Military History
These collections illustrate Indiana's total war effort, both on the battle field and on the home front.
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WWII MaterialsWorld War II changed everything in Indiana, either temporarily,or permanently. Men and women joined the military to face the uncertainty of war. Those at home planted Victory Gardens, contributed to scrap drives, bought war bonds and worked in factories. This growing collection illustrates the Hoosier story of WWII. |
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Northwest Territory CollectionThe Northwest Territory Collection consists of papers relating to the exploration, settlement and administration of the Northwest Territory. The bulk of the papers are from the period 1780 through 1801 and relate to the U.S. Army in the West; the campaigns of generals Josiah Harmar, Arthur St. Clair and Anthony Wayne against the Indians; Indian relations; French settlers at Vincennes and elsewhere in the territory; the Ohio Company and other American settlers; and the administration of the territorial government. This digital collection was created through an LSTA 2009-10 Digitization Grant in which IHS partnered with IUPUI University Library (www.ulib.iupui.edu/digitalscholarship). |
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Civil War Materials CollectionWhen President Lincoln issued a “call to arms” in April 1861, Indiana men responded immediately and in great numbers. Drastic changes were made in the everyday lives of the new soldiers and the Hoosiers back at home. In this collection, items illustrate the lives of the soldiers and major events in the war, along with items that show Hoosiers struggling to support the war and maintain their farms, businesses and home state. This is a collection in progress. To view the 61 IHS collections items shown in the History Train exhibit Faces of the Civil War, click here. To view the 16 IHS collections items included in the Civil War Educator Curriculum Packet, click here. |
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Civil War Home FrontThe Civil War Home Front Collection consists of material selected from several IHS Collections that primarily deal with Indiana’s Civil War Home Front (circa1860s). Original letters from, to and about Indiana soldiers and their family members comprise the vast majority of this digital collection. Although the conduct of the war and some military matters are also included in some of the letters, these particular selections were made because they contain a significant amount of collective commentary on home front topics of local, regional and national interest. A selected number of specialty items in this digital collection also provide a glimpse of some other contemporary dimensions regarding the home front environment in Indiana. This digital collection was created through an LSTA 2010-11 Digitization Grant in which IHS partnered with IUPUI University Library (www.ulib.iupui.edu/digitalscholarship). |
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Civil War Military FrontIndiana played a significant military role in the American Civil War, supplying a large number of troops for the Union Army and participating in battles fought in the western theater. The Civil War Military Front Collection contains materials selected from a variety of individual collections owned by IHS, which span from 1861 to 1865. This collection includes military correspondence and records, diaries, published memoirs and regimental histories, photographs of soldiers in carte-de-visite and cased image form, broadsides, maps, and three-dimensional artifacts. Much of it documents the presence of Hoosier soldiers in various campaigns and events and provides insight into everyday military activities.This digital collection was created through an LSTA 2011 Digitization Grant in which IHS partnered with IUPUI University Library (www.ulib.iupui.edu/digitalscholarship). |
Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975Following the conclusion of the French Indochina War in 1954, Vietnam was divided into communist North Vietnam and noncommunist South Vietnam. In the late 1950s, North Vietnam activated communist cadres in the South in an effort to take the country by force. Concerned that these actions might trigger a wider war in the area, America pursued intervention eventually committing armed forces in March 1965. Hoosiers volunteered and/or were drafted to serve in all military capacities during what became a controversial conflict at home (known in America as the Vietnam War). In 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed. U.S. troops were withdrawn and many prisoners of war were repatriated. North Vietnamese forces overran the South Vietnamese army by 1975 and created a unified, communist Vietnam. |
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William Henry Harrison Papers and Documents, 1794-1864Elected the 9th President of the United States in 1840, William Henry Harrison died from pneumonia one month after assuming office. Harrison had served as the Indiana Territory's first governor, defended the frontier from Native American insurgents, and commanded the Army of the Northwest from 1812 to 1814. The Harrison Collection spans 70 years and contains correspondence (personal, governmental and military), legal papers and engraved portraits. Although Harrison's secretary penned some correspondence, most were handwritten and signed by Harrison. The bulk of the collection focuses on Harrison's years as the governor of the Indiana Territory and his participation in the War of 1812; other documents cover his candidacy for president and death. This digital collection was made possible by a 2011 grant from the Indiana State Historic Records Advisory Board. |
