Lauren Thompson

lthomp15@mix.wvu.edu
MA Student

Major Field: Civil War History
Other Fields: 19th Century History, Southern Antebellum History, History of American Slavery
Advisor: Peter Carmichael
Dissertation/Thesis Title:

Research Interests: My interests are social and cultural history in Antebellum America and American Civil War. Specifically, I am interested in researching African-Americans, civilians on the home front, and the soldiers during the Civil War, in order to provide a new historiographical perspective of their experiences in relation to broader themes of paternalism, hegemony, racism, dissent, sectionalism, and patriotism. Currently, I am researching the relationship between Union and Confederate pickets after the battle of Fredericksburg. By looking at their interactions, conversation, and trading during the winter of 1863, one can draw broader themes of masculinity and domesticity. Also, through this research I will depict the notions of camaraderie between opposing sides in order to show the significance of a conflict between “brothers.”