In honor of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, we will be highlighting collections related to the military history of Mississippi and veterans who served the state beginning with the territorial militia in 1797 through World War II (the most recent engagement for which we have collections). Special thanks to Jim Pitts, of the MDAH Government Records section, for compiling the military records and their descriptions and to Nan Prince, Museum Division, for compiling the artifacts.
The image above is a compiled service record card of a soldier from the 1st Mississippi Volunteer Infantry Regiment, one of three regiments Mississippi raised for the Spanish-American War in 1898. None of the three regiments were deployed outside the continental United States. The Spanish-American War Records Extracts are available to view on microfilm at MDAH.
This presentation sword belonged to Governor James Kimble Vardaman and was worn by him while he served in the Spanish American War. Vardaman enlisted in the army after the United States declared war on Spain in 1898 and eventually became a colonel. He served as governor of Mississippi from 1904 to 1908.
Artifacts in the collection of the Museum of Mississippi History are available for viewing by appointment only. Please contact Cindy Gardner, Director of Collections or Nan Prince, Asst. Director of Collections by email to schedule an appointment.