The 2014 Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Event will welcome nationally and internationally-acclaimed historians, authors, and Civil War re-enactors to tell the stories of the people of the American Civil War Nov. 13-14 in Franklin, Tenn.
Featured keynote speaker is Damian Shiels, conflict archeologist, historian, and author, who will present “Patrick Cleburne at the Battle of Franklin” 10:45 a.m. Friday, Nov. 14. Confederate General Patrick Cleburne was an Irishman who fought for the South and died in the fighting in Franklin on Nov. 30, 1864.
Dr. Carroll Van West, Dr. Shanna Jackson, Dr. Chris Losson, Dr. James McDonough, Nicole Moore, Bill Radcliffe, and Wiley Sword will conduct an afternoon session discussion encompassing “The Last Campaign of Tennessee” 1:30-5 p.m. Nov. 14. Book signings with authors as well as a Sesquicentennial Civil War exhibit with rare artifacts from the Battle of Franklin will be featured.
Keynote speaker Damian Shiels is a conflict archaeologist, blogger, historian and author of “The Irish in the American Civil War.” Shiels runs the website www.irishamericancivilwar.com, which explores Irish involvement in the Civil War. He has given lectures internationally and nationally on Irish military history and conflict archaeology. He is currently working on a project examining U.S. military pensioners in 19th-century Ireland. Additionally, he is conducting part-time PhD research on the social impact of the American Civil War on Irishmen and their families in New York.
Chris Losson is an author who has written 30 articles for the upcoming “Mississippi Encyclopedia.” He has spent years studying the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta during the Civil War. Losson is in his 30th year as an educator at Bishop LeBlond High School in Missouri.
Dr. Carroll Van West is Tennessee State Historian and director of the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University; co-chair of the Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission; and director of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, the only National Heritage Area in the U.S. that is run by a university department. His interests are in 19th and 20th century Southern and Western historical, architecture, and material culture research. His latest book is entitled “A History of Tennessee Arts: Creating Traditions and Expanding Horizons.”
Dr. Shanna Jackson is the Dean of Extended Services at Columbia State Community College, providing supervision and evaluation of programs and services provided through the Office of Extended Services.
Eric Jacobson, CEO and historian of the Battle of Franklin Trust which manages the Carter House and Carnton Plantation in Franklin, has been studying the American Civil War for approx. 25 years. He has been an asset in the installation of dozens of Civil War Trail markers throughout Middle Tennessee. Jacobson is the author of “For Cause & For Country: A Study of the Affair at Spring Hill and the Battle of Franklin,” which is considered by some to be one of the most important books written about the 1864 Tennessee Campaign; “The McGavock Confederate Cemetery,” and “Baptism of Fire.” He is currently working on his fourth book.
James Lee McDonough is Professor Emeritus of History at Auburn University. He is an award-winning historian with numerous books, three of which have been selected by the History Book Club, including “Shiloh – in Hell before Night,” “Stones River – Bloody Winter in Tennessee,” “Chattanooga – A Death Grip on the Confederacy,” “Five Tragic Hours: The Battle of Franklin,” “War in Kentucky,” “From Shiloh to Perryville,” “Nashville: The Western Confederacy’s Final Gamble,” and his most recent book, “The Wars of Myron King A B – 17 Pilot Faces WWII and U.S.-Soviet Intrigue.”
Nicole Moore is a public historian, blogger, consultant and interpreter of slave life. Through programming, exhibit and educational materials, she consults with historic sites on best practices to tell these stories.
William C. Radcliffe is a 27-year veteran of the Nashville Fire Department, a United States Navy Vietnam Veteran, and model for the first statue of an African American Civil War soldier in a national cemetery. Radcliffe has made multiple appearances in television and historical documentaries. He is a member of the Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission and has been a Civil War re-enactor for 25 years.
Wiley Sword is an award-winning author and a Pulitzer Prize nominee, and an expert on Civil War weaponry. His books include “Embrace an Angry Wind: The Confederacy’s Last Hurrah,” a Fletcher Pratt Award winner; and “Shiloh: Bloody April.”
The state’s 2014 Sesquicentennial Signature Event, “The Last Campaign in Tennessee,” will be held Nov. 13-14 in Franklin and surrounding historic sites. The Tennessee Sesquicentennial Commission sponsors a series of major signature events. Presenters will discuss the battles, events, and stories of the Civil War, as well as offer brief dramas and musical entertainment during the free event. Ticketed events will also occur. More information on those events can be found at www.Franklin150.com.
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For more information on Tennessee’s Civil War Sesquicentennial, visit www.tncivilwar150.com or download the free, Addy award-winning Tennessee Civil War 150 iPhone app, available at www.itunes.apple.com/us/app/tennessee-civil-war-150.