In Perspective

Symposium Recap

by Kelly Hancock. Photos by John Dixon

For seventeen years, the museum has hosted an annual Symposium, but this year was special, not only because it was a return to in-person programming but also because it was the first to be held onsite. The 17 th annual Symposium took place in the Foundry Building—the building constructed in 1861 specifically to manufacture cannon during the American Civil War. There is something incredibly impactful about hearing history in an historic setting.

Speaking of history, it is often said that more books have been written about the Civil War than any other event in American History. Yet, new books are still being written and research continues. We continue to study the Civil War because, as one participant put it, “this study is critical to defining our present.”

The 2022 Symposium, “The Soldier’s War,” provided just a glimpse of the challenges ordinary fighting men faced and of the reverberations of that impact on their families and in their postwar lives, but it shed new light on the age old subject. In the words of one attendee, the sessions featured “transparent original research being done into topics not explored before.”

The impressive lineup of speakers included Dr. Peter Carmichael of Gettysburg College, Dr. Lesley Gordon of the University of Alabama, Dr. Lorien Foote of Texas A&M, Dr. Holly Pinheiro of Furman University, and Dr. Jonathan Jones of the Virginia Military Institute. The Symposium was carried out in partnership with the University of Virginia’s John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History and with the center’s director, Dr. Caroline Janney, serving as the moderator. Americana Corner sponsored the event, providing generous support.

The first session, conducted by Dr. Carmichael, looked at what we can learn from the correspondence of semi-literate soldiers whose letters, due to the phonetic way in which they were written, read as if they were spoken around a family table. These letters provide insight into the thoughts, emotions, and conflicts of average men, missing their families, fighting for survival, and struggling with the difficulties of camp life.

Following Carmichael, Dr. Lesley Gordon explored the impact of accusations of cowardice through a case study of the 2 nd Texas. This regiment that entered the war with high hopes of being hailed for their bravery was denounced as a “pack of cowards” by General William Hardee after the Battle of Shiloh. Six months later, their colonel, William P. Rogers, perhaps trying to shake off aspersions of cowardice, died at Corinth after being shot multiple times leading a charge on a Union position.

Examining specific incidences of escaped Union prisoners in the Carolinas from September 1864 to the end of the war, Dr. Lorien Foote painted a picture not only of the breakdown of the Southern prison system but also of the Confederate home front. Federal prisoners were aided by enslaved people, Unionists, and even formerly loyal Confederates disaffected after the privations of what seemed to be a ceaseless and fruitless war.

Drs. Holly Pinheiro and Jonathan Jones rounded out the day by focusing on the experiences of soldiers in the postwar years, examining the war’s impact on them and on their families. Dr. Pinheiro’s research specifically looked at African American soldiers from Philadelphia and what their sacrifices meant to their families, especially in light of racism. Dr. Jones addressed the opioid crisis that followed the Civil War and used the experience of John Tackett Goolrick to personalize the devastating impact of addiction.

This was the first Symposium for which we have offered a livestream but it will not be the last. The pandemic has brought changes to our audience and to our programming. We are grateful to all who participated, both near and far, and look forward to next year’s Symposium.

Kelly Hancock is the ACWM Public Programs Manager