Spotlight: ECW & MacArthur Memorial Symposium

In 1951, General Douglas MacArthur described himself as “the reunion of blue and gray personified.” The experiences of his family in the Civil War helped mold and inspire MacArthur during his military career. MacArthur ancestors served in the East and West, and were present at some of the most important battles of the war, from the battles of 1862 to Appomattox in 1865.

Emerging Civil War and the MacArthur Memorial are co-sponsoring a free, one day, symposium on September 28, 2019 to explore the MacArthur Civil War story. Today’s post will highlight one of our presenters, Brian Steel Wills, and the story he will tell. For more information about the one day, free symposium or to register, please visit www.macarthurmemorial.org.

Brian Steel Wills is the Director of the Center for the Study of the Civil War Era and Professor of History at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA. He is the author of numerous works relating to the American Civil War, including biographies of Confederate generals Nathan Bedford Forrest and William Dorsey Pender, and an award-winning study of Union general George Henry Thomas. He has also written about the Civil War in Virginia and in the movies and has a new book just out on Noncombat Deaths in the Civil War. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond and the University of Georgia.

Brian will be presenting on Arthur MacArthur and George Thomas.