First Annual CWN Symposium

By Stephen Davis · Originally published March 2018 · p. 30

As a special feature of Mike Kent’s popular Civil War Show held February 3-4 in Dalton, Ga., Civil War News sponsored a half-day seminar. Four Civil War scholars—all of whom happen to be regular columnists for this newspaper—spoke on topics about which they’ve written. The session, held on Saturday morning, was free of charge and open to all attendees of the Dalton show. People could drop in anytime, hear a lecture, and then return to the huge exhibit hall to shop for relics, weapons, memorabilia, books, or ordnance. During our symposium we saw some seventy-five or eighty people, a fine demonstration of interest in our speakers. First up was Gould Hagler, whose monthly column is titled, “This and That.” Gould is author of Georgia’s Confederate Monuments: In Honor of a Fallen Nation, which was published by Mercer University Press in 2014. Gould spoke on “My Favorite Confederate Monuments in Georgia and Alabama.” One of them is the obelisk standing on the Decatur, Ga., courthouse square whose wordy inscription instructs passersby on the central nature of the U.S. Constitution (justifying secession). Salvatore Cilella, who writes on “The Graphic War” for CWN, spoke on “Collecting Civil War Prints for Fun and Profit.” Sal showed examples of lithographs, steel engravings, and woodcut illustrations. An interesting point: printmakers would use the same background and even torso of an individual being featured in the picture, and would just plop different heads on it for other images. Michael K. Shaffer, who contributes his monthly “The Source” column, addressed the subject of his book, Washington County, Virginia, in the Civil War. The area, in southwest Virginia, was a major producer of salt (think Saltville). Mike informed us that Washington County gave the Confederacy six generals, from the famed Joseph E. Johnston to the little known Gilbert S. Meem. Stephen Davis, the paper’s Book Review Editor, described “Gen. John B. Hood’s Efforts to Defend Atlanta, July 18-September 1, 1864.” The success of our “First Annual” encourages us to plan another similar event next year!