Military History Commons^™

Gettysburg Heartthrobs: The 10 Most Attractive Officers, Cameron T. Sauers

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

While the author received many names that deserved to be on this list, he regrettably had to choose only ten. That being said, please sit back, relax, and prepare to fall in love with the officers of Gettysburg this Valentine’s Day.

Digital-Lee Archived: An Interview With Colin Woodward, Ashley Whitehead Luskey

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Today we are speaking with Colin Woodward, historian and editor of the Lee Family Digital Archive at Stratford Hall. He holds a Ph.D. in History and is the author of Marching Masters: Slavery, Race, and the Confederate Army During the Civil War, which was published by the University of Virginia Press in 2014. He also maintains an active history and pop culture podcast entitled “Amerikan Rambler,” which is available at www.amerikanrambler.libsyn.com and on iTunes. Dr. Woodward is presently working a book called Country Boy: The Roots of Johnny Cash. [excerpt]

“Borne Back Ceaselessly Into The Past”: Fitzgerald’S Forgotten Civil War Literature, Cameron T. Sauers

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

“So, we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” These are the brilliant last lines of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, lines that speak to the fallibility of Gatsby’s American Dream and his inescapable, yet simultaneously unreachable, past. The legendary ending sentence in The Great Gatsby has captured me since I first read the book as a freshman in high school and made me want to read every Fitzgerald book I could find. The more I read, the more I realized the unique implications this famous last line had for Fitzgerald’s own …

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

Manuscript Collection 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.

Traitors In The Service Of The Lord: The Role Of Church And Clergy In Appalachia's Civil War, Sheilah Elwardani

Masters Theses

Studies of the guerrilla war in the central and southern Appalachian Mountains reveal repeated instances of violence and threats directed at the pastors of mountain churches. Instances of churches being burned, pastors and laymen beaten and at times murdered are sprinkled throughout the primary source materials. The question raised here is why were pastors and specific churches being targeted for violence? The church was the center of the life for secluded Appalachian communities, church leadership carried tremendous weight in influencing loyalties. Research focused solely on the Dunkard Church in Floyd County, Virginia revealed that amidst a particularly violent guerrilla war, …

Interview With Erica Uszak: Scholarship Recipient For 2018 Cwi Summer Conference, Civil War Institute

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Recently, the CWI reached out to Erica Uszak ’22 to reflect on her experience at the 2018 CWI Summer Conference. Uszak, currently a freshman at Gettysburg College studying History and the Civil War, was one of ten high school students to receive a scholarship to attend the conference. Any high school student with an interest in history is eligible to apply for the High School Scholarship. [excerpt]

Messer, George, 1833-1863 (Sc 3312), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript for Manuscripts Small Collection 3312. Letter, 24 February 1863, of George Messer to his wife Lottie, written while encamped with the 107th Illinois Infantry near Woodsonville, Hart County, Kentucky. His news of camp life includes the engagement of an African American cook and a rumor of impending attack by John Hunt Morgan’s guerrillas, which he dismisses in light of the camp’s superior defenses. He describes holding money for safekeeping on behalf of his comrades, and of searching for vegetables to treat an outbreak of scurvy. He also discusses various matters relating to home, including deserters, honoring …

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

Manuscript Collection 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

Manuscript Collection 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.

German Prisoners Of War In Canada, 1940–1946: An Autobiography-Based Essay, Franz-Karl Stanzel

Canadian Military History

The four years I spent in British and Canadian POW Camps offered ample time to study English Literature. This experience in particular had a decisive effect on my later career as university teacher of English literature. It also helped me to become one of the first Anglicists at German and Austrian universities, who included Canadian literature in his syllabus and a founder member of the German Association for Canadian Studies. In this essay based on my war-autobiography, I describe the experience of German POWs in Canada. I was captured in 1942 when serving as third officer of the watch on …

Sexual Orientation And Personnel Security, Jennifer Terry, Richard W. Bloom

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

Dr. Jennifer Terry and IBPP editor Dr. Richard Bloom discuss constructs like ‘formations of sexuality’ and sexual orientation in the context of personnel security, especially within Cold War public discourse. As well, a discussion on war, militarism, and medical research. Worthy of further exploration in the context of security and intelligence activities and only briefly touched on is the academic area of the history of consciousness.

Overpriced Stamps And Mystery Pies: The Complicated Legacy Of Civil War Sutlers, Savannah Labbe

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

In every story, including ones about historical events, there are people who inevitably end up in the background. These people are ever-present but deemed unimportant to the story, like the Union Army sutler depicted next to his makeshift store above. Sutlers were merchants who would follow the Army around, selling the soldiers things they were not issued but might have wanted, such as paper and envelopes for writing home. The reason why the sutler is often left out of history is not just because they were only indirectly related to the fighting, but also because they were greatly disliked by …

George Douglas Papers, 1830-1939, George Douglas

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Finding Aid For George Douglas Papers, (1830-1939), Abilene Christian University Special Collections And Archives

George Douglas Papers

Finding aid for the George Douglas Papers, (1830-1939).

