Symposium 2026 Spotlight: Friction in Command: Personal and Professional Conflicts Between the Union Commanders During the Gettysburg Campaign

Welcome back to our spotlight series, highlighting speakers and topics for our upcoming symposium. Over the coming weeks, we will continue previewing of our speaker’s presentations for the 2026 Emerging Civil War Symposium. This week we feature Tim Smith’s topic:

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Gettysburg Campaign is that there were conflicts over the change in leadership of the Army of the Potomac just days prior to the battle. The resignation of General Hooker and the appointment of General Meade sent a ripple throughout the Union command structure, causing friction at the corps, division and brigade levels. Join Timothy H. Smith as he discussed some of these conflicts and how they affected the decisions made during the greatest battle in American History.

For more information on the 2026 Emerging Civil War Symposium and to purchase tickets, click here.