Love Civil War history? Attend “(Mis)Remembering General Order No. 28: Benjamin Butler, the Woman Order, and Historical Memory,” at 6 p.m., April 6 in APSU’s Gentry Auditorium.
In April 1862, during the Civil War, Union Gen. Benjamin Butler and his troops took control of New Orleans and then suffered verbal and physical scorn from many – most notably the Southern ladies of that city – for doing so. A month later, as a result of the hostility received from women, Butler issued his infamous General Order No. 28, or The Woman Order. The order, some Civil War historians have noted, successfully tamed the female rebels of New Orleans.
However, Dr. Alecia P. Long, assistant professor of history at Louisiana State University, will argue that the order suggests a different conclusion in a presentation next month at Austin Peay State University.
Long will present a talk, titled “(Mis)Remembering General Order No. 28: Benjamin Butler, the Woman Order, and Historical Memory,” at 6 p.m., April 6 in Gentry Auditorium, located in the Kimbrough Building. The talk is sponsored by Student Affairs, Phi Alpha Theta and Women’s Studies.
General Order No. 28 was a battle in which gender conventions were used as ammunition, a point Long will strive to make in her presentation.
“I hope to demonstrate that General Order No. 28 was only the opening salvo in what became an ongoing war of wills between occupying forces and the women of New Orleans,” she said.
Long earned a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware, a Master of Arts from Ohio University and bachelor’s from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
For more information about Long’s presentation, contact Dr. Minoa Uffelman, assistant professor of history at APSU, by telephone at (931) 221-7704 or by e-mail at uffelmanm@apsu.edu.