Art In The Trenches: Unofficial Art Of The First World War, Tim Clarke

Canadian Military History

Abstract: Scholarship in recent decades focusing on soldier experiences of the First World War have largely ignored soldier-produced artworks as access points into the experience of modern warfare. Though there has been work on official war artists and post-war artworks of soldiers turned artists, artwork produced during service in a non-official capacity has only featured in art history, where the artwork and artists feature as subjects, rather than as sources for understanding their experiences that contextualize their work. This paper makes a historiographical case for exploring this source-base, while also analyzing several selected works from unofficial First World War artists.

A Complete Transformation Of Medicine: John Letterman’S Ambulance Corps, Savannah Labbe

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Looking back on the practices of Civil War Americans, many people tend to believe the Civil War was a particularly dark time in medical history, a time when doctors sawed off limbs to solve any problems and often did it with dirty instruments and no anesthesia. This idea of Civil War medicine is a misconception because most amputations were, in fact, done with anesthesia and the Civil War did introduce many improvements in the medical field. In fact, the Civil War can be seen as a turning point from more ancient practices of medicine to more modern practices. [excerpt …

Munnings And The Canadians, Tim Cook, Anna England

Canadian Military History

Abstract : Sir Alfred Munnings painted the Canadian Cavalry Brigade and the Canadian Forestry Corps as part of the Canadian War Memorials Fund during the First World War. In the first half of 1918, Munnings, England’s most renowned equine artist, depicted the Canadians in sketches and on canvas, and he eventually produced over 40 works of art. This article will explore Munnings’s interactions with the Canadian cavalrymen and lumberjacks in uniform, while providing additional insight into his works of art that are held at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

Sommaire: Sir Alfred Munnings a réalisé les oeuvres consacrées à …

Noel, Philip Jordan, Sr., 1874-1950 (Sc 3309), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3309. Image of Philip Jordan Noel, Sr. printed on paper (2 copies) and a ribbon worn at the 36th national encampment of the United Spanish War Veterans organization in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in August 1934. Also includes a page with some biographical information printed on it.

25 Years Of Gettysburg, Olivia Ortman

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Amongst the Civil War community here at Gettysburg College, the movie Gettysburg is very much a part of our daily lives. Quotes are thrown back and forth in witty banter, the music is played for dramatic effect, and history professors are badgered to show clips in class. Since the movie fits so seamlessly into our experience here in Gettysburg, we often take it for granted. However, Gettysburg recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special showing at the Majestic Theater, with remarks from the director preceding the viewing. Although none of the Fellows attended, it got a lot of us …

Bienville Parish Records, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Parish court records, 1866-1874; "Enumeration of ex-Confederate soldiers and widow of deceased soldiers," Bienville Parish, 1911.

Camp Ruston Archaeological Survey, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Records of archaeological survey of site of U.S. World War II prisoner of war camp, Camp Ruston, including photographs and artifacts.

Camp Ruston Artifacts, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Artifacts from American section of Camp Ruston found by metal detection.

Camp Ruston Symposium Collection, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Videotaped lectures of Camp Ruston Symposium.

Camp Ruston Artifacts, Memorabilia, And Records, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Artifacts, memorabilia and materials related to the World War II Prisoner of War Camp.

Camp Ruston Archaeological Dig Artifacts, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Artifacts from archaeological dig at Camp Ruston.

Camp Ruston Custodial Agreement, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Custodial agreement between Louisiana Tech University and Ruston Developmental Center to create Camp Ruston Documentation Project in order to document the U.S. World War II prisoner of war camp located near Ruston, Louisiana.

Camp Ruston Maps, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Maps of U.S. World War II prisoner of war camp Camp Ruston, including contemporary maps and maps of current archaeological survey.

Camp Ruston Newspaper Clippings, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Newspaper clippings concerning U.S. World War II prisoner of war camp Camp Ruston.

Camp Ruston Federal Republic Of Germany Certificate, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Certificate signed by the Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Camp Ruston National Archives Records, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Copies of records concerning Camp Ruston from the Office of the Provost Marshal General, Enemy Prisoner of War Information Bureau in the National Archives, Washington DC, including P.O.W. Labor Reports, 1944-1946; Red Cross/Swiss Field and Inspection Reports, 1944-1945; and P.O.W. transfers, personnel comments, and correspondence with the Eighth Service Command (Dallas, Texas).