Dear Chancellor Boyce and the University of Mississippi community,
John Neff was our colleague, mentor, friend, husband and father. Efforts to imply that John, who died suddenly on January 30, 2020, was supportive of or helped develop the University of Mississippi’s recently announced plan to erect new, individual headstones in the Civil War cemetery on campus dishonor his memory. Those of us who worked with, learned from and loved John feel compelled to respond.
John was a leading authority on death, mourning and Civil War memory. His book, Honoring the Civil War Dead: Commemoration and the Problem of Reconciliation, explained how the need to justify the war’s terrible death toll led to popular myth-making about its causes, conduct and its meanings. This myth-making included the development of the Lost Cause, which emphasized the purported superiority of the Confederate soldier and deemphasized the larger moral and political issues at stake in the conflict.
In short, John argued that efforts to individualize and dignify the Confederate dead distorted Civil War history in order to distract from the Confederacy’s association with racism and treason.
John’s expertise made him an ideal chair of the Work Group for the Cemetery Headstone Project. As its sole historian, he was the only member with deep knowledge of Civil War recordkeeping, burial and commemoration practices and archival research experience. His rigor and commitment to honoring the evidence — whatever it was — ensured that, as long as he was chair, the university would present an interpretation of the Civil War cemetery on campus that was rooted in sources and scholarship.
After conducting thorough research, John became convinced that no evidence exists that could establish exactly how many occupied graves remain in the Civil War cemetery, much less whose remains are buried in them. As a consequence, he considered the placement of new, individual headstones, without clear evidence as to the identity of the remains interred therein, a desecration. In conversations with his students, colleagues and family, John expressed his fervent disapproval of the headstones and insisted he would never sanction their installation, even at the risk of relinquishing his professorship.
It is precisely because John respected the Civil War dead that he so adamantly opposed any plan to erect new, individual headstones in the campus cemetery. John did not consider anonymous graves to be an indignity. Such graves were simply a result of the overwhelming number of deaths incurred in the war and the inability of United States and Confederate officials to adequately handle them. Describing the post-war practice of relocating unidentified Confederate remains from distant battlefields to mass graves in their home states he wrote, “they were no less honored for being anonymous.”
Finally, in order to do full justice to John’s legacy, it is important to acknowledge that his opposition to the plan for the cemetery was as much a reflection of his character as his scholarship. John was a devoted husband, father, friend, teacher and mentor. He was fiercely loyal to his family, friends and the work he so deeply believed in. He was loved and respected for his wisdom, integrity and ability to guide and challenge those around him. These qualities are especially missed at this time. If he were here today, he would hold the university accountable for the reckless nature and divisive consequences of this plan. Just as John championed those he cared for, and helped them grow beyond their complacent boundaries, he would encourage our university to do the same. John believed that handling this situation with selflessness, clarity and respect would be an opportunity to unify our community and set a precedent for excellence in the future.
The legacy John left is enormous. We have each felt his loss acutely in the last several months and especially now. John strove to ensure that respect was shown to the Civil War dead on our campus and fought to let the soldiers rest in peace; it is time for the university to extend the same respect to him. It is time for the administration to respect John’s legacy and embrace his vision for the betterment of the University of Mississippi and its community. Recent efforts to posthumously weaponize John’s authority to provide cover for a plan he spent years of his life fighting are an insult to his scholarship as well as his character. It is incumbent upon us to set the record straight and see that his work on this important project is not manipulated or forgotten.
Signed,
Mikaela Adams, Associate Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Elias J. Baker, PhD Candidate, Graduate Instructor, University of Mississippi, John’s advisee
Toby Glenn Bates, Associate Professor, Mississippi State University – Meridian, University of Mississippi MA, John’s advisee
Jesse Cromwell, Associate Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Andrew Patrick Davis, Instructor, University of Mississippi, University of Mississippi PhD, John’s advisee
Sarah Elliott, PhD Candidate, Graduate Instructor, University of Mississippi, John’s advisee
Garrett Felber, Assistant Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Autumn Smith Neff Ferguson, John’s daughter
Lester L. Field, Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Joshua First, Croft Associate Professor of History and International Studies, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Amy Laurel Fluker, Assistant Professor of History, Youngstown State University, University of Mississippi PhD, John’s advisee
Jennifer Ford, Head of Special Collections, University of Mississippi, University of Mississippi PhD, John’s colleague and advisee
Zachary Kagan Guthrie, Associate Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Boyd R. Harris, History Faculty, Lee College, Baytown, Texas, University of Mississippi PhD, John’s advisee
Amanda Myers Hartman, Archivist, Illinois State Archives, University of Mississippi MA, John’s advisee
April Holm, Associate Professor of History and Interim Director of the Center for Civil War Research, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Joshua Howard, Croft Professor of History and International Studies, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Vivian Ibrahim, Croft Associate Professor of History and International Studies, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Jeffrey T. Jackson, Professor of Sociology, University of Mississippi, served with John on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context
Beth Kruse, PhD Candidate, Graduate Instructor, University of Mississippi, John’s advisee
Audrey M. Uffner Lau, Public Services Specialist, PGCMLS, University of Mississippi MA and PhD, Center for Civil War Research fellow and John’s advisee
Theresa Levitt, Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Marc H. Lerner, Associate Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Rebecca Marchiel, Assistant Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Leigh McWhite, Political Papers Archivist & Associate Professor, University of Mississippi, University of Mississippi PhD, John’s mentee
Amanda M. Nagel, Assistant Professor of History, School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, University of Mississippi PhD, Center for Civil War Research fellow and John’s mentee
Benjamin E. Neff, John’s son
Kathy Neff, John’s wife
Molly Neff, John’s daughter
F. Evan Nooe, Part-Time Instructor of American Studies, UNC-Charlotte, University of Mississippi PhD, John’s mentee
Eva Payne, Assistant Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Otis W. Pickett, Associate Professor of History, Mississippi College, University of Mississippi PhD, John’s mentee
Paul Polgar, Assistant Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Christine A. Rizzi, Assistant Professor of History, Broward College, University of Mississippi PhD, Center for Civil War Research fellow and John’s mentee
Thomas W. Robinson, Financial and Development Director, Museum of Florida History, University of Mississippi PhD, John’s advisee
Jarod Roll, Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Charles K. Ross, Professor of History and African American Studies, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague served with John on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context
Sheila Skemp, Professor of History Emerita, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Susan Gaunt Stearns, Assistant Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Peter Thilly, Assistant Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Nicolas Trepanier, Associate Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Anne Twitty, Associate Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague and served with John on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context
Michael Upton, Director of Advancement, Itawamba Community College, University of Mississippi MA, John’s advisee
Jeffrey R. Watt, Kelly Gene Cook, Sr. Professor of History, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Noell Wilson, Associate Professor of History and Chair, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
Darren E. Grem, Associate Professor of History and Southern Studies, University of Mississippi, John’s colleague
