Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Railsplitter And The Pathfinder: The Relationship Between Abraham Lincoln And John C. Frémont, Kourtney Yantis

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

This study serves as an analysis of the connections between Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States and John Charles Frémont as a Civil War general. Lincoln’s position within history is solid, unlike that of John C. Frémont. The thesis will elevate Frémont to a higher status as a historical figure by arguing that the emancipation edict that he issued for Missouri in August of 1861 would influence Abraham Lincoln’s preliminary emancipation proclamation of September 1862, even though Lincoln repealed Frémont’s decree. In biographies of each man, their interactions are merely a small part of the stories of their …

Analyzing The Relationship Between Aid Agencies And The Union Army In Civil War Arkansas From 1862 To 1865, Kimberly Green

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

This thesis examines the administration of Arkansas’s contraband camps. The Union Army originally failed Black refugees in their quest for freedom as it was unprepared for the large number of African Americans seeking protection and guidance from the army. Arkansas historians have analyzed the effect the war had on the state as a whole and the operation of the Freedmen’s Bureau, but none of these works detail the various agencies that worked with federal authorities. This thesis follows the Western Sanitary Commission and the American Missionary Association as they assisted the federal government by providing supplies and forming partnerships with …

Enduring The Elements: Civil War Soldiers’ Struggles Against The Weather, Cameron Boutin

Theses and Dissertations--History

This dissertation is an environmental history that studies the variety of ways that soldiers in the American Civil War experienced the pressures of weather over the course of their military service. For the troops of the U.S. and Confederacy, the weather was more than simply a passive backdrop to their time in the military, but a central preoccupation. This dissertation analyzes how weather intersected with some of the most central experiences of soldiering – tent camping and winter quarters, marching, bivouacking, manning sentry posts and field fortifications, and fighting in battles. Life in Civil War armies consisted of all of …

Ms-287: Whitney Family Civil War Letters, Danielle S. Russell

All Finding Aids

The Whitney Family Civil War Letters collection contains 46 letters from the Civil War Era, 2 Freemason dues notices for Mariner T. Whitney, and four empty letter covers. 37 of the letters, written by Hiram R. Whitney, pertain to his military service and daily life with the 132nd New York Infantry Regiment. Two other letters, written by Henry J. Manning and John Marsh Young relate to their military service with the 11th New York Volunteer Cavalry and the 124th New York Infantry, respectively. John Marsh Young was the nephew of Ruhamah Irwin Whitney, the wife of Mariner T. Whitney. The …

Ms-289: John D. Rentz Civil War Diary, Danielle S. Russell

All Finding Aids

John D. Rentz’s Civil War diary chronicles the time he spent with the 96th Pennsylvania Infantry between December 26, 1863, and September 6, 1864. The diary details a wide array of information pertaining to his life with the regiment and the progress of the Civil War.

Rentz’s pension letter is very simple, merely asking for B. Penrose’s assistance with securing a renewal of his pension. The “Rebel letter” written by Margaret Jones to Joseph King is also simple, providing a few details about the rainy weather, the progress of the crops, and expressing Jones’s desire to see her brother.

The …

Hobson, Edward Henry, 1825-1901 (Mss 736), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 736. Photocopied correspondence of Brigadier General Edward H. Hobson of Greensburg, Kentucky. Letters from his family in Bowling Green, Kentucky, fellow soldiers, colleagues and citizens of Greensburg cover his Mexican War and Civil War service, his business ventures, and attempts to win political office. Includes Hobson's memoranda of actions against Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan in 1864, a list of prisoners taken from Morgan's and other brigades, and a letter from Hobson's nephew deploring an 1892 lynching in Bowling Green, Kentucky (Click on "Additional Files" below).

