The Confederacy carried out a massive mobilization of human and material resources to wage a four-year war for nationhood. Despite a series of famous victories by Robert E. Lee's army, it eventually collapsed in the face of United States military power. In the wake of shattering defeat, ex-Confederates struggled to frame the war in a way that gave meaning to their high level of sacrifice. Gary W. Gallagher, the John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War at the University of Virginia and a leading authority on Civil War military history, will speak on this struggle as part of The Filson Historical Society’s ongoing Gertrude Polk Brown Lecture Series.
Gallagher is the author or editor and co-author of more than twenty books, including The Confederate War, Lee and His Army in Confederate History, and Lee and His Generals in War and Memory. Gallagher has received many awards for his research and writing, including the Laney Prize for the best book on the Civil War, the William Woods Hassler Award for contributions to Civil War studies, the Lincoln Prize, and the Fletcher Pratt Award for the best nonfiction book on the Civil War. He was also founder and first president of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites and has served on the Board of Directors of the Civil War Trust.
This lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Sandy Allen Fine Arts Center at Ballard High School. Admission is free to members of The Filson Historical Society, and $10 for non-members. Reservations are suggested to ensure seating. You may reserve your seat by calling The Filson at (502) 635-5083.