Indiana in the Civil War Era, 1850-1880 (review)

BOOK REVIEWS373 Indiana in the Civil War Era, 1850-1880. By Emma Lou Thornbrough. (Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau and Indiana Historical Society , 1965. Pp. xii, 758. Cloth $7.50, paper $4.50.) To commemorate the sesquicentennial of Indiana's statehood, the State Historical Bureau and the Historical Society commissioned a five-volume history of Indiana. This book, Volume III, is the first to appear. Although the title might suggest Üiat the Civil War is emphasized, such is not the case. Only one-third of the book is devoted to Indiana's role in the war. Professor Thornbrough refrains from concentrating solely on events in the state during the war. Rather she interweaves state and national events whenever a relationship between the two sheds light on her story. The remaining two-thirds of the book is concerned with changes in economic life within the state, advances in education, and population growth; the concluding chapters survey religious, intellectual, and social tiiought during the period. Although Miss Thornbrough concludes that the conditions of life in parts of Indiana changed little between 1850 and 1880, she admits that significant changes did occur. The most important of these was an acceleration in the population. Following the Civil War, the notion Üiat the northern portions of Indiana were unfit for agriculture because they were too swampy was disproved. As a result, the state witnessed a rapid increase in population, most of it occurring in the northern and central areas. Perhaps of greater consequence, immigration from the South declined and new settlers, principally from the eastern United States and from Germany and Ireland, brought with them new ideas which tended to give Indiana a less southern outlook. Railroad development, especially after 1870, also furthered communication with other areas and began to produce changes in economic life. Although the state remained primarily agricultural, the railroad revolutionized the marketing of farm produce and stimulated mining, particularly Üiat of limestone in southern Indiana. Meat packing, flour milling, lumber milling, and other light industry were also stimulated by the advent of the railroad. Historians have long classified Indiana as the most southern of the northern states prior to the Civil War; in many respects it continued to remain so until 1880. This fact is evidenced by a general apathy on the part of lawmakers in providing adequate tax support for schools. Also attempts to enact compulsory education laws failed even though the rate of illiteracy in Indiana was higher than in the surrounding states. Possibly with regret about this lack of interest in education, Professor Thornbrough writes Üiat Indiana University, even in 1880, was a university in name only; actually it was an academically weak liberal arts college. Even though the legislature of 1869 established Purdue University, subsequent legislatures were reluctant to appropriate funds for the school. The one bright spot in higher education was the establishment or strengthening of private colleges throughout the state. If the men who held Federal government positions serve as a criterion, 374CIVILWAR HISTORY Indiana's influence in national politics outweighed her actual importance in the nation. The most outstanding figure was Oliver P. Morton who, as governor, guided Indiana dirough the war and later, as a United States senator, played a significant role in shaping the Radical reconstruction program . No less important were Caleb Blood Smith, John P. Usher, Hugh McCulloch, and Richard Thompson, all of whom held cabinet posts between 1860 and 1880. One Indianian, Schuyler Colfax, was Vice President during Grant's first term while another, Thomas Hendricks, was the Democratic nominee for Üiat position in 1876. This reviewer notes with satisfaction Üiat Professor Thornbrough gives proper attention to the role of the Negro in Indianae history. Too often the Negro is treated as an appendage or completely ignored. However, considering Miss Thombrough's interest in Negro history and her previous work on the Negro in Indiana, she achieves balance in her presentation of the Negro's role. The amount of detail included in this book is at times overpowering. It seems to this reviewer Üiat it was not necessary to spend over twenty pages delineating die various military units from Indiana in the Civil War and the battles in which they served...