Ben Wynne, Ph.D.

Area(s) of Expertise: History of American South, Southern history, Antebellum American History, Civil War history
Overview
Author and historian Ben Wynne is a native of Florence, Mississippi. He earned his doctorate in history at the University of Mississippi and currently serves as professor of history at the Âé¶¹´«Ã½ in Gainesville, Georgia. He is the author of numerous works on southern history and culture and American history in general.
Courses Taught
- U.S. History to 1877
- U.S. History from 1877
- World History from 1500
- A Multi-Cultural History of Blues and Rock and Roll Music
- Race and Ethnicity in America
- History of the South through the 19th Century
- History of the South in the 20th Century
- Civil War and Reconstruction
- The Civil Rights Era
- History of American Sports
- Images of the South Through Film
- The American West
Education
- Ph.D., History, University of Mississippi, 2000
- M.A., History, Mississippi College, 1995
- B.B.A., Business Administration, Millsaps College, 1984
Research/Special Interests
Research interests include southern culture, particularly music and politics, as well as antebellum American history and Civil War studies.
Publications
I. Books:
The Man Who Punched Jefferson Davis: The Political Life of Henry Stuart Foote, Southern Unionist. Louisiana State University Press, 2018.
In Tune: Charley Patton, Jimmie Rodgers, and Roots of American Popular Music. Louisiana State University Press, 2014. [Audio edition, 2017]
Mississippi’s Civil War: A Narrative History. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2006. [Paperback edition, 2015]
A Hard Trip: A History of the 15th Mississippi Infantry, C.S.A., 1861-1865. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2003. [Paperback edition, 2010]
A Hound Dale Tale: Big Mama, Elvis and the Song That Changed Everything, Lousiana State University Press, 2024
Something in the Water: A history of Music in Macon, Ga, 1823-1980, Mercer Univeristy Press, 2021
II. Books Edited with Introduction
‘The Personal Observations of a Man of Intelligence’: Notes of a Tour of North America in 1861, by James Fergusson. Lambertville, NJ: The True Bill Press, 2009.
III. Book Introductions
- Introduction: The Rise the Confederate Government, by Jefferson Davis. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 2010.
- Introduction: The Fall of the Confederate Government, by Jefferson Davis. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 2010.
- Introduction: Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War, by G.F.R. Henderson. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 2006.
- Introduction: Mosby’s Memoirs, by John S. Mosby. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 2006.
- Introduction: Recollections and Letters of Robert E Lee, by Robert E. Lee. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 2004.
IV. Encyclopedia Entries:
Contributor to the following:
- Encyclopedia of Race and Ethnicity (ABC-CLIO Forthcoming)
- Encyclopedia of The Atlantic World, 1400-1900 (ABC-CLIO, 2017).
- The Mississippi Encyclopedia (University Press of Mississippi, 2017).
- Encyclopedia of the War of 1812 (The Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia, 2016).
- Religion and Politics in America: An Encyclopedia of Church and State in American Life (ABC-CLIO, 2016).
- Chinese-Americans: A History and Culture of a People (ABC-CLIO, 2015).
- Imperialism and Expansionism in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection. (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2015).
- Encyclopedia of Populism in America (ABC-CLIO, 2014).
- American Civil War: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection (ABC-CLIO 2014).
- Encyclopedia of the 1960s (ABC-CLIO, 2012).
- Encyclopedia of the War of 1812 (ABC-CLIO, 2012).
- Encyclopedia of Movies and American Culture (ABC-CLIO, 2011).
- Encyclopedia of Native American History (Facts on File, 2011).
- Encyclopedia of Slavery in the Americas (Facts on File, 2011)).
- The Cultural Encyclopedia of Alcohol (ABC-CLIO, 2010).
- America in World History (M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 2010).
- Sports in America from Colonial Times to the Twenty-First Century: An Encyclopedia (M.E. Sharp. Inc., 2011).
- Encyclopedia of African-American History, 1896-Present (Oxford University Press, 2009).
- Encyclopedia of Global Health (SAGE, 2008).
- Encyclopedia of the Jazz Age (M. E. Sharp, 2008).
- One Day in History: September 11, 2001 (HarperCollins and Smithsonian Books, 2007). One Day in History: July 4, 1776 (HarperCollins and Smithsonian Books, 2006).
- One Day in History: December 7, 1941 (HarperCollins and Smithsonian Books, 2006).
- Encyclopedia of the American Revolutionary War (ABC-CLIO, 2006).
- Tariffs and Trade in U.S. History: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood Press, 2003).
- The American Economy: A Historical Encyclopedia (ABC-CLIO, 2003).
- Encyclopedia of the America Civil War. (ABC-CLIO, 2000).
V. Book Reviews
Reviews have appeared in the following academic journals:
- Civil War History
- Georgia Historical Quarterly
- The Historian
- Indiana Magazine of History
- Journal of American History
- Journal of Mississippi History
- Journal of Southern History
- Kansas History
- Maryland Historical Magazine
- Missouri Historical Review
- New Mexico Historical Review
- North Carolina Historical Review
- Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
- South Carolina Historical Magazine
- Southwestern Historical Quarterly
- Tennessee Historical Quarterly
- Virginia Magazine of History and Biography
Work Experience
Valdosta State University, Department of History—Adjunct Professor (2005).
Florida State University, Department of History—Visiting Assistant Professor (2002-2004).
University of Mississippi, Department of History—Full Time Instructor (2000-2002).
Personal Information
Wife: Carly
Children: Lily and Cotton