Taking Care of Business Perez Dickinson A website co-sponsored by Vanderbilt University Libraries, Middle Tennessee State University Walker Library, and the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, with generous support from the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.
May 2017
The Persistence of Memory | Shades of Gray and Blue
Commemorative rituals like Decoration Day, which began as early as 1865, reflected the public’s need to honor the overwhelming number of Civil War casualties in newly constructed burying grounds. Spearheaded by women, organizations formed for the purpose of creating lasting monuments to the memory of those who fought. Sculptors, painters, and printmakers found a new […]
Portrait of Carrie McGavock | Shades of Gray and Blue
Capturing the Flag Antoinette Polk The Persistence of Memory Monuments and Cemeteries A website co-sponsored by Vanderbilt University Libraries, Middle Tennessee State University Walker Library, and the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, with generous support from the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.
Portrait of John McGavock | Shades of Gray and Blue
Capturing the Flag Antoinette Polk A website co-sponsored by Vanderbilt University Libraries, Middle Tennessee State University Walker Library, and the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, with generous support from the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.
Antoinette Polk | Shades of Gray and Blue
Frequently designed and hand-sewn by ladies’ organizations, flags and banners were powerful symbols honored by the women who made them and the men who relayed them. Carried on the field to inspire and lead troops into battle, regimental banners were often confiscated and highly prized as souvenirs of war. To receive such a spoil of […]
Capturing the Flag | Shades of Gray and Blue
Nineteenth-century citizens invested patriotic symbols with great power. As a commemoration of the American Revolution, the flag was often displayed prominently in American homes. With the outbreak of the Civil War, special flags and banners were created by both sides to lead men into battle. Creating flags was one of the ways women contributed directly […]
Monuments and Cemeteries | Shades of Gray and Blue
The burial of fallen soldiers was often a haphazard activity while war still raged. In rare instances, when families were fortunate enough to retrieve their loved ones, they buried them in family plots. But many died far from home. Sometimes a dignified resting place could be prepared in a timely manner. Two examples in Tennessee […]