I completed my Graduate level Civil War class with a major paper on Prisoners of War. I won’t lie, I was nervous. I have researched and collected books on POWs in the Civil War for years, and for years I have been told this was subject that was not suitable for study by someone such as myself. Why men seem to think that a female historian can not approach such a topic without a bias or objective perspective is beyond me, but for years I was told it was too controversial or it was not suited to me.

Well, today I received my grade back on my paper… a PERFECT grade from one of the hardest professors I know. He is well respected in the field of Civil War studies and no doubt has been hard on me from time to time, but I would like to think he expected perfection on this paper from me because he knew I was so adamant this was my topic.

This perfect grade to me is like receiving validation from a highly respected scholar that I am indeed right in pursuing something that means so much to me.  I practically live at Andersonville National Prisoner of War Museum. I am in their research library so often, that they know me by name. They are even going to be keeping a copy of this paper in their archives for anyone who comes behind me needing or wanting to do research on the Dix-Hill Cartel since they have so little that deals specifically with the valuable document.

So thank you, Dr. Woodworth, for challenging me to prove that I know this subject, that I could be entrusted to tell its story when no one else, with the exception of course of a few close mentors, believed that I should be considering it.