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Battlefields Foundation to host sesquicentennial conference

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newspaperOn Saturday, March 8, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the return of the Civil War of the Shenandoah Valley with the first of two 1864-2014 Sesquicentennial conferences:  “May God Forgive Me for the Order”: The War Returns to the Valley.

Covering the period from May-July 1864, the conference will feature eminent Civil War historians and authors Ted Alexander, Eric Campbell, Charles Knight, Jonathan Noyalas, and Scott Patchan.

The conference will be held at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War in New Market, and will run from 10am to 5pm.  The cost to attend is $20 per person.  Guests can also pre-order a box lunch for an additional $10.  Pre-registration is required, and seating is very limited.  Registration is available via the Battlefields Foundation’s website, www.ShenandoahAtWar.org, or by calling the Foundation at 540-740-4545.

“1864 was the turning point of the war in the Valley, full of dramatic twists and turns and some of the most famous stories of the war,” says Terry Heder, Director of Interpretation and Communications for the Battlefields Foundation.  The March 8conference will cover the first part of that historic year, focusing on the events from May-July 1864.

Topics will include:

  • ·         “An Expression of…Helplessness”: Sigel, Hunter, and the Lower Valley’s Civilians in May 1864 (Jonathan Noyalas)
  • ·         “Monumenting New Market”: Remembering the Battle of New Market (Charles Knight)
  • ·         “The First Yankees Ever Here,” Black Dave Hunter, His Raid through the Shenandoah and the Expedition to Lynchburg (Scott Patchan)
  • ·         “We scared Abe Lincoln like hell”: Jubal Early’s Operations in Summer 1864 (Eric Campbell)
  • ·         “McCausland’s Raid and the Burning of Chambersburg” (Tex Alexander)

“We are extremely fortunate to have such a talented group of speakers,” Heder says.  “Historians who have a deep knowledge of the events, and the talent to bring those events to life.”

The “War Returns to the Valley” conference is the first of more than 50 Sesquicentennial events planned by Civil War sites in the Valley this year, with programs running from May to October, including a second SVBF conference, “The 1864 Shenandoah Campaign and the Burning,” on August 2, and the Battlefields Foundation’s programs commemorating the Third Battle of Winchester on September 19 and 20.

 

Event details:

•Date: Saturday, March 8, 2014

•Time: 10:00am to 5:00pm – Check-in begins at 9:00am.

•Location: Virginia Museum of the Civil War, New Market

•Fee: $20  (box lunch available for additional $10)

•Registration: Advance registration required.  Register at www.ShenandoahAtWar.org or by calling 540-740-4545.

More information about the conference is available on the Battlefields Foundation’s website, www.ShenandoahAtWar.org, or by contacting Terry Heder at [email protected] or 540-740-4545.

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