Symposium daylong event occurs on Saturday, February 14, 2026 from 9:30am-5:30pm. Doors Open: 8:45am

•Dr. Jonathan White, Professor of American Studies, Christopher Newport University
“Unlikely Collaborators: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Promise of America”

•Dr. Brandi Brimmer, Morehead-Cain Alumni Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“Black Women, Civil War Memory, and the U.S. Pension Bureaucracy”

•Dr. William C. “Jack” Davis, retired Executive Director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies and Professor of History at Virginia Tech.
“Davis, Johnston, and Beauregard–The Triple-play that Crippled the Confederacy”

•Dr. Lindsay Privette, associate professor of history, Anderson University
“Together at Vicksburg: Exploring the Bonds Between Commanders, Surgeons, and Soldiers”

•Dr. Caroline Janney, John L Nau, III, Professor in History of American Civil War, Director, John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History
“From Partisan Warrior to Family Man: The Personal Relationships of John S. Mosby”

TICKET OPTIONS
•General – $100
•Member – $75
•Student – $35

ADD-ONS
•Friday: “Relationships Forged in War” Themed Collections Tours – $25
•Friday: Meet the Speakers & Reception in the Museum– $40
•Saturday: Lunch – $12.50
•Friday & Sunday: Battlefield Tour – $35

Join us Friday at ACWM-Tredegar for a “Relationships Forged in War” themed Collections Tour! Enjoy an intimate 8-person tour of our artifact collection led by Director of Collections, Robert Hancock.

Join us Friday from 5-7:00pm at ACWM–Tredegar for the “Meet the Speakers” program. The talk starts in the auditorium at 5PM, followed by a reception at 6PM.

Caravan tours: participants will drive their own vehicles to meet an ACWM historic site interpreter at the stops for an overview of troop movements and battles.

The tour begins at the Germanna Visitor Center (2062 Germanna Hwy, Locust Grove VA) near the site where Grant’s army crossed the Rapidan River to begin the campaign. From there, the tour proceeds through the Wilderness Battlefield (NPS), stopping at Saunders Field and the Widow Tapp Farm. Following the route taken by Grant’s army, the tour moves on to the Spotsylvania Courthouse Battlefield (NPS) with stops at Laurel Hill, the Muleshoe, and the fortification exhibit. From there, the tour continues on to the North Anna Battlefield site, then to the Totopotomoy Creek Battlefield (NPS), and finally the Cold Harbor Battlefield (NPS). At Cold Harbor, the group will be able to briefly explore the earthworks.

The caravan tour begins at ACWM-Tredegar and follows the retreat route of General Richard S. Ewell’s Richmond defense forces. The first stop will be at Branch’s Baptist Church, where General Custis Lee’s forces from the Chaffin’s Bluff defenses joined the main marching column. The tour proceeds to Mt. Zion Road near Jetersville for the story of Amelia Court House and the retreat’s westward turn, before stopping at Deatonville and Sayler’s Creek Battlefield (VSP). From there, the tour makes its way to Farmville, the Cumberland Church battlefield, Clifton (Grant’s headquarters from April 8-9), and New Hope Church (Confederate rear guard April 8-9). The tour concludes at ACWM-Appomattox with a talk about the Battle of Appomattox Station and the group doing a self-guided tour of the museum galleries.

In partnership with The John L. Nau Center for Civil War Studies at the University of Virginia.