FEATURE ABSTRACTS
Disaster and Disgrace: The John C. Pemberton Story
By Michael B. Ballard
John C. Pemberton was one of the most reviled generals of the Civil War. Though he fought for the Confederates, he was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His first command as a major general was a disaster because he lacked skill in public relations. He failed to defend the Confederate stronghold in Vicksburg, Mississippi, surrendering after a siege of forty-seven days. Anxious to tell his side of the story, he waited in Demopolis, Alabama, for a court of inquiry to convene--but it never did. He returned at last to Virginia, where Jefferson Davis failed to give him a new command. Finally, Pemberton resigned and accepted a new commission as lieutenant colonel of artillery, a position in which he fought until the end of the war. Pemberton remains a cipher: was he inept, cowardly, or just misused?
Additional Information
Significant collections of John C. Pemberton's papers can be found in three archival repositories: the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, which has the largest number of known Pemberton letters from the antebellum and postbellum periods; the National Archives, containing Pemberton's official Civil War papers; and the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , where the John C. Pemberton Papers, including records and correspondence from all periods of his life, are located.
The North Carolina collection contains items collected and used by Pemberton's grandson, John C. Pemberton III, in his book, Pemberton: Defender of Vicksburg (Chapel Hill, 1942). Despite its partisan tone, the volume is useful because it contains data derived from oral tradition within the Pemberton family. Until the recent publication of Pemberton: A Biography, by Michael Ballard, Pemberton: Defender of Vicksburg was the only book available on the subject and, therefore, greatly influenced historians' interpretations of the confederate general.
About the Author
Michael Ballard holds a Ph.D. in history from Mississippi State University, where he lectures in history and is head of university archives. He has published three books, all with the University Press of Mississippi: A Long Shadow: Jefferson Davis and the Final Days of the Confederacy (1986); Landscapes of Battle: The Civil War, with David Muench (1988), and Pemberton: A Biography (1991). His books on Davis and Pemberton were both History Book Club selections.
By Michael B. Ballard
John C. Pemberton was one of the most reviled generals of the Civil War. Though he fought for the Confederates, he was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His first command as a major general was a disaster because he lacked skill in public relations. He failed to defend the Confederate stronghold in Vicksburg, Mississippi, surrendering after a siege of forty-seven days. Anxious to tell his side of the story, he waited in Demopolis, Alabama, for a court of inquiry to convene--but it never did. He returned at last to Virginia, where Jefferson Davis failed to give him a new command. Finally, Pemberton resigned and accepted a new commission as lieutenant colonel of artillery, a position in which he fought until the end of the war. Pemberton remains a cipher: was he inept, cowardly, or just misused?
Additional Information
Significant collections of John C. Pemberton's papers can be found in three archival repositories: the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, which has the largest number of known Pemberton letters from the antebellum and postbellum periods; the National Archives, containing Pemberton's official Civil War papers; and the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , where the John C. Pemberton Papers, including records and correspondence from all periods of his life, are located.
The North Carolina collection contains items collected and used by Pemberton's grandson, John C. Pemberton III, in his book, Pemberton: Defender of Vicksburg (Chapel Hill, 1942). Despite its partisan tone, the volume is useful because it contains data derived from oral tradition within the Pemberton family. Until the recent publication of Pemberton: A Biography, by Michael Ballard, Pemberton: Defender of Vicksburg was the only book available on the subject and, therefore, greatly influenced historians' interpretations of the confederate general.
About the Author
Michael Ballard holds a Ph.D. in history from Mississippi State University, where he lectures in history and is head of university archives. He has published three books, all with the University Press of Mississippi: A Long Shadow: Jefferson Davis and the Final Days of the Confederacy (1986); Landscapes of Battle: The Civil War, with David Muench (1988), and Pemberton: A Biography (1991). His books on Davis and Pemberton were both History Book Club selections.
Decorative Arts in the Black Belt
By Bryding Adams, Joey Brackner, and Gail Trechsel
A 1985-1994 survey of Alabama's decorative arts reveals a wealth of new information about the cultural history of the state. This feature highlights the work of artisans from one of the survey areas most thoroughly investigated at the time of publication, the Black Belt. The river towns that sprang up there during the early nineteenth century served as commercial centers for the region and connected the Black Belt to the port of Mobile. The towns also attracted artisans and craftsmen who produced necessities and luxury items for local markets as well as for other communities in the vicinity.
Additional Information
About the Authors
Bryding Adams is curator of decorative arts at the Birmingham Museum of Art and director of the Alabama Decorative Arts Survey.
Gail Andrews Trechsel, acting director of the Birmingham Museum of Art, specializes in the tudy of q uilts, particularly traditional Southern quilts.
Joey Brackner, folklife program manager for the Alabama Stare Council on the Arts, is a specialist in Southern pottery.
