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, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

and was an authority on

military history Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians no ...

and the

social history Social history, often called the new social history, is a field of history that looks at the lived experience of the past. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in his ...

of common people. He died in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

, from a heart attack.

Background

Born in rural

Halls, Tennessee Halls is a town in Lauderdale County, Tennessee. The population was 2,255 at the 2010 census. The town was founded in 1882 as a railroad station stop. It is named after Hansford R. Hall, one of the founders. Among the early business ventures we ...

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

behind a mule. 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 the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in ...

, 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 in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

’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.

Education

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

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1933, where he worked under Ulrich B. Phillips. 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 located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to a ...

). 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 ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

(1938-1943),

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

(1946-1949), and

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of h ...

(1949-1974).

Legacy

The ''New York Civil War Round Table'' awards the

Bell I. Wiley Award A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...

to deserving authors who write about Civil War themes.

Writings

* ''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) * ''Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer by Brig. Gen. G. Moxley Sorrel, C.S.A.'' (ed.) (Tennessee: McCowat-Mercer Press, 1958) * ''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

References

External links