Category | News

Only center of its kind in Georgia to teach importance of Civil War

Published on February 27, 2007 by The Sentinel

    Dr. John D. Fowler, associate professor of history at KSU,
recognizes Georgia’s pivotal role in the Civil War as a provider of
“substantial natural resources, manpower and political and military
leadership.”  While attending a symposium last year, Fowler contemplated the founding
of the KSU Research Center for the Civil War Era. He envisioned an
“educational repository,” devoted to the preservation and investigation
of Southern history and the Civil War era. The proposed facility would ideally house 20,000 of
the finest publications on the Civil War and Southern history as a
supplement to an extensive library of primary source documents
preserved on microfilm and microfiche.

     Educational films, Civil War
relics and online resources would make KSU a regional center for
Southern studies.

    Some of the Civil War’s most decisive battles such
as Dalton, Kolb’s Farm, Dallas, Kennesaw Mountain and New Hope Church
were fought in close proximity to the present day campus of KSU.

    Though the battles of the Civil War usually get the
most attention, the center would contain information pertaining to
other social issues. For instance, an individual may want to know more
about the lives of poor Southerners and the effects on African American
women, or perhaps even conduct research on one’s own genealogy.

      Students from across the Southeast could
access a world-class collection of resources as a means to furthering
Southern history education. The program proposes establishing a Masters
of Southern Studies that would enable graduates to work throughout the
South as educators, archivists or curators. A proposed addition of
university produced programming, such as educational films or
television broadcast, would enable a multi-discipline collaboration
“enhancing its [the university’s] reach and reputation across the
state.”

    The center would strive to attract the country’s
most prolific professors by establishing a scholar- in-residence
program that would allow the professional to use KSU as a platform to
research and teach. The web site, which would be maintained by the
institute, would publish lessons for elementary, secondary and
post-secondary educators to use in their classrooms. 

    Besides being an influential academic center, it
would serve as a library open to the public. Interested citizens
outside the academic community would have access to Civil War
memorabilia and all academic resources, enabling anyone to research a
wide range of issues.

    Fowler strongly believes that Georgia’s story needs
to be told and believes the establishment of a Civil War studies
facility would effectively preserve Georgia’s rich history.

    The vision is slowly being realized, but has yet to
come to full fruition. In order to see this dream become a reality,
$2.6 million must be raised. Students, faculty and concerned citizens
interested in contributing can contact Fowler for information on how to
get involved.

    Students can join Fowler May 4 and 5 for a symposium
focused on “The Southern Home Front.” Dr. George Rable, a University of
Alabama professor, will be the keynote speaker.

Photo By Carissa Bulau | The Sentinel
On June 27, 1864 one of the final battles of the Civil War was fought
only minutes away from the present day campus. Maj. Gen. William T.
Sherman led the 100,000-man Union army against 65,000 Confederate men.
After a long morning of artillery bombardment, a wave of Union soldiers
surged across the field to start the battle.