John D. Winters
Encyclopedia
John David Winters was a historian
at Louisiana Tech University
in Ruston
, Louisiana
, best known for his definitive and award-winning study, The Civil War
in Louisiana, still in print, published in 1963 and released in paperback in 1991.
McCool
in Attala County
(county seat
: Kosciusko
) in central Mississippi
but reared in Lake Providence
, the seat of East Carroll Parish
in northeastern Louisiana, where his parents are interred at Lake Providence Cemetery.
Winters, who did not use the designation "Jr.," was professor of history at Louisiana Tech from 1948 until his retirement in 1984. He held the Bachelor of Arts
, Master of Arts
, and Doctor of Philosophy
degrees from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge
. He served in the Pacific Theatre
of World War II
, but his obituary does not list the branch of service. On January 26, 1952, he wed the former Frances Locke (1921–2006) in her native Ashdown
in Little River County
in southwestern Arkansas
.
, who read the manuscript, and the LSU historian T. Harry Williams
, who wrote the foreword. According to Williams, Winters "researched widely and deeply, in scattered and sometimes fugitive sources, and he has produced a fuller story of Louisiana in the Civil War than has ever before been told. He spreads out a full story but not a mere accumulation of facts. He has written his narrative with sympathy and humor and interest, and always with objective restraint. It is a work that should stand for many years as authoritative in its field.”The Civil War in Louisiana won the 1963 Louisiana Literary Award presented by the Louisiana Library Association and the 1964 "Special Merit Book Award" from the Greater Louisiana Tech Foundation.
Winters estimates that three thousand free blacks volunteered for militia duty in Louisiana by 1862, but two others historians, Lawrence L. Hewitt and Arthur W. Bergeron, in their Louisianians in the Civil War claim that number is too high, that no more than two thousand participated. Fifteen free blacks are documented by Hewitt and Bergeron as having joined the Confederate Army as private
s.The three most prominent instances of such volunteers were in St. Landry Parish
in south Louisiana.
of southern history, has been criticized for its justification for white behavior. As Clarence L. Mohr of the University of Georgia
wrote in 1974 of The Civil War in Louisiana: "Winters' discussions, however, are characterized by frequent mentions of the 'Negro problem,' allusions to sexual indiscretions by 'colored wenches' and attempts by Union soldiers to 'lure' slaves away from their masters...The author's perspective is further revealed in his description of black conduct in areas occupied and later evacuated by Federal troops during General Nathaniel P. Banks' Red River expedition in 1863. 'Some [Negroes]' writes Winters 'refused to work and were shot; some were soundly thrashed; and all of them began to act better.'"
Chair of History, named for the former Louisiana Tech history department chairman. In 1991, Winters was named Louisiana Tech professor emeritus. Louisiana Tech also honored Winters by naming an "Endowed Professorship in History" after him. There is also an endowed professorship at Louisiana named for Winters' colleague, William Y. Thompson
, a specialist in the history of the American South as well as the Civil War.
In 1968, Winters was elected president of the Louisiana Historical Association
, now based in Lafayette
. In 1973, he wrote a tribute to his colleague W. Darrell Overdyke
, a specialist in southern history at Centenary College of Louisiana
. In 1980, he wrote a memoriam to another Centenary colleague Walter M. Lowrey
, who died suddenly at the age of fifty-eight. Winters was named a fellow by the association in 1993. He was also active in other historical societies. Winters won awards in 1975 and 1980, respectively, from the Daughters of the American Revolution
and Amoco
Oil Company, the latter for excellence in undergraduate education.
In 1980, Winters and Danelle Bradford co-authored "Seventy-Eight Years of Football at Louisiana Tech" in the North Louisiana Historical Association Journal, since renamed North Louisiana History
. Winters also wrote an article on the Ouachita
and Black rivers of Louisiana.
In 1994, Winters participated in the Centennial Oral History
Collection at Louisiana Tech. In this hour-long conversation, he discusses his varied experiences on the campus, the impact of desegregation
in the 1960s, the impact of the Korean
and Vietnam War
s, and his own participation in the Louisiana Tech-Rome studies program.
In civic matter, Winters served on the board of directors for the Ruston Community Theatre and the Louisiana Tech Concert Association. He was a past president of the Ruston Civic Symphony.
