History - Iowa in the Civil War

One-state manuscripts are rare in the field of Civil War research, but more are likely to follow. Rather than examine the Union states as a whole, Civil War historians over the last 30 years have been narrowing their focus in order to examine the day-to-day experiences of individual citizens and communities. Tom Baker's recent work on the State of Iowa is one example of the benefits of using a single state to analyze the Civil War experience.
State officials during the Civil War enjoyed considerable autonomy in administering military affairs, quite unlike the modern age. No centralized federal system yet existed to enlist citizen-soldiers, train them, feed them, nurse them, equip them, appoint their officers, and group the volunteers into companies and regiments. Without direct Federal oversight, each state pursued its own path during the four-year conflict. Iowans, led by an alliance of Republicans and pro-war Democrats, provided federal officials with the necessary manpower to defend Missouri from Confederate forces and march through the heart of the Deep South.
Thomas R. Baker, the Associate Dean of Students at the University of Iowa, earned his B.A., J.D., and M.A. (History) at the University of Iowa. A judicial administrator since 1988, Tom specializes in civil rights investigations and does historical research in his spare time.
For more information about the State Historical Society of Iowa, visit their website at iowaculture.gov/history/.