“Infantry Would Not Do:” Appalachia, The Environment, And The Evolution Of Mountain Warfare During The American Civil War, Lucas Michael Wilder

Theses and Dissertations

Union General Ambrose E. Burnside launched his invasion of East Tennessee in the summer of 1863. The corps he used consisted of half-infantry and half-mounted units to utilize their speed to overcome mountain obstacles. The successful campaign and the capture of the agriculturally rich region of East Tennessee and its vital East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad deprived the Confederacy of resources, ultimately contributing to Confederate defeat. The American Civil War saw commanders plunge into the mountains of Appalachia and encounter a terrain and a people with which many were unacquainted. This dissertation argues that their tactics and strategies for dealing …

Sumpter Family Collection (Mss 735), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 735. Correspondence and papers of the family of Captain Charles Ward of Plymouth, New Hampshire, including descendants in the Sumpter family of Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The 1863 Invasion Of Pennsylvania, Michael J. Gallagher

Theses

Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s invasion of Pennsylvania in 1863 was a grave mistake, on a variety of levels, which ultimately culminated in a crippling defeat at Gettysburg. After the Army of Northern Virginia successfully defended southern territory against northern attacks, the transition to an offensive strategy, advancing north in to Pennsylvania was a vast miscalculation. Lee’s army now traversed enemy territory, leaving behind the advantages of a campaign on southern territory and abandoning a defensive posture. This transition to fighting on enemy territory brought several difficulties that Lee seemingly overlooked, and presented challenges for which Lee was unprepared. Lee …

From Revolution To Rejection: Tejanos And The Road To The Civil War, Alexandra Leonor

Student Research

The relationship between white Anglo-Southerner settlers and Mexican people in Texas directly impacted the participation of Mexican Americans in the American Civil War. This relationship was one of equal participation in the Texas Revolution; afterward, the racist discrimination of Anglo settlers led to Mexican people withdrawing from military service during the Mexican-American War, though they held important roles in the Texas Republic. During the Civil War, Mexican people largely fought for the Confederacy in an effort to earn respect and equality and avoid the Anglo settlers’ racism and violence. The race-based class system brought from the United States by the …

No Tolerance For Cowards Or “Yankees:” The Letters Of Reuben Allen Pierson, A Confederate Officer, Erica L. Uszak

Student Publications

Confederate officer Reuben Allen Pierson was a single well-to-do Louisiana slaveholder. He enlisted early in the Ninth Louisiana Infantry, insisting that he joined the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to defend his freedom, family, and new country. He turned his back on the United States, convinced that his Northern counterparts were subhuman and dishonorable. This paper argues that Reuben Allen Pierson remained steadfast in his convictions about Southern duty and honor, arguing in the Confederacy’s favor even in bleak times. The writer will examine why he clung desperately to the Confederacy and how he was influenced by ideas of honor, …

Paradoxes Of The Heart And Mind: Three Case Studies In White Identity, Southern Reality, And The Silenced Memories Of Mississippi Confederate Dissent, 1860-1979, Billy Loper

Master's Theses

This thesis is meant to advance scholars understanding of the processes by which various groups silenced the memory of Civil War white dissent in Mississippi. It analyzes three case studies: F. A. P. Barnard’s 1860 trial for abolitionism, the transformation of community memory which surrounded Newt Knight in the early twentieth century, and Mississippi’s interaction with the Civil War through popular culture. These examples will reveal the cultural and discursive systems that have existed in the state for more than a century. This work argues that Mississippians silenced the memory of racial dissent throughout the state’s history because it conflicted …

The Tide Is Coming In: Fort Pulaski's Historical Relationship With Water, Sadie Ingram

Honors College Theses

Savannah, Georgia is the fourth busiest port in the United States, processing approximately 4.35 million standard shipping containers every year. The port’s protector Fort Pulaski towers among the coastal marshlands and estuaries of the Savannah River. Located on Cockspur Island at the mouth of the Savannah River, this strategic location allowed the fort to protect Savannah’s vital harbor. Built as part of the United States’ Third System plan to build fortifications along the eastern seaboard, construction of Fort Pulaski began in 1827 and finished twenty years later.

Water has played a pivotal role in the history of Fort Pulaski and …

Bring The Jubilee: The Civil War And The Healing Power Of Its Music, Richard E. Martin

History Undergraduate Works

The Civil War was the defining event in American history in many ways, and it was just as traumatic to the individuals who lived through it as it was to the nation. One way in which soldiers and civilians were able to process their emotions and understand their wartime experiences was through music. Civilians and soldiers alike wrote, published, performed, and listened to popular songs as a means of healing. This paper explores the variety of ways in which Americans of the North and South were able to do that. It examines the lyrics and music written during the war. …

