Touch the Elbow - Blogging the Civil War

The three posts on the American Civil War Center’s conference purposely steered clear of interjecting personal opinion. Now it’s time to tell you what I thought.

When I first received notification and information about the conference I was excited about the wide sweep of topics that were to be presented and the opportunity to hear distinguished panels of historians. I had never attended anything approaching the level of the Tredegar conference and anticipated it would be a valuable learning experience.

I’m into the “big picture” when it comes to the Civil War. The “big picture” mandates that in order to fully comprehend the war you have to understand how and why it happened in the first place, what occurred during, and its aftermath. If you believe the Civil War started in Charleston harbor and ended at Appomattox, or if your whole orientation is centered on the clash of armies, then I believe you’re at a disadvantage when comprehending the seminal event in American history.

The A.C.W.C. conference fulfilled all my expectations and more, but I also came to conclusion that it would not have appealed to those who do not subscribe to the “big picture.” It’s probable all those “high falutin” lectures probably would have had you fidgeting in your seat. Quoting from post-conference literature, one person “found the talks to be too academic…except for the final session.”

I shared the opinion that the Saturday session, which focused on American memory of the war, was much more appealing to the audience, as evidenced by the fact the follow-up question and answer session was more lively. This was largely influenced by the presence of Gary Gallagher. As stated in the review of that session, Gallagher combined a dynamic and humorous presentation, but what also set him apart from many of those who presented was the fact that Gallagher didn’t simply stand at the podium and read a paper aloud. While he referenced his notes, he spoke to his audience in a less formal and seemingly off the cuff manner. This was in contrast to others who made no effort to engage their audience and simply read their papers. This is not a criticism, but rather an observation on delivery style. Aside from Gallagher I particularly enjoyed Richard Carwardine, Nina Silber, Sean Wilentz, David Blight, and Peter Onuf. Most disappointing was Wilson Moses, until he “redeemed” himself during the open forum.

The “high water mark” of the conference for me personally, though, was the opportunity to hear James McPherson. I admit to being awestruck by him, as, in my mind, he is the guru of all current Civil War scholars. Although I interacted, albeit briefly, with a number of other presenters, I truly perceived I was in the presence of greatness when given the opportunity to speak with McPherson one on one. Fawning aside, our research on the 18th Massachusetts Infantry owes an enormous debt of gratitude to him for directing us very early on in our research efforts to a collection of letters written by Captain Joseph Collingwood. He recalled the letters with a little prompting from me, saying they were a last minute addition to one of his books. Without the inclusion of those two sentences in his book it’s doubtful we would have discovered the interchange between Collingwood and his wife Rebecca.

The 2009 Tredegar conference is going to have a tough act to follow. According to the museum’s Director of Public Relations, Anedra Bourne, this year’s conference took about five months to plan. Some historians they had originally approached had to decline an invitation to present due to scheduling conflicts, including commitments to other conferences. Anedra anticipates planning for the 2009 conference will begin a year in advance.

If one thing can be said about The American Civil War Center, they are ambitious and embrace lofty purposes. That’s two things, but you get my point. The Center is not limiting its reach to Richmond, however, having sponsored programs in Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Charlotte. Similar events are planned over the next year in Boston and Los Angeles, all in keeping with its mission to keep the Civil War in the collective American memory and instill the “big picture” in its conciousness.