e v i t c e p s r e P In cap e R m u i s o p m Sy by Kelly Hancock
For s event e en y ears, the museum has hosted an annual Symposium, but this year was
special, not only because it was a return to in-person programming but also because it was the first to be held onsite. The 17th annual Symposium took place in the Foundry Building—the building constructed in 1861 specifically to manufacture cannon during the American Civil War. There is something incredibly impactful about hearing history in an historic setting.
Dr. Peter Carmichael
Speaking of history, it is often said that more books have been written about the Civil War than any other event in American History. Yet, new books are still being written and research continues. We continue to study the Civil War because, as one participant put it, “this study is critical to defining our present.” The 2022 Symposium, “The Soldier’s War,” provided just a glimpse of the challenges ordinary fighting men faced and of the reverberations of that impact on their families and in their postwar lives, but it shed new light on the age old subject. In the words of one attendee, the sessions featured “transparent original research being done into topics not explored before.”
Dr. Lesley Gordon
Dr. Lorien Foote
The impressive lineup of speakers included Dr. Peter Carmichael of Gettysburg College, Dr. Lesley Gordon of the University of Alabama, Dr. Lorien Foote of Texas A&M, Dr. Holly Pinheiro of Furman University, and Dr. Jonathan Jones of the Virginia Military Institute. The Symposium was carried out in partnership with the University of Virginia’s John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History and with the center’s director, Dr. Caroline Janney, serving as the moderator. Americana Corner sponsored the event, providing generous support. The first session, conducted by Dr. Carmichael, looked at what we can learn from the correspondence of semi-literate soldiers whose letters, due to the phonetic way in which they were written, read as if they were spoken around a family table. These letters provide insight into the thoughts, emotions, and conflicts of average men, missing their families, fighting for survival, and struggling with the difficulties of camp life.
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Photos by John Dixon, ACWM T H E A M ER I C A N CI V I L WA R M US EU M
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