While Russell Dashiell has made his living for more than 30 years as a successful attorney in Salisbury, he does have a competing lifelong passion that predates his law practice – a love for Eastern Shore history before, during, and after the Civil War.
What started as a childhood fascination with the war between the states, fueled by its centennial in 1965, Dashiell has become one of a handful of “go-to” history buffs who have studied the Shore’s erratic, almost schizophrenic march to war.
And Russell’s interest goes well beyond his ongoing research. For years, he has participated in civil war reenactments as a C.S.A. officer (in honor of his family ancestors) and has worked closely with the National Park Service on projects throughout Maryland and Virginia. And off the field of battle, Dashiell has served for years as a board trustee of the Maryland Historical Society.
In his Spy interview, Russell talks about the complexity of the Eastern Shore’s participation in the Civil War, the families and regional divisions as highlighted by local newspapers at the time, and how the institution of slavery had very little impact on the Delmarva’s young men to enlist.
This video is approximately ten minutes in length
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.