, Texas
. He was predeceased by two brothers, one of whom was Doris' husband, Henry F. Winters (1915–1987). Frances Winters died some eight years after his passing. They were cremated
. His memorial service was held on December 11, 1997, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Ruston.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
at Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, best known for his definitive and award-winning study, The Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in Louisiana, still in print, published in 1963 and released in paperback in 1991.
Background
Winters was born to John David Winters, Sr. (1891–1944), and the former Estrella Fancher (1890–1958) in ruralRural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
McCool
McCool, Mississippi
McCool is a town in Attala County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 182 at the 2000 census.-Geography:McCool is located at , along the Yockanookany River....
in Attala County
Attala County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,661 people, 7,567 households, and 5,380 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 8,639 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
(county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
: Kosciusko
Kosciusko, Mississippi
Kosciusko is a city in Attala County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,372 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Attala County....
) in central Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
but reared in Lake Providence
Lake Providence, Louisiana
Lake Providence is a town in and the parish seat of East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,104 at the 2000 census.-Civil War:...
, the seat of East Carroll Parish
East Carroll Parish, Louisiana
East Carroll Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lake Providence and as of 2010, the population was 7,759.-Law and government:In the 2004 presidential race, East Carroll gave the George W. Bush - Richard B...
in northeastern Louisiana, where his parents are interred at Lake Providence Cemetery.
Winters, who did not use the designation "Jr.," was professor of history at Louisiana Tech from 1948 until his retirement in 1984. He held the Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
, and Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degrees from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. He served in the Pacific Theatre
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but his obituary does not list the branch of service. On January 26, 1952, he wed the former Frances Locke (1921–2006) in her native Ashdown
Ashdown, Arkansas
Ashdown is a city in Little River County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,781 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Little River County.-Geography:Ashdown is located at ....
in Little River County
Little River County, Arkansas
Little River County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 13,171. The county seat is Ashdown. Little River County is Arkansas's 59th county, formed from Sevier County on March 5, 1867, and named for the Little River...
in southwestern Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
The Civil War in Louisiana
As the Louisiana Tech acquisitions librarian from 1948–1984, Mrs. Winters assisted her husband in writing The Civil War in Louisiana, a project that required years of extensive research in various historical records. In his preface to the book, Winters acknowledges his wife's assistance and also the contributions of two historians who guided him in the process, former Louisiana Tech president F. Jay TaylorF. Jay Taylor
Foster Jay Taylor, known as F. Jay Taylor , was a historian who served from 1962 to 1987 as the president of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston in Lincoln Parish in north Louisiana...
, who read the manuscript, and the LSU historian T. Harry Williams
T. Harry Williams
Thomas Harry Williams was an award-winning historian at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge whose career began in 1941 and extended for thirty-eight years until his death at the age of seventy...
, who wrote the foreword. According to Williams, Winters "researched widely and deeply, in scattered and sometimes fugitive sources, and he has produced a fuller story of Louisiana in the Civil War than has ever before been told. He spreads out a full story but not a mere accumulation of facts. He has written his narrative with sympathy and humor and interest, and always with objective restraint. It is a work that should stand for many years as authoritative in its field.”The Civil War in Louisiana won the 1963 Louisiana Literary Award presented by the Louisiana Library Association and the 1964 "Special Merit Book Award" from the Greater Louisiana Tech Foundation.
Winters estimates that three thousand free blacks volunteered for militia duty in Louisiana by 1862, but two others historians, Lawrence L. Hewitt and Arthur W. Bergeron, in their Louisianians in the Civil War claim that number is too high, that no more than two thousand participated. Fifteen free blacks are documented by Hewitt and Bergeron as having joined the Confederate Army as private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
s.The three most prominent instances of such volunteers were in St. Landry Parish
St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
St. Landry Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is at the heart of Acadian/Cajun culture and heritage in Louisiana. The parish seat is Opelousas. According to the 2010 census, the population of St. Landry Parish is 83,384.St...
in south Louisiana.
