Well over thirty years ago, historian Greg Mast began an endeavor to document and research the photographic portraits of Confederate soldiers from the Old North State. That project culminated in the publication of State Troops and Volunteers in 1995 by the Division of Archives and History, which included over 600 images and biographies.
To date, in history and content, State Troops and Volunteers remains a one of a kind work. Not surprisingly, the response to the book was overwhelming and helped to promote further scholarship in early North Carolina images.
Efforts to preserve and tell the story of the Tar Heel soldier continue to this day. Tar Heel Faces follows in this legacy to collect, preserve, document, and research North Carolina’s early photographic history. Tar Heel Faces is a project of Greg Mast and Fred Taylor.
- Greg Mast is a native of Watauga County, North Carolina, and near life-long enthusiast of Confederate history and military photography. Greg did his undergraduate work at Appalachian State University and received a master’s degree in history from Duke University. Greg’s seminal work, State Troops and Volunteers, remains the key resource for students, historians, and collectors of North Carolina images. Today, Greg resides with his wife in Person County and remains a passionate scholar in the quest to tell the story of the Tar Heel soldier.
- Fred D. Taylor was born in Virginia, but proudly claims a strong North Carolina family lineage. Fred holds an undergraduate degree in history from Old Dominion University, and a juris doctor from the Mercer University School of Law. Today, Fred is a proud husband and father, practices law, continues to be a “student” of history, collector, and a writer. His work has appeared in such historical journals as Military Images and Civil War Navy Magazine, and several images formerly in his private collection are now included among the holdings of the Library of Congress.
Tar Heel Faces 