Woman historian visits mansion

    Dr. Anne J. Bailey, a professor of History at GCSU, gave a presentation on Jan. 17 as the first event in the new series “Writing of the Past: Women Historians, Histories and Minority Issues of the South,” hosted at the Old Governor’s Mansion. The lecture focused on ethnic and racial diversity during the era of the American Civil War.
    This particular event was based on Bailey’s book, “Invisible Southerners: Ethnicity in the Civil War,” which is a collection of related essays about the experience of the German immigrants in Texas, the black involvement in the Union Army, and the relations between the tribes of the Native Americans and the Confederacy.   
    The presentation was enriched by photo slides that were accompanied by detailed explanations and relevant stories of the era.  During her presentation, Bailey did more than merely lecture like an average history professor; rather, she shared her passion for the subject with the audience present on Wednesday night, which nearly filled the room.  Well versed on the many dynamics of the subject of ethnic diversity in the Civil War, Bailey captivated the interests of the room with little known facts and fairly recent findings in historical records that reveal a fascinating history of German Americans, Native Americans, and blacks living in the midst of the Civil War.  According to Bailey, many findings have only recently been uncovered.  There are still many details that are unknown because records have been lost over time or were never recorded at all.  Historically, few records were ever taken of minority groups in the era, but researchers such as Bailey have devoted much effort to this area of American history.  
    Her book was the highlight of the event.  It is one of eight books about the Civil War authored by Bailey.  Stephen D. Engle, author of Struggle for the Heartland made mention of Bailey’s historical literature on the University of Georgia Press Web site, saying, “By exploring a much-neglected but important facet of the war, Anne Bailey has taken Civil War literature beyond battlefield and biography.” 
    Senior mass communication major Ashley Bohanon attended the event and praised the presentation given by Bailey. 
    “The lecture was very in depth and interesting,” Bohanon said. “I was unaware of the degree of ethnic diversity in and around the Civil War.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 26 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry