Symposium Spotlight: Our 2026 Line-Up of Speakers

Just in time for Christmas, we’re pleased to announce our full line-up of speakers for our 13th Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge. Our event will be held August 7–9, 2025. Early Bird tickets for $275 each are available through December 31; regular tickets will be available beginning January 1 for $325 each. Order tickets here.

Our theme will be “Partnerships and Rivalries.”

We’re pleased to feature TWO keynote speakers this year:

1. Harold Holzer—Presidents in Print: The Dueling Images of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis
2. Craig Symonds—Admirals in Blue and Gray: Farragut and Buchanan

Plus, we have a line-up of eight other speakers:

1. Kris White—“Heavens, How They Hate Him”: Braxton Bragg and the Army of Tennessee’s High Command
2. Dr. Angela Zombeck—Partners in Escape: POW Escape Attempts and Plots, Successful and Stymied
3. Joseph Ricci—“Not with a Pen but a Sword”: George H. Thomas and John M. Schofield
4. Pat Kelly-Fischer—Duel in the Desert: Canby and Sibley’s Fight for the West
5. Neil Chatelain—The Mississippi River vs. Everyone: How Grant, Foote, Pope, Farragut, Porter, Butler, Lovell, Johnston, Beauregard, and Hollins had to fight the “Father of Waters” before fighting each other
6. Ryan Quint—“With Friends Like These…”: Ambrose Burnside and Joseph Hooker, Late 1862
7. Tim Smith (of the East)—Friction in Command: Personal and Professional Conflicts Between the Union Commanders During the Gettysburg Campaign
8. Evan Portman—Frenemies: The Partnership and Rivalry of Joshua Chamberlain and Ellis Spear

Plus, our popular Friday evening panel returns.