First Annual Symposium on the War

Originally published January 2018 · p. 43

Saturday, February 3, 2018 During the Dalton Civil War Show NW GA Trade Center, Dalton, Georgia Mike Kent Shows’ popular Dalton Civil War Show draws thousands of attendees for two days of visiting and buying in a huge exhibit hall filled with vendors of Civil War memorabilia, relics, books, ordnance, flags – you name it. This year’s event will feature something new: the “First Annual Civil War News Symposium on the War.” On Saturday, those sampling the booths on the exhibit floor can take a break, and in the upstairs auditorium hear from renowned scholars on a variety of subjects. For registrants of the Dalton Civil War Show, there’s no charge to attend the lectures – come and go as you wish. Our schedule, from 10 a.m. till 1:30 p.m., features four authorities who are regular columnists for Civil War News, distinguished Civil War historians speaking about their work and entertaining discussion with the audience. They are all published authors, and at the request of audiences, they will have copies of their books available. Here’s our agenda. 10 a.m.–1:30 p.m. on Saturday: 10 a.m. Welcome and Introduction Jack W. Melton Jr., Publisher, Civil War News 10:05-10:35 “My Favorite Confederate Monuments in Georgia and Alabama” Gould B. Hagler Jr., Atlanta, Ga. Gould Hagler contributes articles to CWN on a wide range of subjects, from scarcity of coffee in the Confederacy to ex-Union officers fighting Indians in the postwar West. He is author of Georgia’s Confederate Monuments: In Honor of a Fallen Nation, published by Mercer University Press in 2014. For his presentation he will show a selection of Confederate memorials built in various styles and dating from the 1860s to the present, and discuss the messages they convey through their inscriptions and their artistic forms. We take a fifteen minute break after each presentation: visit with Gould and have him sign his fine book! 10:50-11:20 “The Graphic War: Collecting Civil War Prints for Fun and Profit” Salvatore Cilella, Atlanta, Ga. Sal Cilella contributes “The Graphic War” to CWN. He will discuss the pros and cons of identifying, appraising, and collecting prints of mid-19th Century America as print makers expanded their markets with the Civil War. Cilella’s newest work, from the University of Tennessee Press, presents the Correspondence of Union General Emory Upton (2 vols.). 11:35-12:05 “Washington County, Virginia in the Civil War” Michael K. Shaffer, Kennesaw, Ga. Mike Shaffer writes about basic research sources on the war, such as the Official Records and Confederate Military History, each month in CWN. He teaches at Kennesaw State University, and is a popular lecturer about the war. His presentation in our symposium is based on his book published by History Press in 2012. In it, he describes the wartime role of the southwestern area of Virginia, a key supply source for Confederate armies. As the war progressed, Federal forces launched targeted attempts to destroy the area’s vital natural resources. Lunch break Go downstairs, grab a bite, and be sure to visit Jack Melton at the Civil War News table! 1-1:30 p.m. “Gen. John B. Hood’s Efforts to Defend Atlanta, July 18–Sept. 1, 1864.” Stephen Davis, Cumming, Ga. Steve Davis is Book Review Editor for CWN. This presentation is based on his two recent paperbacks about the Atlanta Campaign, published by Savas Beatie. Adjourn Enjoy Mike Kent’s Dalton Civil War Show!