Looking back on Michigan's role in the Civil War

A Michigan State University exhibit recalls the events of the 1860s

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Wednesday, July 20 — The Michigan State University Museum is honoring the memoryof Michigan’s soldiers with an exhibit on Michigan’s role in the Civil War.

It’s part of the 150th anniversary of the war’sbeginning in 1861. Drawn from the museum’s historical collection and fromdonations, the exhibit includes souvenirs from and information on thosesoldiers that fought for both state and country.

In particular, the exhibit focuses on three contributors:the first graduating class of Michigan Agricultural College (now MSU), Lt.Luther Baker, who led the capture of John Wilkes Booth and General John G.Parkhurst. Souvenirs range from pictures, to rifles and uniforms, medals andeven medical supplies. In all, it emphasizes the people who were involved morethan the war itself.

“We’re talkingmore about how they lived, how they lived in camp, what medical facilities werelike at the time,” said Val Berryman, curator of history for the museum. “It’sa more personal touch than just the grand battles.”

Although no battles were ever fought on its soil, Michigan contributedmore than 90,000 men to the war, nearly a quarter of the state’s malepopulation in 1860, according to figures held by the State of Michigan’s formerDepartment of History, Arts and Libraries. Of those, seven were the entirefirst graduating class of MAC. By war’s end, two of those men would be dead,having never seen their commencements.

Lt. Baker, and his cousin, Lafayette, who headed theNational Detective Police, were sensationalized in posters at the time fortheir efforts to track down Lincoln’s killer. Later, however, they would returnto Lansing, where Lt. Baker built the Lansing House Hotel — now the J.W. Knapp’sbuilding.

General Parkhurst was a resident of Coldwater, and a colonelwith the 9th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He was capturedat the battle of Murfreesboro in Tennessee, and taken to the infamous Libbyprison, where more than 125,000 Union prisoners would be held. One of themuseum’s artifacts include Parkhurst’s pipe — which he engraved with an imageof the prison.

He would eventually be released in a prisoner exchange,rejoin his unit and go on to be promoted to brevet brigadier general for hisservice at the end of the war.

Berryman says the exhibit will be available to viewers forat least a year.

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