Military History Commons^™

Bertelson, Richard Iii, B. 1970 (Sc 1417), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1417. Interview, conducted by Western Kentucky University (WKU) student Richard Bertelson, with Persian Gulf War veteran Everett James Stephens, LaGrange, Kentucky--a former WKU student--about his war experiences. Bertelson based his honors thesis on this interview.

Brizendine, Thomas Swearer, 1919-2016 (Sc 1397), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1397. World War II letters, 1941-1945, of Brizendine to his family in Greenville, Kentucky, concerning his military service with the United States Marine Corps in the South Pacific area. Includes associated items.

Boyd, Alexander (Sc 1389), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1389. Confederate soldier Alex Boyd’s letter to his sister Mattie, 8 January 1862, written while stationed at Bowling Green, Kentucky. He describes the design and construction of the fortifications on College Hill and the damage his comrades have inflicted on the town in light of the approach of Federal troops. He also describes incidents of military life, including the resignation of a commander, the requisitioning of private homes for hospitals, and the temporary detention of a Union sympathizer.

Confederate Operations In Eastern Kentucky, 1861-1862, C. David Dalton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

As a border state, Kentucky occupied a unique position in the early days of the Civil War. Her neutral stance was observed by the belligerents for the first five months of the conflict, but in September 1861, troops entered the state. Confederate armies under the leadership of Brigadier Generals Humphrey Marshall and Feliz Zollicoffer sought to drive the Federal forces from eastern Kentucky. Through a series of skirmishes, however, the Southern armies were repelled and placed on the defensive. Later defeats at Logan’s Cross Roads and Middle Creek in early January 1862 cleared eastern Kentucky of Confederate forces. For the …

Kirby Smith In Kentucky The Invasion Of 1862, Gary Donaldson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

On September 95, 1861, Lieutenant General Edmund Kirby Smith reported to his new command at the Department of East Tennessee. It was a troubled command; Kirby Smith's insufficient army was pressed from the north by Brigadier General George Buell. of the Morgan, and from the west by Major General Don Carlos To save his command from certain defeat at the hands superior Union armies, Kirby Smith was able to convince General Braxton Bragg to move his army by rail to East Tennessee.

Through a series of political maneuvers, Kirby Smith obtained a portion of Bragg's army and entered Kentucky on …

Ua68/8/2 John Rodes Oral History, Wku Oral History Committee

WKU Administration Documents

Oral history interview of John Rodes by unidentified interviewer. Rodes discusses Bowling Green, Kentucky history from its founding, the Civil War and his political career.

Ua37/37 The Year 1861 In Brief Review Of American Civil War With Emphasis On Kentucky, Arndt Stickles

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Article regarding Civil War events occurring in Kentucky during 1861.

Items Related To The United Spanish War Veterans Auxiliary (Mss 5 B1 F7), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Primary Sources

Items collected by Bowling Green, Kentucky clubwoman Mackie E. (Smith) Bennett related to the United Spanish War Veterans Auxiliary. The finding aid can be downloaded using the "Download" button and full-text scans of the material can be accessed by clicking on the "Additional Files" below.

Caswell, Samuel Lee, 1907-1991 (Sc 2503), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2503. V-mail letter from S. Lee Caswell, serving in Italy during World War II, to Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Jones, Upton, Kentucky, in which he inquires about his family.

Souvenir Book: Twenty-Ninth Annual Encampment And Twelfth Annual Convention Ladies' Auxiliary, Department Of Kentucky, United Spanish War Veterans, June 5,6,7, 1938, Bowling Green, Kentucky (Ephemera W-30), Kentucky Library Research Collection

Research Collections

"Souvenir Book: Twenty-Ninth Annual Encampment and Twelfth Annual Convention Ladies' Auxiliary, Department of Kentucky, United Spanish War Veterans, June 5,6,7, 1938, Bowling Green, Kentucky." (Ephemera W-30)

Minutes Of The Second Annual Meeting Of Department Encampment Of The United Spanish War Veterans Of Kentucky (Sc 911), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Primary Sources

Finding aid and full-text scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 911. Minutes of the second annual meeting of the United Spanish War Veterans of Kentucky held at Jefferson County Armory, Louisville, Kentucky, 5- 6 May 1925. Also, 1941 obituary of Frank L. Strange, Bowling Green, Kentucky, who was the commander of the 1925 veterans encampment.

Report Of The War Historical Work Of The Kentucky Council Of Defense, Kentucky Library Research Collections

Research Collections

No abstract provided.

Ua98/1 Green & Gold, Vol. Iv, No. 3, Potter College For Young Ladies

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine created by and about the students of Potter College. The Green & Gold contains articles, short stories, poetry and news regarding events of the college, students and alumni.

