Treatise (D.M.A.) Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Frank Kowalsky, Florida State University, College of Music. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed 8-21-2007). Document formatted into pages; contains 115 pages. Includes biographical sketch. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--McCormick Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Purdue University, 1997. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 349-361).

The regnant interpretation of the American Civil War includes the fact that it evolved into a “total war,” which adumbrated the total wars of the twentieth century. Mark E. Neely, in 1991, published an influential paper calling this interpretation into question for the first time. In the article Neely revealed that the first mention of “total war” in connection with the Civil War was an article written in 1948 by John Bennett Walters about Gen. William T. Sherman and a raid he ordered on Randolph, Tennessee in reprisal for an attempted hijacking of the packet boat Eugene on the Mississippi River. Walters castigates Sherman’s raid as brutal, cruel, and wanton and tries to depict Sherman as a violent and hateful man who set out to punish Southerners for turning their backs on the Union. He—along with modern residents of Tipton County, Tennessee—claim that Sherman burned the whole town to the ground. But a close investigation of the target of Sherman’s attack shows that Randolph, Tennessee had been a ghost town since the mid 1840s with the result that very little actual damage was done. There may have been as many as six dwellings in the area along with dozens of abandoned and derelict buildings. Sherman’s orders to the troops were to let the citizens know that Union officials abhorred this kind of violence but were forced by guerilla activities to burn their homes to discourage continued attacks on river boats. The residents were given sufficient time to remove their belongings before the buildings were set afire. The results of this investigation suggest that the raid on Randolph might be emblematic of much of the purported devastation of the South by Sherman and his armies. Perhaps the “total war” on the South was illusory and has been greatly exaggerated along with the destructiveness of the Civil War. The term “total war” seems never to have been used in the nineteenth century. Total war is a twentieth-century term and is completely bound up with twentieth-century technology, especially with aircraft as weapons of mass destruction. The kind of destruction encompassed by “total war” was unimaginable in Civil War times, especially the deliberate killing of noncombatant civilians. It is argued, then, that the use of the term “total war” to describe the American Civil War is anachronistic and thus entails the projection of twentieth century realities into the past.

Influences on the interpretation of Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site have caused many alterations to the site and the presentation of its history. Scholars have described how public history sites have continually expanded their interpretations as growing desires and interests from external influences such as the general public, state agencies, and donors. However, Tipton-Haynes has also faced many internal influences. While the creators of the site aided in the limitation and exclusion of the site’s vital history, over time the involvement and opinions of the board of trustee members, directors, and staff shaped an increasingly inclusive and expansive interpretation of the site. Therefore, the experience at Tipton-Haynes suggests that scholars should also consider the innerworkings of a historic site and the opinions of not just the community but also the opinions and choices of the people involved in the site and its creation. The inclusivity allows for a more expansive history while also creating new connections between the history of Tipton-Haynes and the general public.

Thesis (M.A.) University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 28, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.