Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 7/13/98                                 
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple   18

EXHIBIT CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF "SPLENDID LITTLE WAR"
     HAMMOND -- "The Splendid Little War," an exhibit commemorating the 100th
anniversary of the  Spanish-American War, will open with a gala reception July 22 at
Southeastern Louisiana University's Center for Regional Studies.
     The reception is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the Center, which is located on the second floor
of Southeastern's Sims Memorial Library.
     "The Splendid Little War" features uniforms, weapons and artifacts from private local
collections and photographs from the Center's archives, said Center director Sam Hyde Jr. A
narrative history will explain the war's causes, progress, and significance, and honor state and
local contributions to the war effort.
     Of particular interest, Hyde said, are a shell from the USS Maine, the sword of Captain
Charles "You may fire when ready" Gridley, memorabilia from war hero Lt. Richard Hobson,
and artifacts associated with Company H, First Regiment of Louisiana Volunteers, a unit largely
recruited in the Hammond area.
     The exhibit will be on display until early fall. Hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., weekdays, and
9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday.
     Often regarded as America's "empire building war," the Spanish-American War was the
first sustained conflict in which Americans engaged a foreign adversary overseas and
demonstrated the rising potential of American military power, Hyde said.
     "Far less emphasis is placed on the 1898 conflict than on other wars such as the Civil War
and World War II," he said. "But the Spanish-American War played a major role in the
emergence of America as a world power."
     Hyde said Southern participation in the war helped heal Civil War divisiveness and
restored the Fourth of July holiday in the South, which had long associated the date with the twin
Confederate defeats at Vicksburg and Gettysburg.
     For additional information, call the Center for Regional Studies, 504-549-2151.
                                 - SLU -
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