The Civil War in Maryland Reconsidered edited by Charles W. Mitchell and Jean H. Baker

Abstract

The Journal of Southern History, Volume LXXXVIII, No. 4, November 2022 Unfortunately, Civil War historians interested in education will find the volume wanting. Although the essays provide rich stories, they do not engage with recent literature on education during the Civil War era. The authors cite some recent literature produced by historians, but these sources are often cited alongside secondary works from decades ago. Their bibliographies mix secondary works with primary sources, and the parenthetical citations remind readers that these essays were written by scholars who are primarily interested in the mechanics of how institutions functioned. Engaging with historical debates, however, is not the stated purpose of this volume. Instead, the editors explain that the collection responds to calls “from fellow educational historians for a microhistorical, case-by-case examination of internal and external events related to academic persistence in the Civil War South” (p. 18). In answering this call, they have succeeded. Furthermore, they have both provided rich detail about contemporary life and illuminated sources for future research. The essays themselves are somewhat uneven. Although some remain focused on campus and local events, others veer onto the battlefield, describing the experiences of students who became soldiers. The essays might have benefited from referencing each other, pointing out similar challenges and approaches and thereby providing a more unified portrait of the shared issues that plagued administrators and faculty in wartime. Additionally, addressing the role of colleges and universities in shaping the intellectual worlds of the South’s future leaders would have further strengthened these works. For example, in the essay about Spring Hill College, coauthors R. Eric Platt and Donavan L. Johnson note that literary societies on campus produced speeches and publications relating to “the merits of secession and the Confederacy in general” (p. 93). Quoting from even a few of these essays would have provided another layer of detail interesting to scholars. By the end of the volume, the reader certainly appreciates the persistence of these southern educators but may be left to wonder about how many choices these institutions really had. Even if they did not agree with secession, what choice did they have but to invest in Confederate bonds and turn over deserters to the army? What choice did they have but to turn their campuses into makeshift hospitals and provide wounded veterans with free tuition, despite having to face dire financial consequences? These institutions persisted during this trying time but were also pragmatic about their choices. After all, whether the Confederacy won or lost, only those schools that survived could teach the next generation about what happened when Americans fought each other.