Grinnellians in the Era of Disunion

Though it may not have been the center of the conflict, the Iowa Civil War experience was emblematic of national divisions.  Iowans contributed greatly to the Union War effort both on the battlefield and home front.  Many men from the town of Grinnell and students from Iowa college joined the Union Army.  In fact, the majority of the freshman class of 1861 left the college to go to war.  This exhibit explores not only how Grinnellians engaged in the actual war, but also how they were involved in the debate over slavery before the war and how they commemorated veterans after the War.