Date of Award
5-2020
Type
Thesis
Major
History
Degree Type
Master of Arts
Department
History and Geography
First Advisor
Sarah Bowman
Second Advisor
Dan Crosswell
Third Advisor
Ryan Lynch
Abstract
During the Civil War men and women from Columbus supported the Confederate war effort through direct military service and the Ladies Soldier’s Friend Society. After the Civil War, the women of Columbus organized the Ladies Memorial Association to beautify Linwood Cemetery and build a Confederate monument. Their efforts between the years 1865 and 1880 was marked by organization of military parades and speech readings during Confederate Memorial Day, and fundraising projects for the creation of the Columbus monument. No research has been done on the work of Columbus’ Ladies Memorial Association. This work is a historic narrative on the efforts of Columbus women’s involvement in the creation of the South’s Lost Cause identity. The Confederate Memorial Day tradition in Columbus shows that the tradition evolved over time, in response to conflict with Union authorities and social changes as men and women reinterpreted the historical significance of their actions in response to changes in the post-war South.
Recommended Citation
Fabery, Kevin, "The Spirit of Columbus: Civil War Memory in the Fountain City, 1865-1880" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 393.
https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/393
