The University of Mississippi's fourth Conference on the Civil War will be held October 30 and 31, 2009. Fifteen historians from around the country will join us to present their research into various dimensions of Civil War leadership. For the conference, we have defined leadership very broadly, from traditional ideas of political and military leadership, to innovative looks into leadership among women, freedmen and the enslaved, within religious communities, and in the post-war South. I am also very happy to announce that our keynote speaker this year is Joan Waugh, Professor of History at UCLA. Professor Waugh is the author of the just released U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth.

Panels run throughout the day on both Friday and Saturday, according to the schedule below. Registration for the weekend is $35, $25 for educators and non-UM students. There is no fee for UM students and faculty. Please contact Robert Fox (rfox@olemiss.edu) for registration and other information.

We hope to see you at the conference!

Friday, 30 October

First Session: Leadership in Slavery and Freedom (8:30 - 10:00)

Slave and Farmer: The Civil War Experience of Daniel Williams
Alisea Williams McLeod, Indiana University, South Bend

Freedoms Doctors: The Unexpected Brokers and Leaders of Emancipation
Jim Downs, Connecticut College

Second Session: Questions of Leadership and Justice (10:30 - 12:00)

Hanging Henry Wirz: Defining War Crimes and the Problem of Confederate Punishment
Carole Emberton, State University of New York - Buffalo

New England's Young Leaders: College-Educated Northerners View the Civil War Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai, University of Virginia

LUNCH

Third Session: The Crucial Leadership of Women,
North and South (2:00 - 3:30)

'A Deep Sense of Connection: Henrietta Colt and the Wisconsin Soldiers Aid Society
Karen A. Kehoe, St. Vincent College

We Will Provide Well For the Soldiers: Alabama Women and Leadership in Aid Societies Jennifer Newman Treviño, University of Texas - Pan American

Keynote Session (4:00 - 5:30)

U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth
Joan Waugh, University of California, Los Angeles

DINNER

Saturday, 31 October

First Session: Perspectives on the Leadership of the Union (8:30 - 10:00)

Abraham Lincoln and the American Military Tradition
Glenn W. LaFantasie, Western Kentucky University

Genesis of Command: The Leadership Origins of Ulysses S. Grant
Harry S. Laver, Southeastern Louisiana University

Second Session: Civilian Leadership, Religious and Political (10:30 - 12:00)

It is the duty of Catholics to stand by the Union:@ The Diverse Responses to Civil War by Orestes Brownson and the Catholic Press in both the North and the Loyal Border States William Kurtz, University of Virginia

A Tale of Two Governors: Mississippi’s Political Leadership During the Civil War
Timothy B. Smith, University of Tennessee at Martin

LUNCH

Third Session: Leadership and Military Reputation (2:00 - 3:30)

A Rapidly Fading Star: Why John Bell Hood Failed as a Civil War Leader
Brian Craig Miller, Emporia State University

If Prentiss Had Died That Day: Benjamin Mayberry Prentiss and
Leadership Not Recognized
Toby Glenn Bates, Mississippi State University, Meridian

Fourth Session: Leaders in Post-War Southern Society (4:00 - 5:30)

General George W. Gordon and the Perpetuation of the Lost Cause
Mark R. Cheathem, Cumberland University

Sequestration and Loyalty in Confederate North Carolina
Rodney J. Steward, Auburn University

Speakers’ Reception 6:00 - 8:00