History Commons^™

The Experiences Of African Americans In World War Ii And How They Were Affected Compared To People Of European Descent, Lane Gooding

Masters Theses

The service of African Americans in the United States Army during World War II shaped their perceptions regarding fighting for the same country but with different experiences than their comrades in arms of European descent due to the exposure to racism within their own forces and the harsh realities of warfare. The struggles of African Americans in the army were evident from the start of the United States’ involvement in the war and continued to pose problems even as some soldiers were able to earn the respect of both comrades of European descent and civilians back home. African Americans who …

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 …

الأصول التاريخية للهجرة المغربية إلى فرنسا مابين 1910 و 1963, الكبير عطوف

Dirassat

The historical origins of Moroccan immigration to France between 1910 and 1963

This study seeks to stand on the importance of Moroccan immigration to France in this period by focusing on the Moroccan soldiers fighting alongside France during the First World War, the students and the motives for this migration, the geographical distribution of the origins of these Moroccan immigrants, and researching the so-called secret immigration, and the reasons for preferring France for Moroccan immigrants over their Algerian counterparts, the forms of their embrace in France, and the peculiarities of Moroccan Jewish immigration.

Praying Soldiers: Experiencing Religion As A Revolutionary War Soldier Fighting For Independence, Roberto Oscar Flores De Apodaca

Theses and Dissertations

While enduring the hardships of battle, many Revolutionary War soldiers recorded more about their personal religious lives than perhaps any other single topic. They especially enjoyed cataloging events they ascribed to divine intervention, listing their daily religious routines, and commenting on first time encounters with religious others. New and extreme circumstances tested the religious preconceptions of those who enlisted in ways that they had rarely encountered in civilian life. Their religion took on new importance for them as soldiers relied on it both as an interpretive lens and as a source of stability amid a chaotic war. My dissertation examines …

“The Entire Army Says Hello”: Common Soldiers’ Experiences, Localism, And Army Reform In Britain And Prussia, 1739-1789, Alexander S. Burns

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation fundamentally questions the state of the field regarding militaries, state building, and narratives of modernity in the Kingdoms of Britain and Prussia. An examination of military stereotyping, common soldiers’ correspondence, religion, localism, and army reform all suggests that the British and Prussian militaries were mutually-intelligible and similar, not radically different. This similarity has broad implications for the modern history of these two European states. Britain was not on a straight road to whiggish parliamentary progress, and Prussia was not on a straight road to militarism and authoritarian rule. Rather, in second half of the eighteenth century, both of …

The Reliability Of The Physical Evidence At The Battle Of The Little Big Horn: Can The Physical Evidence Found Provide An Accurate Picture?, Albert Winkler Dr.

Faculty Publications

Often, artifacts, most importantly bullets and spent shell casings, found at the location of the Battle of the Little Big Horn have been used independently of other sources to make or refute certain theories on the encounter. Books and articles based on these finds have advanced many arguments on troop dispositions, types of weapons employed, army movements, the locations of the fighting, and the duration and intensity of combat. Yet many of these studies have not adequately addressed the question of the validity of this physical evidence. The purpose of the this article is to summarize earlier arguments on the …

Failure To Protect?: Applying The Drri-2 Scales To Rwanda And Srebrenica, Elizabeth Mason

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article critically reanalyses the action, or lack of action, taken by UN peacekeepers in Rwanda and Srebrenica in the 1990's. The lack of action of UN peacekeepers in Rwanda and Bosnia has long been criticised as a conscious decision made by peacekeepers to not act in defence of those being targeted but instead to act as bystanders of genocide when they had the ability to prevent acts of genocide taking place. This article re-examines the actions of the UN command under Romeo Dallaire in Rwanda and Thom Karremans in Srebrenica, Bosnia in terms of the stress-related factors which influenced …

A War To Save Civilization: African American Soldiers In Britain During The Second World War, Joseph Dickinson

Voces Novae

During the Second World War, thousands of African American servicemen and women were sent to the British Isles as part of the war effort. Their arrival sparked a debate over American racial beliefs and how they would affect society in Britain, with many white Americans quickly finding that the locals were largely disapproving of the systems of segregation and discrimination common in the United States. Conflicts concerning race often escalated into violence between white soldiers, black soldiers, and the British civilians, forcing the American military to reevaluate their stance on discrimination and segregation in the armed forces.

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.

