1 / 47

Military Periodicals and the Civil War

Military Periodicals and the Civil War. Michael E. Unsworth History Librarian Michigan State University Libraries unsworth@msu.edu. OUTLINE. Importance Definition Antebellum Efforts Need during the War Journals: Army & Navy Official Gazette United States Service Magazine

nikita
Download Presentation

Military Periodicals and the Civil War

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Military Periodicals and the Civil War Michael E. Unsworth History Librarian Michigan State University Libraries unsworth@msu.edu

  2. OUTLINE Importance Definition Antebellum Efforts Need during the War Journals: Army & Navy Official Gazette United States Service Magazine Army and Navy Journal Postwar developments Summary

  3. Definition of Journals:Elastic

  4. IMPORTANCE:Military Professionalism

  5. IMPORTANCE:American View of Military Leadership

  6. Military Professionalism:Specialized Education

  7. Military Professionalism:Specialized Knowledge

  8. Antebellum Efforts,1796-1853

  9. Civil War Rapid Expansion of the Union Forces = Need for Information

  10. Army & Navy Official Gazette(July 7, 1863-June 27, 1865)Founded by Edwin M. Stanton

  11. Type of Publication:Official Gazette • Acts as an Official publication of a Government: “bringing together data from numerous official sources and enabling users to cross-reference official information easily” • Lists: • Appointments and Promotions • Public Honors • Legal Notices • State Notice

  12. Army & Navy Official GazetteContents • Reports of Battles • “Important” Orders of the War Dept. • Records of Courts-Martial • Directories of Army officials & military hospitals • General & Special Orders from government departments • Additions & corrections to drill manuals • Correspondence • Announcements • Articles from Other Publications

  13. Army & Navy Official Gazette“Dismissals in the Department of the Cumberland, Oct. 23, 1863” “Second Lieutenant Oscar D. Kress, 17th Kentucky volunteers, from April 1, 1863, for frequent rowdyism and drunkenness in public places, persistent neglect of duty, and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman and also for general worthlessness.”

  14. United States Service Magazine(Jan. 1864-June 1866)Founded by: Prof. Henry Coppée

  15. PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL TAILORED TO AN AUDIENCE OF CITIZEN-OFFICERS

  16. CURRENT OPERATIONS

  17. BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

  18. FOREIGN DEVELOPMENTS

  19. OPINION

  20. EDITORIALS

  21. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

  22. HUMAN INTEREST

  23. POETRY

  24. ADVERTISEMENTS

  25. LITERARY TOPICS

  26. FEW ILLUSTRATIONS

  27. 1863- Founded by William Conant Church

  28. WEEKLY NEWSPAPER & TRADE JOURNAL Devoted “with singleness of purposed to the impartial discussion of military questions and to the dissemination of correct information.” ANJ, Vol. 1, no. 1

  29. “Careful and Trustworthy Narrative” of Current Operations

  30. Official Reports Of Military And Civilian Agencies

  31. New Military Inventions, Especially Iron Clad Ships

  32. “Correspondence from the ablest officers…on professional questions…suggestions of changes and improvements; discussions of military subjects”

  33. EDITORIAL CRITICISMS AND DISCUSSIONS

  34. Personnel Information

  35. ADVERTISEMENTS

  36. CONTRIBUTORS & CORRESPONDENTS • “Old Fogy”= Isaac Newton, 1st assistant Engineer, U.S.S. Montor • “Corporal”= L.L. Crouse, Military correspondent, New York Times • West Point Professor Dennis Hart Mahan on operations and developments • Commander T.A.M. Craven, U.S.N., on the Gulf Coast Blockade • General George B. McClellan on the “Military Topography of the United States” • Brig. Gen. W. B. Hazen on the Battle of Chickamauga • Admiral John Dahlgren • Admiral Louis Goldsborough • Admiral David Dixon Porter • General William T. Sherman

  37. STRUCK A CHORD • Major General George Mead: “sincere pleasure to add my [financial] contribution..” • Admiral John Dahlgren: pleased with the early issues • Major General William Rosecrans: “The success of the paper…is highly desirable.’ • Major General W.H. French: “The Army requires just such a paper..” • Charles Francis Adams, Jr.: “…the only American newspaper which treats calmly and intelligibility of military operations.” • Henry Raymond, New York Times editor: every army and navy officer and many enlisted men should subscribe • Historian Edward Everett Hale: “triumphant national success.”

