Bell Irvin Wiley (January 5, 1906 – April 4, 1980) was an American historian who specialized in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and was an authority on

military history Military history is the study of War, armed conflict in the Human history, history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to Politics, local and international relationship ...

and the

social history Social history, often called history from below, is a field of history that looks at the lived experience of the past. Historians who write social history are called social historians. Social history came to prominence in the 1960s, spreading f ...

of common people. He died in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, from a heart attack.

Early life and career

Wiley earned a B.A. at Asbury College in 1928 and a Ph.D. from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1933, where he worked under

Ulrich B. Phillips Ulrich Bonnell Phillips (November 4, 1877 – January 21, 1934) was an American historian who largely defined the field of the social and economic studies of the History of the Southern United States, history of the Antebellum South and Slavery ...

. In 1934 Wiley became a professor of history at State Teachers College (now the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

). He married Mary Frances Harrison in 1937; they had two children. He served as professor of history at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

(1938-1943),

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

(1946-1949), and

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

(1949-1974). Born in rural Halls, Tennessee, Wiley was one of 13 children, 11 of whom lived past infancy. The family did farm work, and Wiley had the experience of

plowing A plough or ( US) plow (both pronounced ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses but modern ploughs are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, ...

behind a

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey, and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two ...

. His dislike for the drudgery of farm chores and the merciless Southern heat motivated him to plan a career in education. Wiley's maternal grandfather had marched with the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was a Field army, field army of the Confederate States Army in the Western theater of the American Civil War, Western Theater of the American Civil War. Named for the Confederate States of America, Confederate state of Tenn ...

, fighting against Union General

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

’s army. While he barely remembered him, Wiley spent several summers as a boy with his widow, who often held him spellbound with her recollections of the period. Wiley's family frequently hosted both a Confederate and a Union soldier, who would entertain them with their accounts of what they experienced when each had opposed the other in battle.

Legacy

A historian writing in 1967 commented, "Since the publication of Bell Wiley's ''Southern Negroes, 1861–1865'' in 1938, historians have known that the moonlight and magnolia idea of loyal slaves, who cheerfully supported the masters who fought to keep them enslaved, is a myth. Every teacher of survey courses knows, however, that this myth dies hard." The ''New York Civil War Round Table'' awards the Bell I. Wiley Award to deserving authors who write about Civil War themes.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* ''Cotton and Slavery in the History of West Tennessee'' (1929) * ''Southern Negroes, 1861-1865'' (1938
typescript in archives
* ''The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy'' (LSU Press, 1943
excerpt and text search 2007 edition
* ''The Plain People of the Confederacy'' (LSU Press, 1943
read onlineexcerpt and text search 2000 edition
* Greenfield, Kent Roberts, Robert R. Palmer, Bell I. Wiley. ''The Organization of Ground Combat Troops'' (1947) on World War II * Palmer, Robert Roswell, Bell I. Wiley, William R. Keast. ''The Procurement and Training of Ground Combat Troops'' (1948) on World War I
read online
* ''The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union'' (1952
excerpt and text search 2008 edition
* ''The Road to Appomattox'' (1956) * ''The Role of the Archivist in the Civil War Centennial'' (1961

* ''Embattled Confederates: An Illustrated History of Southerners at War'' (Harper & Row, 1964

* ''Confederate Women: Beyond the Petticoat'' (1975) * ''Slaves No More: Letters from Liberia, 1833-1869'' (University of Kentucky Press, 1980

External links