DAY 1 OF 3

FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2024

This year’s theme is “The Information War.” Although wars are ultimately decided on the battlefield, intelligence, propaganda, and even rumors play pivotal roles. We’ll explore the influence of different types of information on the course of the Civil War, ranging from Lincoln’s use of the telegraph to photographs and newspapers to communication among enslaved people. A highlight of the weekend will be a first-person portrayal of Confederate spy Rose Greenhow. 

You can also join us for an optional two-night field trip to Fredericksburg, VA. Led by renowned tour guide and retired National Park Service historian John Hennessy, we’ll study the changing nature of warfare at the epicenter of the Civil War’s Eastern Theater. In addition to exploring the historic town of Fredericksburg, site of the remarkable Union failure of December 1862, we’ll visit sites connected to Grant’s Overland Campaign of 1864. 

Friday Schedule:

4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Registration

6:00 – 7:00 p.m.    Reception

7:00 – 8:00 p.m.    Dinner

8:00 – 9:30 p.m. Welcome; Tom Wheeler, “Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails: How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War.”

For more information about this event, copy and paste this link into your browser: https://civilwar.vt.edu/civil-war-weekend-2024/