Table Of Contentof times and race
Of
TIMES
RAANDC E
Essays Inspired by John F. Marszalek
Edited by
Michael B. Ballard and Mark R. Cheathem
university pressofmississippi / jackson
www.upress.state.ms.us
The University Press of Mississippi is a member of the Association of American
University Presses.
Frontis photo by Russ Houston
Copyright © 2013 by University Press of Mississippi
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
First printing 2013
∞
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Of times and race : essays inspired by John F. Marszalek /
edited by Michael B. Ballard and Mark R. Cheathem.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61703-639-2 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-61703-640-8 (ebook)
1. African Americans—History—19th century. 2. African Americans—
History—20th century. 3. Slavery—United States—History—19th century. 4. United
States—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—African Americans. 5. United States—Race
relations—Historiography. I. Ballard, Michael B. II. Cheathem, Mark Renfred. III.
Marszalek, John F., 1939–
E185.2.O4 2013
973’.0496073—dc23 2012017997
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
For
John F. Marszalek,
With our esteem, respect, and affection
And to
Jeanne Marszalek,
Thanks for all the feasts
This page intentionally left blank
CONTENTS
Preface ix
1. Slavery, Plantation Life, and Debt in Tennessee and Mississippi
The Example of Andrew Jackson Donelson 3
mark r. cheathem
2. Patriots or Traitors
Unionists in Civil War Mississippi 31
thomas d. cockrell
3. The African American Experience in Louisiana’s Lafourche Region
during the Civil War 55
stephen s. michot
4. Union Soldiers React to Slaves, Slavery, Freedmen, and Colored U.S.
Troops during the Vicksburg Campaign 69
michael b. ballard
5. Town and Sword
Black Boxers at Columbus, New Mexico, 1916–1922 89
horace nash
6. Black Soldiers and the CCC at Shiloh National Military Park 115
timothy b. smith
7. Challenging the Dunning Orthodoxy
The Reconstruction Revisionism of Francis Butler Simkins and
Robert Hilliard Woody 129
james scott humphreys
viii contents
8. Confronting Race in American History 147
edna greene medford
Notes on Contributors 161
Index 163
PREFACE
thisbook is a tributeto johnmarszalek bythose whoreceived
their doctoral degrees at Mississippi State University under his tutelage.
That factual statement does not scratch the surface of the relationship we
developed with John during our time in graduate school, a strong relation-
ship that continues to the present.
John was a tough taskmaster, but we do not believe any of us ever
feared him. He made clear that he pushed us so that we would never be
satisfied with anything less than our best efforts. We soon found that what
we were capable of doing far exceeded our expectations, and that knowl-
edge propelled us to accomplish more than we thought possible. He chal-
lenged us, and yet he was always there to encourage, to lift up, and, in his
own inimitable way, chastise us when we did not do as well as he knew we
could. We came to call him “the cheerful assassin,” an appellation actually
first uttered by one of his colleagues at the university. We embraced it,
for the words fit him so well. We had a wooden plaque made with those
words etched in, and he immediately hung it from the ceiling of his office.
We often wondered what undergraduates and even new graduate students
thought and felt when they stopped by to see him for the first time and
saw that sign hanging high above his desk.
As important as his academic guidance was his genuine friendship. He
also happens to be married to Jeanne Marszalek, who is one of the best
cooks ever placed on this earth, and he and she were kind enough to invite
us often to their home for one of her always fantastic meals. We watched
his three sons grow from very young men into very successful adults.
Thanks to the Marszaleks’ hospitality, we all became a family, at ease with
him and his family and with one another. We felt comfortable sharing our
personal situations, for we knew we had not only a sympathetic audience
but also a caring one. John and Jeanne listened, and we knew they would
find a way, if one existed, to assist us with whatever problems we vocalized,
real and imagined.
ix
x preface
Long after receiving our degrees, we have kept in touch with him and
continued to admire and appreciate him as mentor and friend. We cel-
ebrated his publishing and other prominent successes, which he, as might
be expected, delayed until his sons were grown and out on their own. His
priorities have always had family at the head of the list. He has become
one of the truly prominent Civil War historians in the United States, and
though we have always had pride in being his doctoral students, we feel
all the more so due to the national recognition he has achieved and richly
deserves.
He retired, or tried to, as a William L. Giles Distinguished Professor of
History at MSU. He has come out of retirement on more than one occa-
sion and is currently executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association.
His reputation as a scholar and gentleman certainly played a vital role in
bringing the U. S. Grant Papers to MSU. His legacy to the university and
to the history profession seems to expand every year.
The idea for this book began with Mike Ballard, John’s second doc-
toral student, and all the contributors quickly jumped on board. Others
would have joined us, but their schedules made their participation impos-
sible. Those of us who participated faced our own challenges in getting
our chapters done, so the project stretched over a much longer period of
time than we expected. We know now that we should have had John set
a deadline for us, but then the book would not have been a surprise. But
it most assuredly would have been completed much sooner. Finally Mark
Cheathem, another Marszalek veteran, volunteered to come on board to
help. Ballard put the book together, and at last we achieved the momen-
tum to bring this volume to completion.
We chose race as the theme of the book, and our choice is a reflec-
tion of one of John’s major fields of historical interest. Most of us had
not considered race as an imperative in our varying fields of interest. We
knew it was a factor, but John’s influence helped us to see that more than a
factor, it was vital to any area of study in American history. Thus we took
a look at our past and present research and evaluated our contributions
within the context of race as a thread that has permeated the evolution of
the fabric of America. By word and deed, John inspired us in more ways
than we could count and many we are likely not aware of. This book is a
reflection of his influence; perhaps now he will fully realize how profound
his influence was.
