Military History Commons^™

"They Were Only Playin' Leapfrog!": The Infantryman And The Staff Officer In The British Army In The Great War, Benjamin M. Roy

Student Publications

The British Infantryman of the First World War hated Staff Officers more than any other supporting or service branch in the BEF. This essay explores this attitude, its motivations, and the ways complaining helped British Infantrymen endure the Great War. It argues that the British Infantryman felt separate from the Staff Officers because of his intimate understanding of combat and killing and manifested his frustration with the helpless circumstances of war by hating Staff Officers, but ultimately understood the Staff Officer's role and the necessity of their service. By reconsidering the hackneyed views of the 'Poor Bloody Infantry' a new …

Night Falls, Fighters Fly: The Development And Evolution Of Navy Night Fighters In World War Ii, Mark A. Urbon

Student Publications

It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of radar in the Second World War. This piece of Allied technology was one which the Axis were never able to truly overcome. This paper will comprehensively explore how radar was used in the development of U.S. Navy carrier-borne night fighters in World War II. It seeks not just to demonstrate the effectiveness with which night fighters to use, but also the understudied and under-appreciated technological accomplishment that was night fighting. Whereas other works on the subject serve largely as roadmaps or timelines detailing the key moments in night fighter history, this …

“Strike Up” And Mobilize The Band: Musical Activities In The United States Military During World War Ii, Max R. Bouchard

Student Publications

After the United States’ entry into the Second World War, music was one of the most prominent forms of art and popular entertainment to be repurposed by the federal government as part of the mobilization for war. The military implemented numerous music programs produced and consumed by a wide range of service personnel. These activities functioned as a means of building morale among military and civilian audiences, both on the domestic home front and in foreign nations, and disseminating an image of American culture that reinforced a set of values integral to the war effort. In order to present this …

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

Manuscript Collection 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

Manuscript Collection 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” …

Uniquely Okinawan: Determining Identity During The U.S. Wartime Occupation, Courtney A. Short

History

When the U.S. military landed on the shores of Okinawa in 1945, they faced not only a fierce and battle-tested Japanese force, but also 463,000 Okinawan inhabitants. Larger than any other civilian population encountered by the Americans during previous campaigns throughout the Pacific islands, the people of Okinawa also had a unique and complex historical and political relationship with Japan. Okinawa never experienced subjugation as a colony, yet its acceptance as a prefecture did not yield equal treatment for the people because of their Ryukyuan heritage. As the U.S. military prepared for the Battle of Okinawa, they faced dangerous uncertainty …

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

Manuscript Collection 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.

In Search Of A More Republican Naval Defense: Thomas Jefferson, Congress, And The Gunboat Debate, 1802-1810, Ethan David Zook

Masters Theses

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, sought to reduce the national debt, eliminate taxes, and reduce spending regarding the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. To this end, Jefferson enlisted the assistance of congressional Republicans to authorize and fund the construction of lightly armed, coastal-defense gunboats. By examining Jefferson’s writings and congressional speeches, “In Search of a More Republican Naval Defense: Thomas Jefferson, Congress, and the Gunboat Debate, 1802-1810” explains both Jefferson’s interest in the small warships, and why from 1801 to 1809 Congress appropriated $1,205,500 to build approximately 180 gunboats. This thesis argues that Jefferson …

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

Manuscript Collection 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 …

Buckberry, Ray B., Jr., B. 1934 - Collector (Mss 688), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and digital scans for some files for Manuscripts Collection 688. Material collected by Bowling Green, Kentucky attorney, Ray B. Buckberry, Jr. for presentations he prepared about the history of grocery stores locally and nationally and about Operation Tiger, the practice battle for D-Day on Slapton Sands, Devon, England on 28 April 1944 during World War II.

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

Manuscript Collection 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

Manuscript Collection 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.

Centennial Of Rotc At Wofford, Phillip Stone

Library Exhibits

Wofford College has one of the oldest detachments of Army Reserve Officer Training Corps units in the country, dating from December 1919. ROTC has been an important institution in Wofford's history, This exhibit presents information about ROTC in different eras of Wofford's history, from the establishment in 1919 through the 2000s.