Requisitioned: American War Art Of The Second World War, Spenser Carroll-Johnson

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

The United States requisitioned artists to assist with military objectives and servicemen requisitioned art as a form of rhetoric. This research reexamines the role of “official artists” and thereby extends its definition to include the multitude of art they produced during the Second World War. The underpinnings of this thesis reside during the economic crises of the 1930s that brought about American emergency relief initiatives for artists under the direction of Holger Cahill and, by extension, Edward Bruce. For the first time in history, the American public engaged with state-sponsored art. Due to a symbiotic relationship that formed between the …

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 …

Madden, Cornelius J., 1842-1903 (Sc 3494), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript of letter (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3494. Letter, 17 November 1862, to his mother from Cornelius Madden, serving with the 102nd Ohio Infantry at Bowling Green, Kentucky. He describes an increase in patrols and fortifications precipitated by rumors of guerrilla leader John Hunt Morgan’s presence in the area. Anticipating an encampment for the winter, he suggests his mother and other “widows” send a box of provisions, prepaid in order to save expense. He reports hearing nothing of his father, also in military service, who he believes to be at Nashville, Tennessee. …

Warr, Joseph W., 1836-1864 (Sc 3482), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on “Additional Files” below for Manuscripts Small Collection 3482. Letter, 11 February 1862, to his mother and siblings from Joseph Warr, Company A, 2nd Minnesota Volunteers. From Somerset, Kentucky, he writes of troop movements toward Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he expects a victorious battle. He describes a recent encounter with Confederate forces crossing the Cumberland River and the severe wounds of those taken prisoner, but declares that the enemy would otherwise have shown no mercy. He notes the long knives of the Confederates (“Mississippi toothpicks”) and the homemade quality of their uniforms. He also urges …

Evans, Ray Estil, 1913-1981 (Sc 3469), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid for Manuscripts Small Collection 3469. Military service records for Roy Estil "Sarge" Evans, a native of Warren County, Kentucky, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Included is a calendar from the "War Prisoner's Aid of the Young Men's Christian Association" in which he marked off the days he was imprisoned as a POW in a German stalag. (Click on "Additional Files" below for scan.) In pencil he wrote "Stalag Luft One Room Four" and marked off days in January - April of 1945. Also includes photocopies of two photographs in the Kentucky Library Research …

Hardesty, Isaac Ellis, 1841-1917 (Sc 3464), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescripts (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3464. Letters, 11 September 1862 and 4 April 1863, to his family from Isaac Hardesty, serving with the 99th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. From camp near Covington, Kentucky, he reports on his health and his efforts to have his clothing shipped home; he also describes his fortified camp, the sounds of battle nearby, the dangers posed to pickets, and his pleasure at glimpsing his home state from the nearby hills. From Louisville, Kentucky, he writes of his painful arm and his longing to be at home, but without …

Obetz, Jeremiah H., 1843-1923 (Sc 3444), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of transcriptions (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3444. Letters of Jeremiah H. Obetz, Manheim, Pennsylvania, to his former employer Henry C. Gingrich, written during his service with the 9th Pennsylvania (Lochiel) Cavalry at Camp Dunham near Bowling Green, Kentucky, and at Camp Andy Johnson near Jeffersonville, Indiana. Obetz describes the pursuit of Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan, the death of a comrade, camp life, and his confidence that England could not interfere successfully against the Union. He also reports on the strength of fortifications at recently recaptured Bowling Green. Suffering from …

Gibble, Harrison H., 1822-1898 (Sc 3443), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Letter, 5 January 1862, of Harrison Gibble, 79th Pennsylvania Infantry, to his friend Henry Gingrich in Manheim, Pennsylvania. From Camp Wood, Munfordville, Kentucky, Gibble writes of the cold weather, the repair of a bridge across the Green River that had been destroyed by Confederates, the construction of floating bridges, and his company’s anticipated move to Cave City, Kentucky. He also relays reports of Confederate withdrawal toward Nashville and of 5,000 sick in hospital at Bowling Green. He mentions the names of other Manheim soldiers in his regiment, asks Gingrich to draw funds for his wife out of his next pay, …

Todd, Theophilus Law, 1841-1963 (Sc 3435), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3435. Letter, 19-21 September 1862, from Theophilus L. Todd to his sister Agnes Jane Todd. Camped near Louisville, Kentucky while serving with the 93rd Ohio Infantry, Todd thanks her for a package of food and clothing. He describes his surroundings and camp life, including the friendly reception the troops received in Louisville and competition between the camp sutler and local women in the sale of foodstuffs. He also writes critically of the behavior of Brigadier General James S. Jackson during a lengthy and tiresome review of the brigade.

Modina, Modina, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Modina fled Myanmar after experiencing and witnessing extreme violence, including the destruction of her village and the violent murder of her uncle by soldiers. She arrived in Bangladesh by boat after paying smugglers a large sum.