  38. STRUCK A CHORD “I send you a copy of the Army and Navy Journal General Meade gave me, and call your attention to a rebel article on cavalry. Read the part I have marked; it is but a line. We need cavalry for such purposes.” Maj. Gen. G.K. Warren to Maj. Gen. A. A. Humphries (Dec. 1, 1863) Source: War of the Rebellion: Series 1, vol 29, Part 2 p. 525

  39. Quoted by: • Albion • Arkansas State gazette • Bangor [Me.] Whig & Courier • Boston [Me.] Advertiser • Boston Herald • Central City [Colo.] Miners’ Register • Chattanooga Gazette • Chicago Tribune • Christian Examiner • Cleveland Herald • Columbus Gazette • Detroit Free Press • Dover [N.H.] Gazette • Edinburgh Revie • Fayetteville [N.C.] Observer • Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper • Harper’s Weekly • Idaho Territory Superintendent of Public Instruction • Jackson Mississippian • Knickerbocker Monthly • Liberator • Littell'sLiving Age • London Times • Louisville Journal • Lowell (Ma.) Citizen and News • Maine Farmer • Medical and Surgical Reporter • Memphis Appeal • Milwaukee Sentinel • National Intelligencer • Natchez Courier • New Haven Palladium • New Hampshire Statesman • New Orleans Picayune • New York Evangelist • New York Herald • New York Observer and Chronicle • New York Times • North American and United States Gazette • Richmond Whig • San Francisco Evening Bulletin • Scientific American • United States Service Magazine • Vermont Chronicle • Vermont Watchman and State Journal • Zion's Herald and Wesleyan Journal

  40. Postwar: Retained Its Influence “It was not a professional journal...but along with its social and other items about service personnel it carried articles, correspondence, and news of interest to military people that helped bind its readers together in a common professional fraternity.“ Stewart, Richard W.American military history. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, 2005 : Vol. 1, p.312.

  41. Morphed From a Weekly Newspaper to a Monthly Journal

  42. POSTWAR: CHURCH’S ACTIVITIES

  43. POSTWAR: Professional Military Journals • 1874- Proceedings of the U.S. Naval Institute • 1879-1917 Journal of the Military Service Institution of the U.S. • 1888- Cavalry Journal (Now Armor) • 1892-1954 Journal of the U.S. Artillery (Later Coast Artillery Journal) • 1904-1950 Infantry Journal • 1909- Professional Memoirs, Corps of Engineers (Now Military Engineer) • 1911- Field Artillery Journal • 1916- Marine Corps Gazette

  44. END

  45. February 6, 1864. Brigadier-General, P. ST. GEO. COOKE, to ADJUTANT-GENERAL U. S. ARMY, Washington. “I have found in the Army and Navy Journal of January 23 what purports to be part of Major-General McClelland's official report, and of which the following is an extract, relating to the battle of Gaines' Mill: “ OFFICIAL RECORDS: Series 1, vol 11, Part 2 (Peninsular Campaign) p. 43

  46. STRUCK A CHORD “If not inconsistent with the customs of service and the views of the War Department, I have the honor to request that the reports of division and brigade commanders may be published in the Army and Navy Journal or Official Gazette.” Brevet Major-General J. H. Wilson to Brigadier General William D. Whipple (June 29, 1865) OFFICIAL RECORDS: Series 1, vol 49, Part 1 (Mobile Bay Campaign) WILSON'S RAID - ALABAMA AND GEORGIA.

More Related