2009civilwar

The University of Virginia's ninth Civil War Conference will explore the confrontation between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee from the fall of Petersburg through the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. Gary Gallagher and a faculty of top Civil War scholars will walk you through the final, fatal days of the war in the battle-scarred Virginia countryside.

By late March 1865, the armies had been locked in a grinding siege for more than nine months. Lee sought to break the stalemate with a major assault at Fort Stedman on March 25, the failure of which triggered a series of actions that culminated in a shattering Union success at Five Forks on April 1 and Lee's abandonment of Petersburg and Richmond. Over the next week, the armies marched westward, with Lee seeking to escape from pursuing Federals and Grant applying relentless pressure at Sailor's Creek and elsewhere. The grand military drama ended on April 9, when Lee reluctantly agreed to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia. The scenes at Appomattox from the 9th, when Grant and Lee met in the McLean House, through the 12th, when the formal surrender took place, rank among the most compelling in United States history.

Through lectures, walking tours, and discussion, the conference will place events in the broader perspective of the war, evaluate military leadership on both sides, examine in detail some of the tactical ebb and flow, and examine the powerful ways in which Appomattox shaped subsequent understanding of the conflict. We will walk the ground at Fort Stedman, White Oak Road, and Five Forks; investigate the overwhelming Union victory at Sailor's Creek; and explore military action and the surrender proceedings at Appomattox. We will walk part of the route that Lee's veterans took across the north fork of the Appomattox River and up the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road, past Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's Union infantry, to lay down their arms on April 12. We will visit historic Nazomine Church, as well as the site of A. P. Hill's mortal wounding and the desperate Confederate defense at Fort Gregg.

Relive the most critical weeks in American history, with some of the countries most respected scholars on that period.
Revisit such celebrated battlegrounds as Five Forks and Sailor’s Creek.
Experience all the poignancy and pathos that surrounded the people and events at the unlikely crossroads of Appomattox, Virginia, during those four historic days in April 1865.
Come to a fuller understanding of how the war was won—and lost—and what the implications of its outcome meant for the United States.
Expand your knowledge of the politics and personalities of the era.
Enjoy the dynamic give-and-take between seasoned historians Gary Gallagher and Bob Krick and hear rare anecdotes of the personal lives of those involved in the battles.
Share your own insights into battle tactics and options with scholars and with well-informed fellow program participants.
Take advantage of the war-related memorabilia, maps, books, and photographs offered by Owens and Ramsey, who will offer their products at the seminar.
Enjoy the campus at the University of Richmond, among the most beautiful in the country.
And more…

The Conference will be based at the University of Richmond, in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond is served by Richmond International Airport (airport code: RIC), Greyhound-Trailways BusLine, and Amtrak.

The dormitory and classrooms at the University of Richmond are air-conditioned. If you choose to stay in a local hotel, useful information about nearby accommodations, detailed maps, and Richmond directions, distances, and transportation options visit the University of Richmond Online Visitor’s Center.

There will be several battlefield walking tours during the conference, some of them may be strenuous and all will be held rain or shine. Please notify us when you register if you have any physical or medical conditions which may interfere with walking battlefield terrain at a normal pace, or if you have any dietary restrictions. Every effort to accommodate you will be made.

Program Faculty

William W. Bergen is an assistant dean at the University of Virginia School of Law with a longtime interest in the Army of the Potomac’s senior generals. He has led many battlefield tours, has lectured widely on the Civil War, and is the author of The Other Hero of Cedar Creek: The ‘Not Specially Ambitious' Horatio G. Wright.

Keith Bohannon is an assistant professor at West Georgia University and the editor of A Georgian with "Old Stonewall" in Virginia: The Letters of Ujanirtus Allen, Company F, 21st Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry (LSU Press, 1998) and the author of numerous published essays.

Peter S. Carmichael is a professor in the Department of History at West Virginia University. The author of Lee's Young Artillerist: William R. J. Pegram, as well as several essays and articles in popular and scholarly journals, his next book project, Black Rebels will explore the experience of slaves who served Confederate soldiers.

Stephen Cushman is the Robert C. Taylor Professor of English at the University of Virginia. His books include Bloody Promenade: Reflections on a Civil War Battle.

Gary W. Gallagher (conference leader) is the John L. Nau III Professor in History of the American Civil War in the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia. His many books include The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862(Editor), Lee and His Army in Confederate History, The Confederate War, and Lee and His Generals in War and Memory.

Caroline E. Janney is an assistant professor in the department of History at Purdue University. She is the author of essays about the Lost Cause that have appeared recently in Crucible of the Civil War: Virginia from Secession to Commemoration and Virginia’s Civil War, and her first book, Burying the Dead but Not the Past: Ladies’ Memorial Associations and the Lost Cause.