Rohima, Rohima, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Rohima was brutally raped and tortured by soldiers during an attack. After witnessing other women receive the same treatment, she fled Myanmar for Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Once there, she got married while pregnant as a result of the rape.

Shobika, Shobika, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Shobika escaped Myanmar amid widespread chaos. After being separated from her husband and experiencing the kidnap of her two children, she was raped by soldiers and became pregnant. Her husband now rejects this child.

Messer, George, 1833-1863 (Sc 3332), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3332. Letters of George Messer to his wife Lottie, written while serving with the 107th Illinois Infantry. Writing on 7-9 December 1862 from Camp Waller near Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where part of his regiment is guarding the railroad, he describes the camp and includes a sketch; he also writes of two desertions, of procuring some fresh meat, of an officer who has contracted a venereal disease, and of the local populace who he finds “at least one half century behind the times.” In a letter of 25 July …

Redfern, Alfred Francis, 1848-1913 (Sc 3327), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3327. Letter, 24 December 1863, to his parents from Alfred Redfern, serving at Point Isabel, Kentucky with the 91st Indiana Volunteers. He reports orders to march to Knoxville, Tennessee, despite his hopes of remaining at the now-fortified camp until he is mustered out. He also reports on receipt of money and other gifts from home, sending some of his pay to a friend in New Albany, and the likelihood of a poor Christmas dinner of fat pork and crackers.

Hebron, John L., 1842-1914 (Sc 3323), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript for Manuscripts Small Collection 3323. Letter, 20 February 1862, from John L. Hebron to his mother in Steubenville, Ohio. He reports his regiment’s arrival on the outskirts of Bowling Green, Kentucky, taken from Confederate forces “without firing a gun,” and describes attempting to cross a ruined bridge, his living quarters in a deserted house, and available food supplies. In a 25 February postscript from Nashville, Tennessee, he writes of the troops’ continued lack of success in crossing the river into Bowling Green, and mentions reports that the Confederates plan to “make a stand” south of Nashville. …

Minton, John Dean, Sr., 1921-2008 (Mss 660), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 660. Letters written by John D. Minton, Sr. to his brother, Layton Minton, while both were in military service during World War II. The collection also contains a small amount of Minton family correspondence and some vocational agriculture notebooks kept by the brothers while in high school.

The War For The Common Soldier: How Men Thought, Fought, And Survived In Civil War Armies, Peter S. Carmichael

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

How did Civil War soldiers endure the brutal and unpredictable existence of army life during the conflict? This question is at the heart of Peter S. Carmichael's sweeping new study of men at war. Based on close examination of the letters and records left behind by individual soldiers from both the North and the South, Carmichael explores the totality of the Civil War experience--the marching, the fighting, the boredom, the idealism, the exhaustion, the punishments, and the frustrations of being away from families who often faced their own dire circumstances. Carmichael focuses not on what soldiers thought but rather how …

Dennis, John, B. 1832 - Letter To (Sc 3300), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3300. Letter, 2 January 1862, to John Dennis and his parents, Richland County, Ohio from John’s brother. In camp near Bardstown, Kentucky with the 64th Regiment, Company B, Ohio Volunteers, he praises Kentucky’s farms, crops and springs, and refers to two men of his acquaintance: William Clark, who is serving with the Confederate Army, and Charles Clark, who he met in Louisville, Kentucky and who boasted of his regiment’s superior skills and African American servants. The envelope bears a pro-Union image.

Messer, George, 1833-1863 (Sc 3297), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3297. Letter, 10 August 1863, of George Messer to his wife Lottie Messer in DeWitt County, Illinois, written from camp southwest of Lebanon, Kentucky. He describes the forces gathering in the area and praises his current officers. Despite the amenities of his camp, he recounts the prevalence of illness and his struggle with chronic diarrhea, which he fears will prevent him and others from accompanying the regiment on a planned march to east Tennessee.

Hobson, William Edward, 1844-1909 - Relating To (Sc 3283), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3283. Certificate of Honorable Discharge, 23 January 1899, issued to William E. Hobson, Bowling Green, Kentucky, by Post No. 55, Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Kentucky. The certificate includes data about Hobson’s service and the date he joined the Post.

Row, Jacob D., 1835-1910 (Sc 3281), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3281. Letter, 4 December 1864, of Jacob D. Row, 17th Indiana Infantry, to his wife Hannah in Lakeville, Indiana. Writing from Louisville, Kentucky, he tells of improving from an illness but complains of weakness and tremors. He advises her to “sell our corn for what you can get” prior to a trip to Ohio, as he will not be coming home on furlough.