrendered the city and his entire army. The Union took control of the Mississippi River, effectively splitting the Confederacy in two.
The timing was devastating: the very next day after Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg, the South suffered two catastrophic blows that it would never fully recover from.
For Moses and thousands of other Mississippi soldiers, this was the turning point. Paroled and sent home with little more than the clothes on their backs (and in Moses’ case, still bandaged from earlier wounds), they returned to a Piney Woods already cracking under the pressure of war.
That homecoming set the stage for the resistance that followed.
Watch Episode 2 of my ancestor’s story to see how the Siege of Vicksburg and its aftermath pushed Moses from Confederate soldier toward the renegades of the Free State of Jones.
What do you think was the bigger blow to the Confederacy — Gettysburg or Vicksburg? Drop your thoughts below 👇
1 week ago | [YT] | 3
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History of Resilience
Episode 1 drops TONIGHT!
What would make a loyal Confederate soldier desert after Vicksburg and join armed renegades in the Piney Woods?
In the very first episode of History of Resilience, I tell the true story of my great-great-grandfather Moses Oliver Walters — an early volunteer who fought at Bull Run and Ball’s Bluff, survived the Siege of Vicksburg, and then made a life-changing decision that put him right in the middle of the Free State of Jones.
This is a raw, hidden story of family, survival, and the moment ordinary yeoman farmers said “enough.”
🔴 Episode 1 premieres tonight at 4:00 PM Pacific Time!
Watch here when it goes live:
https://youtu.be/ZAeKC04L8pk
If you love real Civil War history, genealogy, and stories that don’t make it into the textbooks, hit subscribe and turn on notifications.
Drop a comment: Have you ever found an ancestor whose choices completely surprised you?
Can’t wait to hear what you think!
#HistoryOfResilience #FreeStateOfJones
#VicksburgSiege #CivilWar #BullRun
#renegade
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 4
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