Anyone possessing objects made in Alabama prior to 1930 and interested in including them in the Decorative Arts Survey should contact Katherine Estes, Field Researcher, Birmingham Museum of Art, 2000 Eighth Avenue North, Birmingham, Alabama 35203. All names are kept confidential. The Decorative Arts Survey is funded by the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Colonial Dames of Alabama, the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the Daniel Foundation, the Linn-Henley Charitable Trust, the John and Delia Robert Charitable Trust, and the Birmingham Quilt Guild.
By Bryding Adams, Joey Brackner, and Gail Trechsel
A 1985-1994 survey of Alabama's decorative arts reveals a wealth of new information about the cultural history of the state. This feature highlights the work of artisans from one of the survey areas most thoroughly investigated at the time of publication, the Black Belt. The river towns that sprang up there during the early nineteenth century served as commercial centers for the region and connected the Black Belt to the port of Mobile. The towns also attracted artisans and craftsmen who produced necessities and luxury items for local markets as well as for other communities in the vicinity.
Additional Information
- Andrews, Gail C. and Janet Strain McDonald. Black Belt to Hill Country: Alabama Quilts from the Robert and Helen Cargo Collection (Birmingham Museum of Art, 1982).
- Brackner, Joey, and E. Henry Willert. The Traditional Pottery of Alabama (Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, 1983).
- ____ and Ron Countryman. Pottery from the Mountains of Alabama, exhibition catalog, Bessemer Historical Society, 1986.
- ____ , "Traditional Pottery of Mobile Bay," Alabama Heritage (Winter 1988, No. 7), pp. 30-41.
- Henley, Bryding Adams. "Gunboat Quilts," Alabama Heritage (Spring, 1988, No.8), pp. 14-25.
- Historical Activities Committee, National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Stare of Alabama, eds. Alabama Portraits Prior to 1870 (National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Alabama, 1969).
- Johnson, Mary Elizabeth. Star Quilts (Clarkson N. Potter, 1992).
- Poesch, Jessie. The Art of the Old South: Painting, Sculpture Architecture & the Products of Craftsmen, 1560-1860 (Alfred Knopf, 1983).
- Rubin, Cynthia, editor. Southern Folk Art (Oxmoor House, 1985).
About the Authors
Bryding Adams is curator of decorative arts at the Birmingham Museum of Art and director of the Alabama Decorative Arts Survey.
Gail Andrews Trechsel, acting director of the Birmingham Museum of Art, specializes in the tudy of q uilts, particularly traditional Southern quilts.
Joey Brackner, folklife program manager for the Alabama Stare Council on the Arts, is a specialist in Southern pottery.
Anyone possessing objects made in Alabama prior to 1930 and interested in including them in the Decorative Arts Survey should contact Katherine Estes, Field Researcher, Birmingham Museum of Art, 2000 Eighth Avenue North, Birmingham, Alabama 35203. All names are kept confidential. The Decorative Arts Survey is funded by the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Colonial Dames of Alabama, the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the Daniel Foundation, the Linn-Henley Charitable Trust, the John and Delia Robert Charitable Trust, and the Birmingham Quilt Guild.
The front cover of the original theater program. The film's debut played to capacity crowds. (Courtesy
Alabama Department of Archives and History)
"Present and Past in the Cradle of Dixie"
By Tanya L. Zanish
In 1914 the Business Men's League of Montgomery funded the production of a short film with the hope of attracting out-of-state business to Alabama. The plot features a Southern belle romancing a gentleman from New England by showing him the sights of Montgomery. After its premier, the film dropped from public consciousness. In the 1920s, the original print was donated to the Alabama Department of Archives and History, where it was forgotten until rediscovered in 1986. Now restored, the film provides a fascinating glimpse of pre-World War I and its inhabitants.
By Tanya L. Zanish
In 1914 the Business Men's League of Montgomery funded the production of a short film with the hope of attracting out-of-state business to Alabama. The plot features a Southern belle romancing a gentleman from New England by showing him the sights of Montgomery. After its premier, the film dropped from public consciousness. In the 1920s, the original print was donated to the Alabama Department of Archives and History, where it was forgotten until rediscovered in 1986. Now restored, the film provides a fascinating glimpse of pre-World War I and its inhabitants.
Additional Information
Sources used at the Alabama Department of Archives and History include the provenance files, the Montgomery Advertiser, the Junior League Scrapbook, the public in formation subject files, the surname files, and Thomas Owen's History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography.
For more information regarding nitrate film, see:
About the Author
Tanya L. Zanish received her B.A. in history and medieval studies from Ohio Wesleyan University and her M.A. in historical and archival administration from Wright Stare University. Before moving to Alabama in 1989, Zanish worked as an archival consultant for Systech Corporation and the Montgomery County (Ohio) Historical Society. She is currently a special collections archivist at the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH). The author wishes to thank Edwin C. Bridges, director, ADAH; Alden Monroe, assistant director, ADAH; and Martin McCaffery, director, Capri Theater, for their assistance with this article.
