Dr. Doug Cupples's class tours sites of river war in Memphis during the Civil War

Students of Dr. Doug Cupples’s Civil War Navy History class recently toured sites related to the river war in Memphis. They began the tour at the war-time Mississippi River Landing between Poplar Avenue and Jefferson Avenue on Riverside Drive. The class next visited the South Bluff site of Fort Pickering. Confederates used this location as camps of induction in early 1861. The fort was later fortified by the Union Army under Major General W. T. Sherman and was manned by several units of heavy artillery composed of former slaves . On the batture below the fort, the Confederate government constructed two ironclad rams in late 1861-1862, the CSS Tennessee and the CSS Arkansas.


The students then examined the two Indian mounds used to mount heavy artillery that regularly shelled the wooded area across the river in Arkansas during the war.


One of the most popular stops of the day was the Mississippi River Museum on Mud Island with its replicas of a Union ironclad gunboat and a Confederate bluff fortification mounting large bore cannon. Scale models of Mississippi River steamers and warships also were on display. Several class members were visiting the museum for the first time and they expressed appreciation for the educational experience it offers. The day ended with more discussion about the war over lunch at a downtown restaurant.

Mark Miller (B.A. 2005) reports on studies since graduating; will seek Ph.D. at Cambridge

I attended the University of Memphis from 2001 to 2005 and earned a BA in History, Summa Cum Laude, in December 2005. My historical studies during that period were focused mostly on the twentieth century, and I covered a wide range of areas including America, Europe, the Soviet Union, Vietnam, and South Africa. Under the guidance of history professors Dr. Daniel Unowsky, Dr. Dennis Laumann, and Dr. D'Ann Penner I matured in the field and decided to continue my academic career in the study of history.

I spent my final semester studying in an intensive German language course in Heidelberg, Germany, which I arranged through the international office at the University of Memphis. During this time I traveled extensively throughout Europe and decided to focus my studies on German history.

In 2006 I moved to England to begin a Masters in German History at University College London under the supervision of Dr. Mark Hewitson. In the summer of 2007 I lived in Berlin, Germany to attend another intensive language course and carry out research for my MA dissertation, which looked at public reaction to Joseph Goebbels' 1943 'Total War' campaign after the German defeat at Stalingrad.

After finishing the MA and working one year in London for a small corporate language-training provider, I will begin studies for a PhD in History at Jesus College, University of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Richard Evans. My proposed thesis focuses on East German media propaganda.

--Mark Miller