Abstract:
Former North Carolina Governor David L. Swain, served as University of the North Carolina at Chapel Hill's president during the Civil War. Swain's efforts kept the university open throughout the war. Near the end of the war, Chapel Hill was occupied by Union General Smith B. Atkins. Swain introduced Atkins to his daughter Eleanor. The two quickly fell in love and decided to marry. Their marriage was not well received by Southerners. Reconstruction upheaval and the marriage of the university president's daughter to a northern invader closed the University in 1868.