Sources used at the Alabama Department of Archives and History include the provenance files, the Montgomery Advertiser, the Junior League Scrapbook, the public in formation subject files, the surname files, and Thomas Owen's History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography.
For more information regarding nitrate film, see:
- Booth, Larry, and Robert A. Weinstein. Collection, Use and Care of Historical Photographs (American Association
- for State and Local History, 1977).
- Young, Christine. "Nitrate Films in the Public Institution" (American Association for State and Local History, 1989).
About the Author
Tanya L. Zanish received her B.A. in history and medieval studies from Ohio Wesleyan University and her M.A. in historical and archival administration from Wright Stare University. Before moving to Alabama in 1989, Zanish worked as an archival consultant for Systech Corporation and the Montgomery County (Ohio) Historical Society. She is currently a special collections archivist at the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH). The author wishes to thank Edwin C. Bridges, director, ADAH; Alden Monroe, assistant director, ADAH; and Martin McCaffery, director, Capri Theater, for their assistance with this article.
Black Wings of Tuskegee
By Jerry A. Davis
Finally given the opportunity to become fighter pilots, African Americans brought credit to their country during World War II. Though the War Department was hesitant about sending the pilots into combat overseas, the Tuskegee airmen proved to be invaluable in the war effort. They were pivotal in the advance at the Remagen Bridge. In a time when the military was still segregated, the Tuskegee airmen proved that the race of a properly trained soldier was insignificant. What mattered was the training.
Additional Information
About the Author
Jerry Davis, a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, received his B.A. in history and Russian studies from Tulane University and his M.A. in American Studies from the University of Alabama. For the past year, Davis has been an instructor in world history at Spelman College, Dekalb College, and the Southern College of Technology, all in Atlanta, Georgia.
The author and the editors would like to thank Lt. Col. Charles Dryden, USAF (Ret. ), Lt. Col. Herbert Carter, USAF (Ret.), and Timothy Cronen and Nick Parrella of the Smithsonian Institution for their assistance with this article.
By Jerry A. Davis
Finally given the opportunity to become fighter pilots, African Americans brought credit to their country during World War II. Though the War Department was hesitant about sending the pilots into combat overseas, the Tuskegee airmen proved to be invaluable in the war effort. They were pivotal in the advance at the Remagen Bridge. In a time when the military was still segregated, the Tuskegee airmen proved that the race of a properly trained soldier was insignificant. What mattered was the training.
Additional Information
- Buchanon, Albert Russell. Black Americans in WWII (Clio Press, 1978).
- Francis, Charles E. The Men Who Changed a Nation: The Tuskegee Airmen (Branden Publishing Company, 1988).
- Hardesty, Von, and Dominick Pisano. Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation (National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, 1983).
- Jakeman, Robert J. The Divided Skies: Establishing Segregated Flight Training at Tuskegee, Alabama, 1934-1942 (University of Alabama Press, 1992).
- Lee, Ulysses. United States Army in World War II. Special Studies: The Employment of Negro Troops (Office of the Chief of Military History, United States Army, 1966).
- McGuire, Phillip. He, Too, Spoke for Democracy: Judge Hastie, World War II, and the Black Soldier (Greenwood Press, 1988).
- Rose, Robert A. Lonely Eagles: The Story of America's Black Air Force in World War II (Tuskegee Airmen Inc., Western Region, 1976).
- Sandler, Stanley. Segregated Skies: All-Black Combat Squadrons of World War II (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991).
About the Author
Jerry Davis, a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, received his B.A. in history and Russian studies from Tulane University and his M.A. in American Studies from the University of Alabama. For the past year, Davis has been an instructor in world history at Spelman College, Dekalb College, and the Southern College of Technology, all in Atlanta, Georgia.
The author and the editors would like to thank Lt. Col. Charles Dryden, USAF (Ret. ), Lt. Col. Herbert Carter, USAF (Ret.), and Timothy Cronen and Nick Parrella of the Smithsonian Institution for their assistance with this article.
DEPARTMENT ABSTRACTS
Art in the South
A Stained-Glass Tiffany Knight
By Robert O. Mellown
The library at the University of Alabama boasts a remarkable stained-glass window featuring a "Christian Knight." Designed in 1925 by Tiffany Studios in New York and commissioned by the Alabama Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the handsome memorial commemorates the role university students played in the Civil War.
About the Author
Robert Mellown is a professor of art history at the University of Alabama.
A Stained-Glass Tiffany Knight
By Robert O. Mellown
The library at the University of Alabama boasts a remarkable stained-glass window featuring a "Christian Knight." Designed in 1925 by Tiffany Studios in New York and commissioned by the Alabama Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the handsome memorial commemorates the role university students played in the Civil War.
About the Author
Robert Mellown is a professor of art history at the University of Alabama.