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The Civil War Conference
The Sixth Annual U.Va. Civil War Conference with Gary W. Gallagher
THE CAMPAIGN AND BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS
May 26-30, 2004 • Richmond, VirginiaThe battle of the Wilderness marked the beginning of the Overland Campaign's epic confrontation between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Fought on May 5-6, 1864, it witnessed ferocious combat that resulted in more than 30,000 casualties, revealed problems of command in both the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia, and yielded no decisive advantage to either side. Grant and Lee, as well as the soldiers they commanded, soon understood that the struggle in the Wilderness changed the nature of the war in the Eastern Theater.
On the battlefield and in the classroom, Professor Gary W. Gallagher and a group of exceptional historians will discuss the background of the campaign, the strategic and tactical decisions and events that shaped it, the relative performances of commanders on both sides, and the ways in which the campaign resonated behind the lines in the United States and the Confederacy.
During two days of touring, we will traverse all major parts of the battlefield, including Brock Road, Chewning Farm, Clark's Mountain, Germanna Ford, Grant's Headquarters' Knoll, Higgerson Farm, Jones Farm, Saunders' Field, Widow Tapp Farm, and a long walk along Longstreet's Flank Attack Route. Our battlefield tours will include sites seldom visited by the public.
The Program Faculty Includes: William Bergen, Peter Carmichael, Stephen Cushman, Gary Gallagher, Robert E. L. Krick, Robert K. Krick, and Joan Waugh, and program director Tom Dowd.
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PROGRAM FEATURESThe U.Va. Civil War Conference offers you the opportunity to spend time with talented historians for four and one-half days of lectures, extensive walking tours, and lively discussions offering a fresh perspective on the 1864 Campaign and Battle of the Wilderness. You will really come to know the battlefield during our guided walking tours, some of which will be strenuous and all of which will be held rain or shine. Richmond’s Owens & Ramsey Historical Booksellers will be on site during the program offering a wide selection of new, used, and very rare titles on the War Between the States. Return to the top
The U.Va. Civil War Conference will be based at the beautiful University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. The Civil War Conference begins with check-in from 2:00-4:00 pm, on Wednesday, May 26. The program ends 11:00 am, on Sunday, May 30.
For useful information about nearby accommodations, detailed maps, and Richmond directions, distances, and transportation options take a look at the University of Richmond on-line Visitor’s Center.
Richmond is served by Richmond International Airport (airport code RIC), Greyhound Bus Line, and Amtrak. The University of Richmond offers modern, air-conditioned dormitory rooms served by shared central bathroom facilities. Return to the top
- William W. Bergen is an assistant dean at the University of Virginia School of Law with a longtime interest in the Army of the Potomac’s senior generals. He has led many battlefield tours over the past 25 years, has lectured widely on the Civil War, and is the author of The Other Hero of Cedar Creek: The 'Not Specially Ambitious' Horatio G. Wright.
- Peter S. Carmichael is an assistant professor in the Department of History at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. The author of Lee's Young Artillerist: William R. J. Pegram, as well as several essays and articles in popular and scholarly journals, he is completing a study of Virginia slaveholders' sons and the formation of southern identity in the late ante-bellum years.
- Stephen Cushman is the Robert C. Taylor Professor of English at the University of Virginia. His books include Bloody Promenade: Reflections on a Civil War Battle.
- Gary W. Gallagher is John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War at the University of Virginia. His books include The Confederate War and Lee and His Generals in War and Memory. Return to the top
- Robert E. L. Krick, a Richmond-based historian and author of The Fortieth Virginia Infantry and a number of essays and articles, is completing a biographical register of the staff officers of the Army of Northern Virginia.
- Robert K. Krick is a specialist on the military history of the Confederacy. He has written dozens of articles and ten books, the most recent being The Smoothbore Volley that Doomed the Confederacy and Conquering the Valley: Stonewall Jackson at Port Republic.
- Joan Waugh is an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). She is currently writing a book on the memorialization of Ulysses S. Grant, which is the foundation for a larger project on the political culture of soldiers during the years 1861-1865.
- University of Virginia Program Director:Tom Dowd, Senior Director of Program Development, University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Return to the top
REGISTRATION
This program is open for registration. There are only a few spots left. Act now to avoid disappointment.Register, using VISA or MasterCard,
- by fax, 1-434-982-5297;
- by telephone at 800-346-3882 or 1-434-982-5252,
- by e-mailing all information requested on the registration form to travelandlearn@virginia.edu; or
- by mail, printing out and sending your completed registration form with your credit card information or check to The Civil War Conference, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400764, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4764, USA.Return to the top
PROGRAM SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Wednesday, May 26
Thursday, May 27
- 2:00 - 4:00 pm: Check In University of Richmond, North Court Residence Hall
- 4:45 pm: Program Introduction
- 5:00 pm: The War on the Eve of the Wilderness: Union and Confederate Expectations in April-May 1864 - Gary W. Gallagher
- 6:30 pm: Dinner
- 8:00 pm: Lee Against Meade in the Wilderness - Robert K. Krick
- 9:00 pm: Evening Snack Break Return to the top
Friday, May 28
- 7:00 am: Breakfast
- 8:15 am: A Season of Change and Controversy: The Reorganization of the Army of the Potomac in the Spring of 1864 - William W. Bergen
- 10:00 am: "Bob Lee Will Drive You Back": Grant and the Army of the Potomac on the Eve of the
Wilderness Campaign - Joan Waugh- 11:30 am: Confederate Corps Leadership in the Wilderness: R. S. Ewell, A. P. Hill, and James Longstreet - Peter S. Carmichael
- 12:45 pm: Lunch
- 2:30 pm: James Longstreet's Flank Attack, May 6, 1864 - Robert E.L. Krick
- 4:30 pm: The Wilderness as Image Past and Present - Stephen Cushman
- 5:30 pm: Dinner
- 8:00 pm: Tour Preview - All Faculty
- 9:00 pm: Evening Snack Break Return to the top
Saturday, May 29
- 6:30 am: Breakfast
- 9:00 am: Battlefield Tour Part 1: Clark's Mountain and Germanna Ford
- 12:15 pm: Lunch
- 1:30 pm: Battlefield Tour Part 2: Grant's Headquarters' Knoll, Saunders' Field, Higgerson Farm
- 6:30 pm: Dinner
- 8:00 pm: Tour Review - All Faculty
- 9:00 pm: Evening Snack Break Return to the top
Sunday, May 30
- 6:30 am: Breakfast
- 9:00 am: Battlefield Tour Part 3: Jones Farm, Chewning Farm, Widow Trapp Farm
- 12:15 pm: Lunch
- 1:30 pm: Battlefield Tour Part 4: Longstreet's Flank Attack Road, Fighting Along Brock Road
- 7:00 pm: Closing barbecue and music
- 8:30 pm: Evening Snack Break and Book Raffle Return to the top
- 7:00 am: Breakfast
- 9:00 am: Tour Review and Concluding Thoughts - All Faculty
- 11:00 am: Program concludes, Dorm Check-Out Time Return to the top
To be added to our mailing list please send your mailing address to
travelandlearn@virginia.edu or call us at 800-346-3882 or 1-434-982-5252.
