Governor Oliver P. Morton of Indiana stands as one of the most significant political leaders in the Civil War era. A staunch Unionist, he worked tirelessly to support the military effort, winning the nickname, “The Soldier’s Friend.” He also centralized and expanded power, often in ruthless ways. For twenty-one months in the middle of the war, the Republican governor ran the state of Indiana from his office, skirting the law and ignoring constitutional restraints during his period of “One Man Rule.” In 1864, Morton shrewdly exposed a Copperhead conspiracy that led to the arrests of half-a-dozen men and the timing of the resulting Treason Trials in Indianapolis helped the Republicans carry the elections that fall. Historian A. James Fuller sets out to find the truth about Indiana’s Civil War governor in this lecture drawn from his research for his forthcoming book, The Great War Governor: Oliver P. Morton and the Politics of Power in the Civil War and Reconstruction.

A. James Fuller is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Indianapolis. He has published six books, including The Election of 1860 Reconsidered and Soldiers of Christ: The Piety of Basil Manly, Sr. and Basil Manly, Jr.

Reservations are suggested.