Charles Cowlam’s career as a convict,spy, detective, congressional candidate, adventurer, and con artist spanned the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Gilded Age. The only person to receive presidential pardons from both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis during the Civil War, he was a chameleon in a world of strangers. Join us as Dr. Frank Garmon, Jr. explores this man whom scholars have overlooked due to his elusive nature.

Frank W. Garmon Jr. is assistant professor of American studies at Christopher Newport University. He received the Provost’s Award for Faculty Excellence in Teaching Student Writing in 2023.