MDAH Announces 2025 Religion Research Fellow
Bradley Smith, a University of Alabama doctoral student, will research the role of
religion in the Army of Vicksburg
Bradley Smith, the 2025 Religion in Mississippi History Fellow.
Bradley Smith, a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, has been named the 2025 Religion in Mississippi History Research Fellow. Smith will use archival holdings at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) to research the role of religion in Mississippi from the state's secession to the surrender of Vicksburg.
“My primary focus will be on religion in the Army of Vicksburg and learning how faith provided a sense of purpose to Civil War soldiers, sustained morale, and reinforced discipline,” said Smith. “I hope that my research will help us better understand the religious sentiments of the rank-and-file, as well as the influential effect on the army of Chaplains and other ranking officers who were ministers in the Antebellum South.”
After receiving his Associate of Applied Science in Graphic Art from Shelton State Community College, Smith completed his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in history at the University of Alabama, where he is currently working toward his doctorate. He will use the $5,000 fellowship to cover travel, housing, and other expenses incurred while conducting primary research.
In December 2022, Lilly Endowment, Inc., awarded a $2.5 million grant through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative to the Foundation for Mississippi History to help MDAH expand public understanding of religious history in Mississippi.
“The Lilly Endowment’s support allows researchers to use the many MDAH archival collections that contain religious history,” said Laura Heller, MDAH acquisitions and collections coordinator. “Smith’s research this summer will provide new insights into an important part of Mississippi history and culture.”
Archival holdings related to religion may be accessed online and at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building at 200 North Street in Jackson. For more information on the archival collection or the Religion in Mississippi History Research Fellowship, contact Laura Heller at 601-576-6889, or by email at fellowships@mdah.ms.gov.