“The Vegetables Really Get More Tender Care”: An Introduction to Death and Dying in the Civil War

The Victorian world was one of ceremony and order, even in death. Deathways–the practices of a society regarding death and dying–in 19thcentury America focused on elaborate rituals that earned the country the grisly distinction of possessing a “culture of death.” The American Civil War presented a four-year window in which many of these traditions were radically challenged in both the North and the South, as loved ones died anonymous deaths far from the embrace of kin. Nevertheless, the warring populations attempted to maintain important traditions even as the horrors of war surrounded them, thus allowing the deathways of the antebellum years to survive even into the early days of the 20th century. [excerpt

Compulsory Arbitration - What Is It?

The identification of arbitration as it is constituted in legal lore is not very difficult. There is a near consensus of judicial utterances and statutory provisions posing it as a process for hearing and deciding controversies of economic consequence between parties. It begins with and depends upon an agreement between the parties to submit their claims to one or more persons chosen by them to serve as their arbitrator. The identification of compulsory arbitration is more difficult; it is more elusive. The instances or particulars of compulsion as covered by the name compulsory arbitration in legal lore, vary substantially. They are to be found in different statutes. The administration of these compulsions and the consequences of disregarding them also are variable. Joinder of any of these instances or particulars of compulsion with arbitration seems to serve no useful purpose in evaluating their legality. Some of them appear to be an anathema to parties in interest and to politicians. Other and different instances have been cited as praiseworthy. Arbitration does not count for much in resolving these likes and dislikes

Between Secular and Sacred: The Trade Windows\u27 Depictions of Food in Chartres Cathedral

Medieval artists often blended sacred and secular imagery in their works, though especially stained glass windows. The stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral, for example, use images of commoners at work and depictions of food to convey religious messages. This paper discusses three such examples and their significance to both the lay community of Chartres and the teachings of the Church

A Tiger\u27s Rest: A Reflection on the Killed at Gettysburg Profile of Horthere Fontenot

As soon as I was assigned to the Killed at Gettysburg project, I knew that I wanted to work with a French Creole soldier. I have a soft spot for Louisiana troops, you see (along with Mississippians, but that is irrelevant here), partly because of my childhood filled with Scooby Doo. One film I remember particularly well is Scooby Doo on Zombie Island. To any of y’all who are unfamiliar with the film, let me give you a brief run-down. Scooby and the gang visit Moonscar Island out in the Louisiana Bayous with the promise that they will find real ghosts. Sure enough, the gang encounters ghosts and zombies, ranging from pirates and Confederate soldiers to more recent tourists – all lured to their doom by the two ladies. “That’s great,” many of y’all are thinking, “but what’s the point?” Well, one of the only ghosts to receive a name is Col. Jackson Pettigrew of the Eighth Louisiana. [excerpt

Guardians of Ink and Vellum: Ethiopian Magical Scrolls

Ethiopian magical scrolls are powerful tools to combat sickness and demons in Ethiopian folk belief. As works of art, they display influences from Muslim, Jewish, and Christian sources. The scroll showcased in the “Wonders of Nature and Artifice” Exhibition was graciously donated by Mike Hobor, Gettysburg College Class of 1969. A prolific traveler, Mike purchased this piece in an art shop in Rome along with two other scrolls. 1 The scroll is believed to come from the city of Gondar, and is believed to date to the eighteenth-century. [excerpt

Interpreting a Commemorative Landscape: Culp\u27s Hill and Spangler\u27s Spring

Culp\u27s Hill is described as one of the least visited and most under interpreted portions of Gettysburg National Military Park. This paper analyzes some of the sites in the vicinity of Culp\u27s Hill and Spangler\u27s Spring to create a picture of both the fighting on July 2, 1863, and the interactions of veterans and tourists with the area in the years and decades following the Civil War

A Slaughter Forgotten: A Reflection on the Wayside on Iverson’s Assault

Nearly every visitor to Gettysburg can easily point to Pickett’s Charge as the bloodiest loss the Confederates suffered on the field during the three days of fighting here. However, few know that another Confederate assault during the battle rivaled the horrendous casualty rates of July 3. On the afternoon of July 1, Brigadier General Alfred Iverson ordered his North Carolina brigade forward against the Federal positions on Oak Ridge, essentially sending them to their slaughter. [excerpt