“We Do Not Believe Him To Be Sick… But Completely Worthless:” Victorian Character, Self-Mastery, And Pension Outcomes For Disabled Union Veterans, Matthew L. Castagna

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Castle Pinckney Work Continues- Testing And Monitoring During The Down Season In 2020, John Fisher

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Legacy - September 2020, South Carolina Institute Of Archaeology And Anthropology--University Of South Carolina

SCIAA Newsletter - Legacy & PastWatch

Contents:

Ancient Weapons from the Siege of Ninety Six…..p. 1

Director’s Notes…..p. 2

New Books Include Contributions by SCIAA Staff…..p. 4

Artillery Ammunition from the 1781 Siege of Star Fort…..p. 5

The Wateree Bug: Hellgrammites, Dobsonflies, and Mississippian Period Potters…..p. 8

Sixteenth-Century Scale Weights from Santa Elena…..p. 12

Update on the Activities of the Southeastern Paleoamerican Survey (2014-2020)…..p. 17

Field Slave Quarters Discovered at Historic Brattonsville…..p. 23

Castle Pinckney Work Continues: Testing and Monitoring During the Down Season in 2020……p. 26

A Vietnam War-Era Training Village at Fort Jackson…..p. 28

Archaeological Survey at Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site…..p. 31 …

The Failed Powder Boat Explosion During The First Attack On Fort Fisher In December 1864., Christopher Steven Carroll

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This paper attempts to provide a detailed understanding of how General Benjamin Butler's proposal to detonate an explosive laden ship to secure Fort Fisher and ultimately Wilmington, North Carolina failed because of a flawed plan, a gross failure of communication and a desire for personal glory over intelligent planning led to an embarrassing Union defeat in 1864.

Ulster, Georgia, And The Civil War: Stories Of Variation, William Loveless

Honors Theses

Ulster, Georgia, and The Civil War: Stories of Variation explores the lives of 13 men from Northern Ireland who immigrated to the American South and fought for the Confederacy. The author pursues the stories of each man’s life in order to have a more thorough understanding of what life looked like for Irish/Ulster immigrants in the South during the 19^th century. By looking at the lives of the men in Ulster, their first experiences in the United States, their experiences in the Civil War, and their lives following the war, the author identifies more variation than consistent trends.

Sinnet, Edwin, 1827-1902 (Sc 3528), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below). Letter, 21 January 1862, written to his wife in Granville, Ohio, by Dr. Edwin Sinnet while serving as a surgeon with the 94th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. From Mill Springs Kentucky, he writes of the fate of the Confederate forces after the recent battle: their ill-advised attack from their winter quarters; their flight and abandonment of arms, equipment and horses; their burning of flatboats used to cross the Cumberland River; and the “bloody corpses” scattered across fields and roads. He tells of encountering a survivor still lying wounded on the battlefield.

A Forgotten Shade Of Blue: Support For The Union And The Constitutional Republic In Southeastern Kentucky During The Civil War Era., Howard Muncy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes Southeastern Kentucky’s political and military support for the Union during the Civil War era. In the decades prior to the 1860 election, Kentucky developed deep social and economic ties with all sections of the country. After the secession winter that followed Abraham Lincoln’s presidential election, the statewide population divided and pockets of significant Confederate sympathies emerged. Kentucky’s southeastern counties aligned with the Union at the outbreak of the Civil War because of a strong national identity and the absence of a large slave population. As the war unfolded, Southeastern Kentuckians played an important role in the disruption …

Pro-Confederate Sympathy And Its Results In Northern Kentucky, Joel Shutt

Senior Honors Theses

During the Civil War, Kentucky was deeply divided in sentiment between Union and Confederate sympathies. Although these divides could be found anywhere, even within the smallest of towns, the population of some regions numerically favored one side or the other. Even so, there was always a vocal and active minority present, leading to political and even violent contention. This thesis seeks to understand the role that pro-Confederate sentiment played in northern Kentucky during the war. It will investigate how the region influenced the war and public sentiment statewide, and the nature of the conflict within. It will investigate geographic, social, …

Hebron, John L., 1842-1914 (Sc 3522), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript for Manuscripts Small Collection 3522. Letter, 28 September 1861, to his mother from John L. Hebron, serving with the 2nd Ohio Infantry at Camp King near Covington, Kentucky. He describes his travel from Camp Dennison in Ohio, camping and drilling, and the shooting of an African American by a guard. He acknowledges receipt of a needle book and expresses a desire to procure oilcloth for a blanket. He reports on efforts to raise another company in Ohio, the treatment of the men by officers, and the absence of “secesh women” in that part of the state.

