During the year of 2011 we are remembering the 150th Anniversary of the United States Civil War which was fought during the years of 1861-1865. One could easily spend an entire lifetime studying the battles, generals, people and stories about the Civil War. So much has been written about every aspect of the War that the amount of information available is too massive to absorb by any one person during decades of research and study.
That being said, the Civil War is a fascinating subject to spend a lifetime studying. The Civil War changed our nation in many ways, and the affects of the Civil War are still being felt today.
Many years ago I read an interesting newspaper article in a local newspaper about how Doniphan and Ripley County were still suffering the effects of the Civil War. The article talked about how Doniphan had ties to the Confederacy and was burned during the Civil War by Union forces. I cannot remember if the entire town was burned or only parts of it. The article went on the say that when the North won the war Doniphan and Ripley County suffered economically at the hands of the Union for their support of the South. Evidently a rail line was planned to be built through the Doniphan area which would have opened the area of to commerce and trade, but since Doniphan had ties to the South the rail line went through Butler County and Poplar Bluff instead. This helped Poplar Bluff and Butler County to grow and left Doniphan and Ripley County impoverished. To this day Ripley County is one of Missouri’s poorest counties. I wish I still had this interesting newspaper article in my possession. I do know that you can do a Google search and find comments made on the Internet about the burning of Doniphan during the Civil War and the effects being felt even today due to Doniphan’s support of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Rutland Library has an almost unlimited supply of Civil War material available for the faculty/staff, students and area patrons to use. The Library has not only a large number of books in the “E” section of its general collection, it also has a special collection of Civil War books that is kept on the 2nd floor known as the “McManus Collection on the Civil War,” which was donated to the college many years ago. In it you can find many books dating back to the 1800s that are hard to find elsewhere. You can view a complete list of materials in the McManus Collection by going to the Rutland Library home page: http://www.trcc.edu/arc/, then looking at the bottom of the left hand side of the page under “SPECIAL COLLECTIONS” and clicking on “MCMANUS CIVIL WAR.” Because of their rarity, these materials are kept in a locked cabinet but can be made available on request.
If you missed the re-broadcast of the 11 hour Civil War series by Ken Burns on PBS last week, Rutland Library has it on both DVD and VHS. These may be checked out for seven days. I have watched the entire series multiple times and can tell you from experience that this series is well produced and contains a wealth of information about the war and the people who fought in it and lived through it. It recounts information, stories, and events that I had never heard of before about the Civil War. This series is not only educational but also very interesting and entertaining to watch.
The study of the Civil War would make an excellent lifelong hobby for anyone of any age. During the observance of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, why not stop by Rutland Library, located on the campus of Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, and check out a book or two or borrow Ken Burns’ great documentary about the Civil War.
Stacey P. Ward
Rutland Library / ARC Three Rivers College Poplar Bluff, MO
