Research leads to new Civil War theories
History students present findings to national experts over winter break in Chicago
Cassandra Golburg
Issue date: 1/29/07 Section: Campus News
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On Jan. 19, members of History 436: "Sectionalism, Civil War and Reconstruction," got the opportunity to present their work at the University of Chicago.
The class looked at why Confederate leader Robert E. Lee did not send reinforcements to the Battle of Vicksburg, which eventually lead to a Union victory.
"We took a mini view of the war, and focused on the most critical months of the war which were May, June and July of 1863," said Professor James Oberly, who guided the students with their research.
"(The Confederates) made the choice not to send in more troops when in fact they should have held on to Vicksburg at all costs."
By studying Civil War veteran medical records, along with a variety of other data compiled by Nobel Prize winner Robert W. Fogel, the students came up with new theories as to why Lee did not send in more soldiers.
"Confederates operated under the condition that the Union would succumb to disease," said senior Joseph Carlson. "But since they had good nutrition from food they were able to forage from plantations, they did not."
The students were able to do research on a scholarly level - something Carlson said he feels is valuable.
"It was neat to go to another university, which is somewhat prestigious and be able to present our data," he said, "We were asked questions, and they offered us suggestions, and we were able to contribute to their work."
The students were scheduled to present their findings to Fogel, who won the Nobel Prize in 1993. While Fogel was unable to attend due to illness, Oberly said the students did a great job presenting the data to his colleagues.
"The students were quite capable," he said. "But there was never any doubt about that."
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