SUBMITTED BY: Elizabeth Jones (edited and vetted by Cheri Todd Molter)
The following is an excerpt from The Secession Movement in North Carolina, which was written by Dr. Joseph Carlyle Sitterson and published by the University of North Carolina Press in 1939:
“The campaign was pressed vigorously by both Unionists and secessionists as public interest reached an unprecedented height. The candidates for the convention made numerous speeches; and circulars, newspapers, and printed speeches were used in an effort to sway public opinion.
In the extreme eastern counties, the Unionists carried everything before them, especially in the northeastern section. There, William E. Mann of Pasquotank, Watson L. Daniel of Hertford, and William E. Bond of Chowan actively campaigned for the Union. Daniel in his speeches urged the people to vote against the convention.” (pg. 216)
Above is a map titled “Convention Election, February 1861” that was also in Sitterson’s book. Click to enlarge.
Editor’s Note: According to Benjamin Winborne’s The Colonial and State Political History of Hertford County, N.C. (1906), Watson L. Daniel represented Hertford County in the House in 1852 and 1854. A member of the Whig party, Daniel was the son of Captain Belcher Daniel and married to Julia Flower. In 1856, Joseph B. Slaughter defeated him for the Whig nomination and was elected. Later, Daniel “served his county as major in the militia, justice of the peace, and Chairman of the County Court and Register of Deeds” (pg. 13).
Below is a pardon granted to Watson Daniel on May 29, 1865: