Visiting lecturer to discuss Civil War

YOUNGSTOWN — Ohio’s involvement in the Civil War will be the topic of a visiting lecturer Monday at Youngstown State University.

Christine Dee, assistant professor of history at Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts, will speak about “Ohio's War: The Civil War in Documents” at noon in Room 2069 of Kilcawley Center.

Dee’s presentation will be based on her new book of the same title. The book is the first in a series of documentary collections of primary sources.

“Ohio’s War” uses documents from that time to reveal how Ohio’s soldiers and civilians experienced the Civil War. It examines Ohio’s role in the sectional crises of the 1850s, its contribution to the Union war effort and the war’s impact on the state itself.

In doing so, the book provides insights into the war’s meaning for Northern society.

The 244-page book, published by Ohio University Press, includes stories of some of the soldiers who left their farms, shops and forges to fight for the Union. It also documents the stories of Ohio’s women, who sustained households, organized relief efforts and supported political candidates.

Further, it conveys the struggles and successes of free blacks and former slaves who claimed freedom in Ohio and the distinct wartime experiences of its immigrants.

Dee earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2002, a master’s degree from Harvard University in 1997 and a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross in 1994.