"What Good Can There Be In This Kind Of Human?" Spanish Justification For The Conquest Of The Americas, John R. Pittenger

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

The Spanish conquest of the Americas was one of the most brutal episodes in human history. Entire cultures of American natives were suppressed, murdered, raped, and enslaved by Spanish conquistadors on an incessant quest for precious metals and other material wealth. The devastation wrought upon the natives was so great that some Spaniards felt that what they were doing violated God's will and was naturally and morally wrong, but they were vastly outnumbered. The majority saw it as their right, duty, and privilege to conquer and subject these millions of people to Spanish rule. Since they were trying to justify …

Gettysburg Historical Journal 2008

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

Complete issue of The Gettysburg Historical Journal 2008.

“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 …

Japan's War On Three Fronts Prior To 1941, Shaohai Guo

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This paper argues that Japan fought a three-front war prior to 1941. Japan not only fought China in the Second Sino-Japanese War, but conducted military operations against the Soviet Union. The third front occurred within Japan, as military factionalism prevented Japan from focusing on either China or the Soviet Union. By 1941, weakened through years of war, Japan focused their attention on French Indochina. This ultimately led to U.S entry into World War II.

Supply Line: The Canadian War Museum’S Second World War Discovery Box, Sandra O'Quinn

Canadian Military History

Abstract : How do you bring the museum to the classroom? In 2014, the Canadian War Museum introduced the Supply Line program to mark the centenary of the First World War, circulating Discovery Boxes of real and reproduced objects from the Great War to schools across the country, reaching Canadian students in every province and territory. With the arrival of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Museum staff, in consultation with teachers, added new Second World War Discovery Boxes that are proving as successful as the first program. This article discusses the development process behind …

Everything With A Smile: Loxie Dowdy, Alexandra Graham

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

This biography details the life of Vietnam Veteran Loxie Dowdy and her partner Lucille Laugesen.

Tradition And Service: Jordan L. Bear, Laurel Schlegel

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Veterans Legacy Program - Jordan L. Bear

Rita M. Krouse Collection, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Correspondence concerning the building of a military road between Fort Smith on the Arkansas River to Natchitoches, Louisiana

Rodney Ruby Family Papers, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Civil War records and diary of members of the Ruby family of Farmerville, Union Parish, Louisiana

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

Manuscript Finding Aids

CAMP RUSTON DOCUMENTATION PROJECT

Various photographs from Camp Ruston of buildings, U.S. soldiers, staff, and their wives. Also included is the donor's letter to Vince Spione, October 1995

Roland Oliver Papers, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Confederate letters of Oliver from Louisiana and Mississippi (including one from Vicksburg) during the Civil War.

Scotty Gatlin Collection, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Civil War letter from 28th Louisiana Regiment land information on men mentioned in it.

Stephen Webre, Phd., Historical Documents Collection, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Letter from Lavinia Hood to Thomas Bacon Coleman, who was a private in Company I, Second Louisiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, dated Claiborne Parish, La., July 12, 1861

World War Ii Ration Documents, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

Unused ration books from World War II, various rations, gas, store, tires, shoes, fuel oil, etc

St. Roch Military Marches In Wallonia: Memory, Commemoration, And Identity, 1866-1940, Erik Hadley

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2020

Ritualized public processionals known as military saint marches thrive in popular memory and define local identity in Francophone Belgium (Wallonia). The annual processionals involve thousands of marchers dressed in Napoleonic-era military uniforms, carrying authentic muskets and escorting a statue of St. Roch, the patron saint of disease protection. Many of these marchers trace family participation through multiple generations and two St. Roch marches received UNESCO recognition as examples of “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” in 2012. While participants claim there is no historical rupture between the modern marches and the processionals celebrated prior to the French Revolution, there is a …

Rufus M. Smith Collection, University Archives And Special Collections, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University

Manuscript Finding Aids

CAMP RUSTON DOCUMENTATION PROJECT

List of former prisoners interned in U.S. World War II prisoner of war camps who returned for reunion in 1984, including four from Camp Ruston

Exhibit Curriculum For Fighting For Democracy: Unit Three, Sarah Aponte, Martin Toomajian

Open Educational Resources

Exhibit curriculum for the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute exhibit, Fighting for Democracy: Dominican Veterans from World War II.

Students in Global History and U.S. History courses often spend extensive class time studying World War II. Dominicans were involved in virtually every facet of the U.S. war effort. The Dominican Studies Institute's exhibit highlights Dominican veterans who served in both the European and Pacific theaters, in multiple branches of the U.S. armed forces. These same veterans, like other people of color, faced discrimination as soldiers in the U.S. An exploration of these veterans' experiences would be memorable and valuable for secondary …