Robert E.L. Krick is a Richmond based historian and author of Staff Officers in Gray: A Biographical Register of the Staff Officers in the Army of Northern Virginia, The Fortieth Virginia Infantry, and a number of essays and articles.

Robert K. Krick is a specialist on the military history of the Confederacy. He has written dozens of articles and ten books, the most recent being Civil War Weather in Virginia and The Smoothbore Volley that Doomed the Confederacy.

Joan Waugh is a professor in the Department of History at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Her recently completed book titled Ulysses S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth will be published in 2009.

Program Staff

Jim Baker is the Civil War Conference Program Director and Associate Director of the University Center at the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Cynthia Smith is the Program Administrator for the conference.

Registration

Your program cost includes specially prepared program materials, all meals (beginning with dinner on Wednesday and ending with breakfast on Sunday), and transportation for program tours via deluxe motor coach.

Program and double room* without private bath (Limited Availability): $1,055

Program and double room* with private bath (This lodging option is SOLD OUT)

If you register prior to April 3, 2009: please return the registration form with a $150 per person deposit (or the full fee if you choose). The balance is due by April 3, 2009.

If you register after April 3, 2009 (space permitting): return the registration form with your full program fee.

We encourage early registration as space is limited. If space is available after May 12, 2009, a late registration charge of $175 will apply unless you are registering from a wait list.

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Register by fax, 434-982-5297, or by telephone, 800-346-3882 or 434-243-2277 using Visa, MasterCard, Amex or Discover; or by mail, sending your completed registration form with your credit card number or check to:

The Civil War Conference
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400764
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4764

BEFORE APRIL 3, 2009: If you withdraw in writing within 14 days of registration, you will receive a full refund. If you withdraw in writing before April 3, 2009, but after the 14 days, you will receive a full refund, minus your $150 deposit. In the event withdrawal is necessary after April 3, there will be no refund but you may substitute another person to attend the program in your place.

There will be no refund for unused portions of the program, including but not limited to, missed meals, lodging nights, and sightseeing.

We highly recommend you purchase travel cancellation insurance that covers both your airfare and our program fees. Some insurers are also offering protection against job loss or income disruption. Confirm what your policy covers.

Useful travel insurance information can be found at www.TripInsuranceStore.com or 888-407-3854. You may also wish to check with your local travel agency for recommended sources.

Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters, a registered travel vendor with the state of Virginia and a full-service travel agency, has worked with our participants in the past to guide them through booking appropriate travel insurance to fit their needs, including insuring expenses for the Travel & Learn program itself. They can also book airfare and arrange car rental, rail tickets/passes, hotel bookings and other excursions. If you wish to work with them, contact them at: Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters, 434-977-1415, 1145 Emmet Street, Charlottesville, VA 22903.

Each participant should be covered by a health insurance policy while on this program. If you are unsure of what your health insurance policy covers when you travel from home, please confirm your coverage with your insurer. The University of Virginia Travel & Learn program purchases MEDEX WORLDWIDE TRAVEL ASSISTANCE coverage for all program participants. Please note, this is not trip cancellation insurance and it is not health insurance coverage. MEDEX benefits include an essential 24-hour, multilingual travel emergency service, providing help during emergency service, providing help during emergency medical or security situations, replacement prescriptions, emergency travel arrangements, and emergency evacuations. Your MEDEX card will be issued you upon arrival at your travel destination.

Important information for Teachers: Many licensed teachers in the state of Virginia use their participation in Travel & Learn programs to earn professional development points applicable to meeting the requirements for the renewal of their teaching license. (http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Compliance/TeacherED/remanual.pdf). Out-of-state teachers may also be able to use their program participation for similar license renewal or professional development requirements and should check with their schools or state policy for requirements. Upon request, we will provide teachers with documentation describing their participation in this program.

For students: Travel & Learn seminars are noncredit adult learning programs. Some students use their participation in our Travel & Learn seminars as a foundation for a research paper in a course or independent study program they have arranged at their home university. Upon request, we will provide documentation describing your participation in this program for you to present to your home school faculty.

For University of Virginia faculty and staff: Travel & Learn seminars are noncredit adult learning courses. You may apply to Human Resources use your educational benefit to pay for the tuition portion of our Program Tuition and Fees. Please contact us at 434-243-2277 or travelandlearn@virginia.edu for further information.

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Program Schedule

THE NINTH Civil War Conference

Petersburg to appomattox

Program Faculty

Program Staff

Registration