In the Cause of Liberty: African Americans and the Civil War

Christy Coleman speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

On Thursday, April 4, 2013, Christy Coleman presented the fifth lecture in our six part Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2013).

It’s the spring of 1862 and over 100,000 Americans are already dead and the slaughter that is the Civil War is about to begin again. On January 1, 1863, and ignoring the advice of his advisers, President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation executive order. Listen as Ms. Coleman explains how this document took shape 150 years ago and why it’s still important today.

Christy Coleman was raised in Williamsburg Virginia. She received her bachelors and masters degrees from Hampton University. Ms. Coleman began her career as a living history interpreter at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation while still a college student. She rose through the ranks to become the director of African American Interpretations and Presentations. It was during this time that she and her team gained international acclaim for their bold and evocative programming. She has served as president and CEO of the nations largest African-American museum, The Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History in Detroit. In 2008 she accepted the position of president and CEO of the The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar. She has lectured extensively and consulted with some of the county’s leading museums, written several articles for scholarly and public history publications as well as being an award winning screen writer for educational television. Her most recent work, Freedom Bound, won an Emmy in 2009 for outstanding educational programming.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville. During the Q&A portion of the program, Ms. Coleman explains the rational behind the Colonial Williamsburg Slave Auction that brought her national attention in 1994.

Click here listen all six parts of this series.

The Battlefield Photography of Dr. Reed B. Bontecou

John Cummings speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville

On Thursday, March 28, 2013, John Cummings presented the forth lecture in our six part Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2013).

In this podcast Cummings talks about photography during the Civil War. Listen to the story Dr. Reed Bontecou, an army surgeon who took it upon himself to photograph the effects of war on the human body. You’ll also hear the story of G. O. Brown and how he “acquired” the many Civil War photographs that bear his name.

John Cummings is considered to be an expert on photography in the Civil War. His blog discusses the social, political and cultural aspects of the American Civil War battles fought in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

Click here listen all six parts of this series.

Such is War: The Looting of Fredericksburg

Beth Parnicza speaking at the
Senior Center in Charlottesville.

On March 21, 2013, Beth Parnicza presented the third lecture in a our six part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2013).

How does an action like the looting of Fredericksburg reflect on the culture of the army of the Potomac, and of the country at large? How do we think about the looting in the great scheme of battle? How is it that the looting of Fredericksburg can be considered a form of victory? These and many more questions are answered in this interesting podcast.

Beth Parnicza is an historian with the National Parks Service at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park where she supervises the Chancellorsville Battlefield Center and manages volunteers and social media. A 2011 graduate of West Virginia University, her research interests focus largely on the human element of the Civil War, particularly in understanding the steps taken by individuals toward a harder kind of war and their motivations to do so.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience.

Click here listen all six parts of this series.

Geology and Some Civil War Battlefields

Richard Nicholas speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

On March 14, 2013, Richard Nicholas presented the second lecture in our new six part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2013).

Finding the high ground was important to Civil War commanders for many reasons. Listen as Nicholas explains the role that this and other geological features played in the outcome of the war.

Richard L. Nicholas is a native Virginian and UVA graduate. He obtained his graduate degree from the University of Kansas. Richard has worked for Shell Oil as a geologist where he rose to the rank of chief geologist by the time of his retirement in 1991.

Richard has had a life long interest in Virginia history, especially the Civil War and has written two books, in the Virginia Regimental History series. He has written numerous articles for The Magazine of Albermarle County History. Mr. Nicholas recently completed a new book, Sheridan’s James River Campaign of 1865 Through Central Virginia.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

Click here listen all six parts of this series.

Moving Dirt: The Evolution of Fieldworks

Dale Floyd speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

On March 7, 2013, Dale Floyd presented the first lecture in a new six part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2013).

Henry Halleck defined fieldworks as “the art of disposing the ground in such a manner as to enable a small number of troops to resist a larger army the longest time possible.” According to Floyd, creating such fortifications was often difficult work. “To the scarcity of entrenching tools, many of the men were obliged to use their sabre bayonets, tin plates, and in some cases merely their hands to scrape up the dirt for the breastworks.” says Floyd in this podcast.

Dale Floyd studied at Ohio University and the University at Dayton. He has written nine books on military history. Mr. Floyd has been an archivist at the National Archives, and an historian with the US Army Core of Engineers and the National Park Service.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

Click here listen all six parts of this series.