Bell Irvin Wiley

Who was Bell Irvin Wiley?

Bell Irvin Wiley was an American historian who specialized on the American Civil War, and was an authority on military history and the social history of common people.

Born in rural Tennessee, Wiley took a BA at Asbury College in 1928, and a PhD from Yale University in 1933, where he worked with Ulrich B. Phillips. In 1934, Wiley became a professor of history at State Teachers College. He married Mary Frances Harrison in 1938; they had two children. He served as professor of history the University of Mississippi, Louisiana State University, and Emory University. Wiley was a pioneer in the social history of the Civil War, with important books on soldiers, women and blacks.

His dissertation, published as Southern Negroes, 1861-1865, dispels many of the myths about blacks during the American Civil War. Wiley showed it was false that most slaves remained loyal to their former masters following emancipation. Some slaves did choose to stay with their former owners but most willingly left their masters behind in order to take control of their own lives.

His intensive research included reading 30,000 letters written by Civil War soldiers. He published numerous books of popular history, as well as scholarly editions of letters and correspondence. He also wrote studies of the Army in World War II, and served on many commissions and committees.