Wallar, James Leaman, 1837-1933 (Sc 3518), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3518. Letter, 21 October 1861, to his mother and sisters from James L. Wallar of Marshall, Illinois, serving with the 40th Illinois Volunteers at Paducah, Kentucky. He describes the current circumstances of his regiment: the possibility of winter quarters; the drill and guard routine; construction of fortifications; the wounding of pickets and scouts and the funeral procession of one who was killed; the capture of Confederates; and the local flora. He asks about his crops at home and the possibilities of sale, and notes an “ugly letter” …

Shuster, John W., 1846-1916 (Sc 3512), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and full text transcripts (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3512. Letters, 26 June and 19 July 1864, to Ensign Chubb, Canfield, Ohio, from John W. Shuster, serving with Company H of the 139th Indiana Volunteers. From Fort Jones, Lebanon Junction, Kentucky, he writes of illness in camp, July Fourth celebrations, the predations of “bushwackers,” and the popularity of Democratic presidential candidate George B. McClellan (“little Mac”) among the troops.

Peter, William Henry, 1840-1865 (Sc 3510), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and full text transcripts (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3510. Letters from W. Henry Peter to his sister in Brighton, Illinois. Stationed with the 122nd Illinois Infantry at Paducah, Kentucky on 11 December 1863, he recounts his regiment’s travel there by steamer to a camp site previously occupied by another regiment. He reports receiving a backlog of mail, expresses confidence in the strength of his regiment’s position and its supporting gunboats, and urges her and other family members to visit him. His letter of 12January 1864 reports his assignment as clerk for a military …

Stuver, Aaron S., 1842-1894 (Sc 3505), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript of letter (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3505. Letter, 26 July 1863, of Aaron S. Stuver, written to his sister Emma from Cincinnati, Ohio while serving with the 115th Ohio Volunteers. He describes the defense of Cincinnati from Confederate guerrilla John Hunt Morgan during his raid through Ohio and Indiana, and the funeral of Major Daniel McCook, whose six sons also served in the Army and who was killed at the Battle of Buffington Island. Stuver remarks on the likely effects of conscription on the length of the war, and on the …

Skinner, Asahel, 1814-1902 (Sc 3506), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3506. Application, affidavit, and power of attorney, 4 May 1869, of Asahel Skinner, made to recover the amount of a claim for property loss in connection with the Morgan Raid of 1863 in Meigs County, Ohio. The form, headed “Morgan Raid Claims,” was completed pursuant to an Act of the Ohio Legislature passed 26 April 1869 authorizing such compensation. Includes a photocopy from an unidentified report indicating that Skinner received $220.00 for two horses, a colt, bridles and provisions.

“Broken Ground Of Which I Was Entirely Ignorant:” John C. Frémont Outclassed At Cross Keys, Ethan Zook

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

During the spring and early summer of 1862, Maj. General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and his Army of the Valley engaged several larger Union forces during a series of battles and skirmishes in the Shenandoah Valley. On June 8, 1862 at the Battle of Cross Keys, Major General John C. Frémont attacked Confederate infantry, commanded by Jackson’s subordinate Maj. General Richard S. Ewell, in an attempt to capture a strategically valuable bridge at the small town of Port Republic. Frémont was was forced to retreat when the inexperienced 8th New York Volunteer Infantry was flanked, leading to a collapse of the …

Galvanized Yankees: Confederates In Union Service, Patrick O'Neil

Honors Theses

This museum exhibit explores the topic of the Galvanized Yankees, or U.S. Volunteers, who were regiments of captured Confederate soldiers that chose to take an oath of allegiance to the Union and served on the Western Frontier protecting settlers from Indian attacks. The former Confederate soldiers enlisted because it provided them an opportunity of freedom from the POW camps and an opportunity to earn a wage to provide for their families. One such soldier was James A.P. Fancher, a Confederate POW from Sparta, Tennessee. During their time in the West, the Galvanized Yankees patrolled to keep stagecoach and mail lines …