Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Volume 02 (of 14), 1899

In Short

This volume serves as a repository for the intellectual and historical output of the Mississippi Historical Society at the turn of the twentieth century. Comprising diverse essays, the collection ranges from literary criticism of Southern poets to rigorous accounts of territorial expansion, legal history, and scientific exploration in the early Mississippi Territory. By gathering these disparate threads—from slave laws and plantation life to the academic development of female colleges—the publication provides an essential, if specific, record of the state’s self-conception during the post-Reconstruction era.

The Story

The narrative arc of the volume begins with an exploration of Southern identity through its literature. Early chapters examine figures like Irwin Russell and William Ward, positioning them as pioneers of a distinct regional romantic movement. These literary portraits set a tone of cultural preservation, where local writers are elevated as voices of a vanishing era. The focus then shifts from the artistic to the civic, as contributors detail the administrative and physical growth of the region.

From the literary, the book moves into the foundational challenges of the territory. The reader is guided through the geographic struggles of "running the south line" and the political complexities of Mississippi's territorial growth as it transitioned from Spanish influence to American governance. Scientific inquiry also takes center stage, particularly through the life of Sir William Dunbar, a pioneer whose observational rigor in botany and physics grounds the state’s history in the broader Enlightenment tradition.

The discussion deepens into the complexities of social and institutional life. The history of taxation and the development of early educational institutions like the Elizabeth Female Academy and Jefferson College are treated with meticulous detail, reflecting the society's interest in the structural foundations of their state. The text further addresses the often-contentious legal frameworks of the past, including the early slave laws, which are presented with a technical focus on the statutes of the period.

The final segments of the book grapple with the legacies of conflict and heritage. Through accounts of yellow fever epidemics and the symbolic weight of the Choctaw sacred mound, Nanih Waiya, the volume touches on the fragility of life and the endurance of ancient landmarks. The closing arguments center on the imperative of historical preservation. The contributors urge a systematic collection of manuscripts and relics, arguing that a state’s moral and intellectual refinement is directly tied to its ability to record and interpret its own past. The collection concludes not with a resolution, but with a call to action, inviting the reader to participate in the ongoing task of building a state archive that will safeguard the traditions and historical memory of the Southern people for future generations.

How It Unfolds

Defining the Southern voice The volume opens by situating Southern literature within a Romantic tradition, identifying figures like Irwin Russell as the "Bard of the Quarters." These early chapters argue that regional poetry serves as a primary authority for understanding the life and thought of the Southern people.

Mapping the territory The focus shifts to the physical and administrative boundaries of the state, detailing the complex diplomatic efforts required to establish the southern line against Spanish interests. These accounts emphasize the scientific and geographic precision necessary to organize the Mississippi Territory into an American entity.

Institutional development Essays on Jefferson College and the Elizabeth Female Academy illustrate the intellectual ambitions of the early settlers. By chronicling these schools, the authors highlight the struggle to establish stable educational foundations amid economic and political uncertainty.

Social and legal structures The book examines the rigid frameworks that governed early society, providing analyses of taxation, slave laws, and the federal judicial system. These sections prioritize the legalistic details of the period, framing them as essential components of the state's historical character.

A call for archival preservation The final section transitions from history to advocacy, urging citizens to collect manuscripts and artifacts. The contributors contend that the future of Mississippi’s identity depends on the diligent, organized preservation of the past.

The People

The volume features a gallery of figures who represent the diverse facets of Mississippi’s history. Irwin Russell emerges as a tragic, fleeting genius, a "Chatterton of the South" whose dialect poetry captured a unique perspective of Southern life before his untimely death. William Ward is presented as a thoughtful, melancholic poet who grappled with the supernatural and the mysteries of the human condition, seeking to balance his professional life with his literary aspirations. Sherwood Bonner stands out as a courageous, multifaceted woman—a writer of promise and a nurse during the devastating yellow fever outbreak of 1878, whose life ended prematurely in the service of her community. Sir William Dunbar acts as the embodiment of the pioneer scientist, a man of profound intellectual curiosity who documented the natural world of the Mississippi Valley with the same fervor he applied to his political duties. Finally, the contributors themselves—scholars like Franklin L. Riley and Dunbar Rowland—function as the central stewards of this history, acting as the bridge between the scattered documents of the past and the organized archives of the future.

In Its Own Voice

Already at sixteen years of age, he had begun to write and ten years later he had completed his work and returned his talents to him who gave them.

(This reflection on the short life of the poet Irwin Russell highlights the sense of loss and unrealized potential felt by his contemporaries.)

It is to know that they are buried, wrapped hastily in sheets, sometimes uncoffined, hurried to deep graves, without friends, or mourners, or care, by hirelings, who slight and dread their task.

(This harrowing description by Sherwood Bonner captures the terror and social collapse that accompanied the yellow fever epidemics of the late nineteenth century.)

What It's Really About

At its core, the volume is a project of identity construction. It attempts to organize the chaotic reality of Mississippi’s frontier and post-bellum past into a coherent, dignified narrative. The text explores the tension between a romanticized view of Southern culture and the cold reality of administrative and social legislation. It asks: how does a society reconcile its pre-historic, colonial, and antebellum roots with the demands of the modern world? By focusing on the preservation of manuscripts and the marking of historical sites, the book argues that a state’s legitimacy is found in its ability to curate its own collective memory.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in historiography or the evolution of regional identity will find this volume deeply revealing. It is not a modern, analytical history but a primary artifact of its time, capturing the specific values and anxieties of 1899 Mississippi. The prose is earnest and formal, reflecting the Victorian-era academic style, which may feel dense to a modern reader. However, the vivid accounts—particularly Bonner’s firsthand report of the yellow fever plague—possess an emotional urgency that transcends the era’s academic distance. The book demands patience, as it is a collection of distinct scholarly papers rather than a single flowing narrative. Its true value lies in its transparency; it does not hide the prejudices or the intense, almost desperate commitment to heritage that defined its contributors. To read it is to step into a room where the history of a state is being curated in real-time. It is essential for those who wish to understand the foundations of Southern historical thought, including its struggles with race, law, and regional pride, laid bare in the language of the late nineteenth century.