Our Tenth Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge is in the bag, and we’re already looking forward to next year! Our 11th Annual Symposium will be August 1ā3, 2025, at Stevenson Ridge in Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia. Our theme will be “The Cities of War,” with keynote speaker Harold Holzer and a Sunday tour by John Hennessy.
You can order early-bird tickets by clicking here.
To give you an idea of the fun we had this year, here’s a quick photo collection courtesy of Melissa Winn!
Dr. Curt Fields kicked off the weekend at historic Massaponax Church with a portrayal of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. GrantAlthough an optional piece of “bonus” programming for the Symposium, Fields’ program packed Massaponax Church.Fields focused on Grant’s promotion to lieutenant general in the spring of 1864 and his assumption of command of all Federal armies.ECW Editor-in-Chief Chris Mackowski and his son Maxwell joined Gen. Grant for a post-program cigar. šDoors at Stevenson Ridge opened at 2:00 p.m.Col. (ret) Ed Lowe, author of A Fine Opportunity Lost: Longstreet’s East Tennessee Campaign, part of the Emerging Civil War Series.Kevin Pawlak (l) and Jon-Erik Gilot, co-authors of John Brown’s Raid: Harpers Ferry and the Civil War. Kevin has authored a number of other books, too!Bert Dunkerly, an author of two wars: Rev War and Civil WarEditor-in-Chief Chris Mackowski welcomed everyone on Friday for our 10th Symposium.John Hennessy, former chief historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, presented this year’s first program, “Overland Whirlwind: A Reflection on the Overland Campaign, May 1864.”The stakes for President Lincoln were high, all across the board, in 1864.Bob Lookabill, president of the Friends of Wilderness Battlefields, asks a question.Zack Frye discusses “Politics in a Time of War: The 1864 Election.” (His program also included a lot of A.I.-generated cats.)Attendee John Pryor–whose shirts won the Symposium–poses a question.Drew Gruber, executive director of Civil War Trails, had good news to share about the vibrant interest in Civil War history (despite any gloom you may have heard!).Gina Denham, co-founder of the Monuments for UK Veterans of the American Civil War Association, came from across the Pond to share information about the group’s work.A happy Ryan Quint has been pleased with reaction to his latest hardcover, The Battle of Dranesville.Although he had a foot in a cast, Derek Maxfield nonetheless worked the room as he spoke about “Point Lookout, Elmira and the Union Prisoner of War Machine in 1864.”An on-screen Scott Hartwig, recipient of this year’s Emerging Civil War Book Award for I Dread the Thought of the Place: The Battle of Antietam and the End of the Maryland Campaign, shared a virtual “thank you” with attendees.Patrick Young of The Reconstruction Era Blog offered a mini-lecture on the postwar “Mississippi Plan.”Brian Steel Wills joked his way through his Friday night keynote address with jovial good humor. Wills retired from a long career in academia just days before the Symposium (no wonder he was in such a great mood!).Wills brought Nathan Bedford Forrestāand dashed Confederate dreamsāwith him to the Symposium.Ted Romans never fails to ask thoughtful, engaged questions. Our running joke is, “Of course Ted has a question”–but we really do value what he brings to the conversation!Our Friday night panel: Evan Portman, Brian Steel Wills, Jonathan Noyalas, and Ryan Quint.Evan Portman represents the kind of “emerging voices” ECW exists to promote!Bill Miller from Williamsburg and Rosemary Nichols from Albany showed up in their matching attire from the Civil War Roundtable Congress.Cheers!Jon Tracey led efforts at the ECW swag table, with books, hats, mugs, and shirts. Behind the scenes, ECW’s treasurer, Jennifer Mackowski, made sure everything came together. Thanks, Jon and Jennifer!You know you want them. . . .Hampton Newsome, two-time winner of the ECW Book Award, joined us on Saturday. Here, he chats with the boys from the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, Terry Rensel (center) and Tim Talbott (right).Brian Matthew Jordan spoke first on Saturday: “The War in 1864.”Part of ECW’s original cast of historians, Daniel T. Davis returned to talk about his co-authored book (with Phill Greenwalt), Hurricane from the Heavens: The Battle of Cold Harbor.A packed house stayed attentive on Saturday.Saturday Keynote Speaker Jonathan Noyalas gave a fantastic talk, āTo Appreciate the Relationā: Lincoln, Sheridan, and the Shenandoah Valley in 1864.”Noyalas received a special gift from ECW, courtesy of fellow Buffalo Bills fan Chris Mackowski.Five attendees have managed to come to ALL TEN of ECW’s symposia: Mike, Terry, Paul, Janine, and Ed. Huzzah!ECW Vice President Neil Chatelain unpacked the criticality of the Battle of Mobile Bay, looking at the myth and reality of the military and political results of battle.Charlie Downs from the Hagerstown, MD, CWRT is a long-time attendee and faithful blog reader.ECW Book Review Editor Tim Talbot spoke about “Our Rights, Liberty, Justice, and Unionā: The Battle of New Market Heights, September 29, 1864. Tim is involved with the Battle of New Market Heights Memorial and Education Association.Joe Ricci, historian for the Battle of Franklin Trust, described 1864 as the year the war was won–but that didn’t stop John Bell Hood from a last-gasp try at Nashville. Joe spoke about āThe Open Road to Appomattox: The Tennessee Campaign, the Battles of Spring Hill and Franklin, and the End of the War in the West.”As one Symposium attendee said, “The silent auction and raffle really stepped up their game this year.” They are important fundraisers for ECW.“‘Ring, ring ring’ went the trolley”–as it took participants to the Spotsylvania battlefield for Sunday’s tour.It took two trolley circuits to get everyone to the battlefield, so as group two waited, Chris Mackowski told them a little about the history of the Civil War fighting in what is now Stevenson Ridge’s front yard.At the battlefield, as group one waited for group two, Tyler McGraw, the Unfiltered Historian, regaled attendees with tales of Emory Upton at Spotsylvania Court House.Sunday’s tour, led by Chris Mackowski, focused on fighting at the Bloody Angle. Chris is author of a soon-to-be-released study of Spotsylvania, A Tempest of Iron and Lead.The tour took several detours off Spotsy’s beaten path.Curt and Lena Fields and Tyler McGraw at Spotsylvania’s Edward Stuart monument. Stuart was an early battlefield preservationist.One of Chris’s maxims is, “History happens in the shade”–but not when it’s at the bottom of the swale at Spotsy, where there IS no shade. The group nonetheless got swallowed by the overgrowth in what should have otherwise been a mowed field.Nearly everyone made it all the way back to our starting point at the Bloody Angle….Friday’s night’s assemblage of ECW historians. Others joined us on Saturday. Thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s Symposium such a success!
Melissa, Thank you for this wonderful montage of photographs that truly captures the vibrant nature that this event has become. It just gets better and better with each passing year, and it serves as a great opportunity to renew friendships with our fellow Civil War travelers.
Thanks to everyone for another great symposium. Iām looking forward to next year.
Melissa, Thank you for this wonderful montage of photographs that truly captures the vibrant nature that this event has become. It just gets better and better with each passing year, and it serves as a great opportunity to renew friendships with our fellow Civil War travelers.
I had a blast. Great to get #themonumentalproject across the pond and on the ?? map.