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Giles Waldo Shurtleff: A Biography of Oberlin's Favorite Son

Mercer, John L.
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1954-6228
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1479901580295731

Abstract Details

2016, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History.
Giles Shurtleff died in the early 20th Century a local hero. His life, which had been followed with great interest in his adopted hometown of Oberlin, Ohio, was filled with military feats of glory. Breveted Brigadier General, Shurtleff’s war story was well known. He was a recent graduate of the college, and a tutor of Latin when the Civil War began. Shurtleff led a company of Oberlin boys into the conflict, only to be captured at his first major engagement. Although his actions helped save many in his regiment, Shurtleff was off to several Confederate prisons over the next year. When he was released, instead of returning to the Oberlin regiment, he became a staff officer of General Orlando Wilcox, and was on the front lines during the Union disaster at Fredericksburg. Sickness took him out of the service, but only briefly. The Oberlininte returned to lead a regiment of black soldiers in a desperate battle where he was seriously wounded while leading his men to victory. Upon his recovery, Shurtleff returned to his men, and served his country with enormous dedication. This story was well known. Shurtleff’s life story, however, is quite a bit larger than his impressive military career. He entered Oberlin virtually penniless, and worked his way through the school’s preparatory department, college department, and graduate school. His impressive work resulted in job offers from Oberlin and at least one other college. He returned to Oberlin after the war to teach, and became a very successful fund raiser for the school and was named its treasurer. He retired as a prominent Oberlinite and a trustee of the college. As the Civil War receded into memory, Shurtleff remained on view in Oberlin, as a bronze sculpture of him remains one of the few statues of a human in that college town known for its artistic temperament. Shurtleff’s story is significant for much more than just the compelling narrative of his life. In addition to his obvious importance in Ohio history, he represents aspects of military and social history that deserve our attention. Shurtleff’s Oberlin foundation was steeped in Christian perfectionism. Oberlin’s president, Charles Grandison Finney, sharpened Shurtleff’s understanding of himself and his role in the wider world. Shurtleff flirted with the pastorate before settling on education, but he never lost his Christian zeal. This can especially be seen in Shurtleff’s reform spirit. Abolition was part of the Oberlin ethos, as was evangelism and temperance. Shurtleff was steeped in all three. His life demonstrates how the reformist Finney, famous for his work in the `burned over district,’ continued throughout the century morphing from abolition to temperance during the Jim Crow era. Shurtleff’s story is also important for his men were unusually successful. Of the two dozen Medals of Honor won by black soldiers in the Civil War, four were earned by the 5th USCT. Shurtleff oversaw the training of these men, and helped guide them into a place where they could prove their own metal.
Leonne Hudson, PhD (Advisor)
Bradley Keefer, PhD (Committee Member)
Clarence Wunderlin, PhD (Committee Member)
Babacar M'Baye, PhD (Committee Member)
Landon Hancock, PhD (Committee Chair)
305 p.
History
Giles Shurtleff; Shurtleff; 5th USCT; United States Colored Troops; Oberlin College; Oberlin; Temperance;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Mercer, J. L. (2016). Giles Waldo Shurtleff: A Biography of Oberlin's Favorite Son [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1479901580295731

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Mercer, John. Giles Waldo Shurtleff: A Biography of Oberlin's Favorite Son. 2016. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1479901580295731.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Mercer, John. "Giles Waldo Shurtleff: A Biography of Oberlin's Favorite Son." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1479901580295731

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.