Weapons of Mississippi

Mississippians have long found the need for an arsenal of interesting, lethal, and imaginative weapons. Native Americans, frontier outlaws, antebellum duelists, authorities and protestors in the civil rights struggle, and present-day hunters have used weapons to survive, to advance causes, or to levy societal control. In Weapons of Mississippi, Kevin Dougherty examines the roles weapons have played in twelve phases of state history. Dougherty not only offers technical background for these devices, but he also presents a new way of understanding the state's history-through the context and development of its weapons. Chapters in the book bring the story of Mississippi's weapons up to date with a discussion of the modern naval shipbuilders on the Coast and interviews with hunters keen to pass on family traditions. As Mississippi progressed from a sparsely populated wilderness to a structured modern society, management of weaponry became one of the main requirements for establishing centralized law and order. Indians, outlaws, runaway slaves, secessionists, and night riders have all posed challenges to the often better-armed authorities. Today, weapons unite Mississippians in the popular pastime of hunting deer, turkey, dove, rabbit, and even bear. In the state's social and cultural character, a shared lore and knowledge of hunting crosses age, racial, and economic lines. Weapons, once used for mere survival, have transformed into instruments masterfully crafted for those harvesting the state's abundant game.

Atlatls, bows and arrows, and striking weapons : weapons of the Mississippi Indians -- Guns, steel, and forts : weapons of the Europeans in Mississippi -- Militias, outlaws, and Kentucky rifles : weapons of territorial Mississippi -- Dueling and slavery : weapons of antebellum Mississippi -- Mississippi rifles : weapons of Mississippians in Mexico -- Ironclads and torpedoes : weapons on the water in Civil War Mississippi -- Siege guns and sabers : weapons on the land in Civil War Mississippi -- Rifles, bows, and guns : weapons of Mississippi hunters and private citizens -- Training camps and military mobilization : weapons of Mississippi during the two world wars -- Firebombs and ropes : weapons of terror in Mississippi -- Ships, aircraft, and artillery : weapons of Mississippi's post World War II military-industrial complex -- Nuclear testing : weapons of the atomic age in Mississippi.