News---Virginia's Third Sesquicentennial Conference Looks Appealing; Price is Right

The Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission’s third annual Signature Conference will focus on the Military Strategy in the American Civil War; Virginia Tech in Blacksburg will host the Saturday, May 21, 2011 meeting in it's Cassell Coliseum. The conference will feature noted historians discussing military strategy in the American Civil War. The conference will highlight Virginia and the Eastern Theater, as well as the Western Theater of the War. Speakers will also discuss elements of the war that affected military strategy and tactics. As a special treat, the Stonewall Brigade Band will perform during the lunch break. The day's schedule is:

9:00 - 10:00 "American Military Strategy and the Civil War: An Overview"; James I. Robertson, Jr., Dennis E. Frye, Richard J. Sommers

10:30 - 11:30 "Military Strategy in the Eastern Theater"; Gary W. Gallagher, Joseph T. Glatthaar, Richard J. Sommers

11:30-1:00 Lunch and Stonewall Brigade Band performs

1:15 - 2:15 "Military Strategy in the Western Theater"; Richard M. McMurry, Stephen E. Woodworth, William C. Davis

2:45 - 3:45 "Forgotten Elements of the Civil War"; James M. Bowen, William C. Davis, James I. Robertson, Jr.

4:00 - 5:00 Book Signing/Meet and Greet with all speakers

The conference's registration is $15 and the conference with lunch is $25. Lunch includes thoice choice of hamburger, chicken sandwich, pork barbeque sandwich, or hot dog, along with chips, fruit, and water or soft drink.

The previous Virginia Sesquicentennial Commission's Signature Conferences were 1860: America on the Eve of the Civil War and Race, Slavery and the Civil War: The Tough Stuff of American History and Memory. These conferences proceedings are available on DVD and the first conference's proceedings have been published as a book.

CWL has already registered for the event and recommends the first conferences proceedings which are an immersion into 1860. The speakers were limited to only speaking on what was known on December 31, 1860 and not allowed to use anything known of 1861-1865. It was a challenging endeavor that was well executed. CWL highly recommends the book and DVD of this conference. As yet CWL has not viewed the second conference's proceedings but looks forward to acquiring the DVD at the 2011 event.

Virginia's Sesquicentennial Conference in 2011

News---Virginia History Text Gets Stickers for Black Confederate Soldiers Statements

WJC Will Use Stickers To Cover Flawed Fextbook, Virginia Gazette, October 24, 2010.

The publisher of Our Virginia: Past and Present will provide stickers that WJC Schools and other divisions can use to cover a factually incorrect statement about blacks fighting on behalf of the Confederacy during the Civil War. The flawed statement in the text was traced to a Sons of Confederate Veterans website.

The book made national news this week after a history professor at the College of William & Mary read the passage in her 9-year-old daughter's fourth grade history book. Carol Sheriff, who was interviewed by the Washington Post and appeared on "Countdown" with Keith Olberman on Wednesday, said the Confederacy forbid blacks from fighting for the South until the final year of the war, and there is no record of black Confederate soldiers taking part in any battles.

According to a statement issued Thursday afternoon from WJC Schools, former Toano Middle School principal Theresa Redd attended a meeting of the Virginic Council of Social Studies Educations earlier in the day where the topic was discussed. Redd retired from her principal's job, but was recently appointed Social Studies coordinator for the division.

Five Ponds Press, the publisher of the textbook, told the council it would provide labels that can be affixed to cover the flawed paragraph. WJC expects to receive the labels within the next few weeks. WJC uses "Our Virginia" as part of its fourth grade curriculum. The text was selected through the division’s standard textbook approval procedure. A committee of staff and community members recommended the text, and the public had the opportunity to inspect the textbook. Finally, the book was approved by the School Board.

Text Source: Virginia Gazette

News---Virginia's Civil War Legacy Project Offers Free Scanning of Docs and Pix

The Hall of Valor at the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park in the Shennandoah Valley will offer free digital scanning of family documents and photographs this weekend. The Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission and the Library of Virginia have partnered to create a state-wide online collection of original Civil War manuscripts that still remain in private hands. The Civil War 150 Legacy Project: Document Digitization and Access focuses on manuscript materials created during the period 1859-1867 that reflect social, political, military, business and religious life in Virginia during the period of the Civil War and the early period of Reconstruction.

The public is invited to bring original photographs, diaries, letters, and other documents from the Civil War era for evaluation and digital scanning by Library of Virginia personnel. Scanned materials will be made available on the web via the Library of Virginia web site and the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission web site.

The CW 150 Legacy Project is a multi-year effort to locate, digitize and provide world-wide access to the private documentary heritage of the American Civil War era located throughout Virginia. The Virginia Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission and the Library of Virginia are partnering on this project, which will give individuals an opportunity to have their historic letters, diaries and other collections scanned to preserve their valuable intellectual content. This November 5 event is being offered through the Shenandoah County Sesquicentennial Committee. The public is invited to bring original photographs, diaries, letters, and other documents from the Civil War era for evaluation and digital scanning. There is no cost for this ne day event being held between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm. Those taking part must schedule an appointment in advance. Those taking part must schedule an appointment in advance by emailing nmbshp@vmi.edu or calling 866-515-1864, Monday-Friday between 9am-5pm.

For more information go to http://www.virginiacivilwar.org/legacy/ or http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/cw150