Criticism
Winters' work, like the Dunning SchoolDunning School
The Dunning School refers to a group of historians who shared a historiographical school of thought regarding the Reconstruction period of American history .-About:...
of southern history, has been criticized for its justification for white behavior. As Clarence L. Mohr of the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
wrote in 1974 of The Civil War in Louisiana: "Winters' discussions, however, are characterized by frequent mentions of the 'Negro problem,' allusions to sexual indiscretions by 'colored wenches' and attempts by Union soldiers to 'lure' slaves away from their masters...The author's perspective is further revealed in his description of black conduct in areas occupied and later evacuated by Federal troops during General Nathaniel P. Banks' Red River expedition in 1863. 'Some [Negroes]' writes Winters 'refused to work and were shot; some were soundly thrashed; and all of them began to act better.'"
Historical career
From 1977 until his retirement in 1984, Winters was the first recipient and holder of the Garnie W. McGintyGarnie W. McGinty
Garnie William McGinty was an historian whose career was principally based for thirty-five years at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana.-Biography:...
Chair of History, named for the former Louisiana Tech history department chairman. In 1991, Winters was named Louisiana Tech professor emeritus. Louisiana Tech also honored Winters by naming an "Endowed Professorship in History" after him. There is also an endowed professorship at Louisiana named for Winters' colleague, William Y. Thompson
William Y. Thompson
William Young Thompson is a retired historian who was affiliated for most of his academic career, from 1955 through 1988, with Louisiana Tech University at Ruston in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana...
, a specialist in the history of the American South as well as the Civil War.
In 1968, Winters was elected president of the Louisiana Historical Association
Louisiana Historical Association
The Louisiana Historical Association is an organization of professional historians and interested laypersons dedicated to the preservation, publication, and dissemination of the history of the U.S. state of Louisiana, with particular emphasis at the inception on territorial, statehood, and the...
, now based in Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
. In 1973, he wrote a tribute to his colleague W. Darrell Overdyke
W. Darrell Overdyke
William Darrell Overdyke was an American historian known particularly for his work on 18th- and 19th-century plantation homes in his adopted state of Louisiana as well as the anti-immigration Know Nothing political party in the American South.-Background:Overdyke was born in Cherokee near...
, a specialist in southern history at Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges...
. In 1980, he wrote a memoriam to another Centenary colleague Walter M. Lowrey
Walter M. Lowrey
Walter M. Lowrey was an historian affiliated with Centenary College, a Methodist-institution in Shreveport, Louisiana, who was also a founding member of the Louisiana Historical Association....
, who died suddenly at the age of fifty-eight. Winters was named a fellow by the association in 1993. He was also active in other historical societies. Winters won awards in 1975 and 1980, respectively, from the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
and Amoco
Amoco
Amoco Corporation, originally Standard Oil Company , was a global chemical and oil company, founded in 1889 around a refinery located in Whiting, Indiana, United States....
Oil Company, the latter for excellence in undergraduate education.
In 1980, Winters and Danelle Bradford co-authored "Seventy-Eight Years of Football at Louisiana Tech" in the North Louisiana Historical Association Journal, since renamed North Louisiana History
North Louisiana History
North Louisiana History is an academic journal published twice annually in Shreveport, Louisiana by the North Louisiana Historical Association .-History:...
. Winters also wrote an article on the Ouachita
Ouachita River
The Ouachita River is a river that runs south and east through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Tensas River to form the Black River near Jonesville, Louisiana.-Course:...
and Black rivers of Louisiana.
In 1994, Winters participated in the Centennial Oral History
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
Collection at Louisiana Tech. In this hour-long conversation, he discusses his varied experiences on the campus, the impact of desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
in the 1960s, the impact of the Korean
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
s, and his own participation in the Louisiana Tech-Rome studies program.
In civic matter, Winters served on the board of directors for the Ruston Community Theatre and the Louisiana Tech Concert Association. He was a past president of the Ruston Civic Symphony.
Death
Winters died at Lincoln General Hospital in Ruston at the age of eighty. He was survived by his wife Frances and two sisters-in-law, Doris M. Winters (1917–2004) of Lake Providence and Elizabeth Winters of GarlandGarland, Texas
-Climate:* The average warmest month is July.* The highest recorded temperature was in 2000.* On average, the coolest month is January.* The lowest recorded temperature was in 1989.* The maximum average precipitation occurs in May....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He was predeceased by two brothers, one of whom was Doris' husband, Henry F. Winters (1915–1987). Frances Winters died some eight years after his passing. They were cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
. His memorial service was held on December 11, 1997, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Ruston.