Date

7-21-2026

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)

Chair

Robert Glaze

Keywords

Civil War, women, gender studies, emotion, history, childhood, memory, enslaved experience, social life, war, Vicksburg, Mississippi, women and gender studies, diaries, memoirs, historic writings

Disciplines

History

Abstract

The Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, is most often interpreted in terms of military strategy, leadership, and battlefield outcomes. While these perspectives provide important insights into the campaign, they have often placed less emphasis on the experiences of civilians who endured the forty-seven-day siege within the city. This dissertation examines the civilian experience through women's writings, arguing that their diaries and memoirs serve as analytical accounts of survival, emotional endurance, and social transformation under siege. Drawing on the writings of Mary Loughborough and other female civilians, this study employs content and narrative analyses to identify patterns of fear, grief, hope, and resilience as they are reshaped by the realities of siege warfare. The siege disrupted domestic life, restructured family dynamics, and altered existing power relationships related to gender, class, and race as civilians adapted to bombardment. These writings expand traditional Civil War narratives by positioning women as active interpreters of war rather than passive observers. By foregrounding civilian testimony, they contribute to historiography while incorporating emotional analysis into the study of wartime experience.

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