History Commons^™

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.

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 …

Killing Time: An Analysis Of Civil War Soldiers' Discussion Of Free Time In Camp, Madeline Norton

Honors Theses

While most Civil War history deals with a glorified and romanticized version of a soldier’s experience of war, the time a soldier spent combating the idleness of camp proved to be a more consuming battle. Though lacking in grandeur, how a soldier ‘killed time’ provides an important yet often overlooked insight into the camaraderie and culture of Civil War soldiers. Historians that have looked into camp amusements and vices tend not to go beyond the soldiers psychological need to mentally manage the war. This thesis takes their theory a step further. Examining soldiers’ records of their experiences in camp activities …

When The Confederates Terrorized Maine: The Battle Of Portland Harbor, Carter Stevens

Honors Theses

Saturday, June 27, 1863, dawned brightly over Portland, Maine. As the city’s residents began to go about their weekend business, they suddenly realized that the Caleb Cushing, the United States Revenue Cutter (U.S.R.C.) which had been stationed in Portland Harbor on and off again since 1853, was missing. Rumors flew about a traitorous Southerner on board, the work of pirates on the coast, and more. Before the day was over, the revenue cutter would be destroyed and the Casco Bay area would be transformed forever, a victim of one of the northernmost events of the Civil War on the periphery. …

Devotedly Yours: The Prison Letters Of Captain Joseph Scrivner Ambrose Iv, C.S.A., Rebeccah Helen Pedrick

Honors Theses

Tales of war-valor, courage, intrigue, winners, losers, common men, outstanding officers. Such stories captivate, enthrall, and inspire each generation, though readers often feel distanced from the participants. The central figures of these tales are heroes, seemingly beyond the reach of ordinary men. Through a more intimate glimpse of one such figure, the affectionate letters of Joseph Scrivner Ambrose to his sister, written from prison during America's Civil War, perhaps one can find more than a hero- one can find a man with whom one can identify, a man who exemplifies the truth of the old adage, "Heroes are made, not …

Keeping A Town Alive?: The Civil War Re-Enactment Of The Battle Of Pilot Knob, Laura Marie Gentry

Honors Theses

There is a place surrounded by thousands of acres of natural forests encircled by seven beautiful state parks nestled between the highest peaks in Missouri with rich Ozark history. Imagine three small towns situated in a valley of the Ozarks Mountains surrounded by breathtaking scenery, a perfect retreat from busyness of the city and the working world. Would you be interested in escaping here for a weekend or possibly for the rest of your life?

If you even entertained the idea, local Chamber of Commerce officials succeeded in making you believe that Arcadia Valley or the towns of lronton, Arcadia, …

Confederate Matrons : Women Who Served In Virginia Civil War Hospitals, A. Elise Allison

Honors Theses

In September 1862, the Confederate Congress authorized hospitals to employ white women as chief matrons, assistant matrons, and ward matrons. This paper examines the lives and experiences of matrons who worked in Confederate hospitals in Virginia. It concludes that only ''exceptional" women with the stamina to endure physical and mental hardships were able to defy conventional ideas about their proper role and contribute to the care of Confederate sick and wounded as matrons.

Washington, Arkansas: "The War Years" (1860-1865), Don Yancey

Honors Theses

To the ignorant visitor to Washington, Arkansas, it may seem a bit strange that this tiny, decaying Southern town played such an important role during the War Between the States. The strangeness disappears, however, when one learns of how its location in the South, its people, and its monetary and troop contributions meant to the war effort here in Arkansas. Even when the Federals took control of Little Rock, the state capitol, Washington volunteered its services to serve as the Confederate State Capitol. Despite its later decline, Washington occupies a commanding position in the state history of Arkansas and the …

The Camden Expedition: Spring, 1864, James Adrian Ryan Jr.

Honors Theses

General Nathaniel P. Banks assumed command of the Department of the Gulf for the United States on November 8, 1862. IN assuming his office Banks received orders from General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck conveying President Lincoln's concern that no time be lost in opening the Mississippi River for military and naval operations. As soon as this was accomplished, Banks was to consider other operations, such as an expedition up the Red River to liberate the cotton and sugar in Northern Louisiana and Southern Arkansas. He was also to establish a base of operation for the invasion of Texas. This decision was …