Symposium Spotlight: “Completely new views of what was happening”
As I sifted through the feedback forms we received during last year’s Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge, one thing that jumped out at me were the number of folks who were pleasantly surprised by a theme they were initially skeptical about.
We chose “The Cities of War” as last year’s theme so we could highlight some non-battlefield stories that we might not otherwise get to present. One attendee admitted, “I was a little hesitant coming based on the subject for this year, but I think you may be onto something. This is my fourth time coming and probably my favorite event overall. Makes me think what may be with next year’s subject. . . .”
“I learned completely new views of what was happening in the war,” another attendee said.
And of course, that was exactly the idea. Sure, we all have our favorite stories we like to hear time and time again. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if ECW is going to stay true to our mission to present “emerging” ideas and perspectives, we need to present topics that will stretch beyond the War’s Greatest Hits.
For instance, when Neil Chatelain proposed a talk about San Francisco during the war, he surprised me. San Francisco is not the first city that pops to mind as a hotbed of Civil War action. But Neil quickly sold me on the idea. It was different and quirky and would bring something new to the table, and Neil is a great presenter, so I knew he’d bring the subject to life.
Folks loved it! “An amazing program,” one of them wrote. “I love talks about things that I know nothing about and seems so improbable that I would not have considered it. Besides being so informative, it was exceedingly entertaining and funny as well.”
This proved true over and over on our surveys. “This was an extraordinary Symposium,” another attendee wrote. “The speakers and subjects were perfect!”
It reminded me of the survey results we got from our “What If-based” symposium a couple years ago. People told us things like, “I avoid what-ifs, so I almost didn’t come, but I’m glad I did. You guys gave me a lot to think about.”
Not everyone thought every speaker hit a home run, certainly. Different speakers and different topics appeal to different tastes. But the common denominator: Everyone walked away with some new things to understand, appreciate, and learn more about. And I think it’s fair to say, “A good time was had by all!”
This is all to say: we’ll soon be announcing our full line-up of ECW speakers for our 2026 Symposium, and I hope you’ll put us on your dance card for this summer. Our theme this year will be “Partnerships and Rivalries,” with keynote speakers Harold Holzer and Craig Symonds. The event will be held August 7–9, 2026, at Stevenson Ridge on the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield.
Early bird tickets are on sale now for $275 for the entire weekend. That price is good through December 31. After that, our regular ticket price will $325. You can find out more, and order tickets, by visiting our Symposium page.
And for those of you who have continued to support us year after year, even when we might tease you with a mysterious theme, thank you for having faith in us. We hope we’ve never let you down!
