Though no legendary battles took place at Oxford, the community was deeply affected by the
War Between the States and deeply involved in its proceedings. Oxford in the Civil War tells the story of the steadfast men and women who fought to defend their homeland. Join author Stephen Enzweiler as he recounts the lives of Oxfordians caught in the grips of civil war. Looming historical figures include L.Q.C. Lamar, a politician and so-called “fire eater” who organized the Nineteenth
Mississippi Regiment in Oxford; the “University Greys,” a unit organized by Ole Miss students; and Jacob Thompson, former secretary of the interior under President James Buchanan who resigned and returned to Oxford to serve the Confederate cause. Although Union general Andrew “Whiskey” Smith burned much of the town to the ground, Oxford survived. And the resilient people both slaveholders and slaves finally have their stories told here.
Background Information
American Civil War lasted from the bombardment of Fort Sumter in 1861 to the surrender of the Confederacy in 1865. The state of Mississippi, which along with Alabama was part of the Old Southwest, entered the Union in 1817 and was made rich by cotton before its economy was destroyed in the Civil War.