• Gorin, Rebecca. The Forts of Bowling Green
• Metamorphosis
• Gray, Nell. The Club
• Coombs, Mary. Charity
• Cobb, Pearl. The Garden
• Miller, Lula. The Widow’s Home Coming
• Porter, Jessie. The Widow Shows Her Treasures
• Dorsey, Josey. The Widow’s Grief
• Hinton, Kate. The Love Making of the Widow’s Maid & Sir Roger’s Man
• Washburn, Mary. The Delayed Letter
• Redmond, Ethel. The Effect of Sir Roger’s Death on the Widow
• Voorhees, Pansy. The Widow’s Funeral …

Discharge Certificate From The Spanish-American War And News Clippings About Charles Potter Walton (Sc 1120), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Primary Sources

Finding aid and full-text scan of Spanish-American War related items (Click on "Additional Files" below) from Manuscripts Small Collection 1120. Walton went on to become a Methodist minister who served churches in the south central Kentucky region.

Letter From W.D. "Pete" Bogan To His Mother Ella Bogan (Sc 1479), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Primary Sources

Letter written by W. D. Bogan, in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, to his mother Ella Bogan, Franklin, Kentucky. It includes descriptions of battles in which he participated.

Notecards Containing Service Record Information For Spanish-American War Soldiers From Bowling Green, Kentucky (Mss 349 B17), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Primary Sources

Notecards with military service related information compiled by Elizabeth Coombs, librarian at the Kentucky Library, for soldiers who served in the Spanish-American War, specifically Company B of the Third Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. Company B was raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The cards are arranged alphabetically.

News Clippings About Spanish American War Veterans (Vertical File Material), Kentucky Library Research Collection

Primary Sources

News clippings chiefly related to Spanish-American War veterans, but some contemporary pieces from the War are included as well. When possible this material was arranged chronologically.

Clark, Samuel, 1870-1934 (Sc 526), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Primary Sources

Finding aid for Manuscripts Small Collection 526. Papers related to Samuel Clark, Bowling Green, Kentucky, Captain of Co. B, 3^rd Kentucky Infantry U.S.V. during the Spanish-American War. Papers include muster roll, roll call book, Clark’s discharge and pension papers, photo of Clark in uniform, Clark family genealogy, and miscellaneous items. The muster roll, pension papers, and photograph have been scanned and can be accessed by clicking on the "Additional Files" below. Company B hailed from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Information on the muster roll includes name, rank, age, physical description, hometown, where enrolled, who subscribed the oath to each man, …

John W. Caldwell Summarizes His Career In The Confederate Army In A Letter, 1887, John W. Caldwell

Broadus R. Littlejohn, Jr. Manuscript and Ephemera Collection

On Logan County Bank stationary, Caldwell recalls his ranks and commands over the course of the Civil War. At the time of writing he was president of the bank.

Box 4, Folder 9 Bowling Green, Kentucky - Death Records, U-V, Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Bowling Green, Kentucky – Death Records, 1877-1913

Death certificates were not required by state statute in Kentucky until 1911. Prior to that, some municipalities did collect information related to deaths. In Bowling Green a “Return of a Death” certificate was completed to attest to the death of an individual. Completed returns were filed with the City Clerk in order to obtain a permit for burial within the City of Bowling Green, Kentucky. The returns consist of two parts: 1) a Physician’s Certificate Preparatory to Burial, which states the deceased’s name, sex, race, age, marital status, date of death, cause of death, and duration of last illness; and …

Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Militia Rolls, 1874-1875 (Mss 701), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Militia rolls (two volumes) for Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, 1874, 1875. Names are listed in alphabetical order; no other information is provided.

Letter From E. Kirby Smith To Braxton Bragg, Edmund Kirby-Smith

Broadus R. Littlejohn, Jr. Manuscript and Ephemera Collection

Confederate Major General E. Kirby Smith writes to General Braxton Bragg regarding the positioning of the units under his command in Lexington, Kentucky, close to Ohio and Indiana and also about the condition, positioning, and movements of the Union opposition forces. Smith also

General Orders, No. 14, Issued By (C.S.A.) Major General Leonidas Polk And Signed By George Williamson. Columbus, Kentucky, October 26, 1861., Leonidas Polk, George Williamson

Broadus R. Littlejohn, Jr. Manuscript and Ephemera Collection

General Orders, No. 14, issued by (C.S.A.) Major General Leonidas Polk and signed by George Williamson, detail the arrangements to be made regarding pickets and guard duty at the Headquarters First Division (C.S.A.), Columbus, Kentucky, October 26, 1861.