Civil War Weekend
Thank you to the speakers and guests who helped make our 2025 Civil War Weekend a huge success! We heard from a stellar group of speakers and enjoyed fellowship with other history enthusiasts — all in the comfortable surroundings of the Inn at Virginia Tech. Stay tuned for details about the 2026 Civil War Weekend – coming soon!

This year’s theme was “Civil War Duos.” The Civil War era fundamentally transformed human connections—from friendships and marriages to political alliances—bringing some Americans together into productive new relationships while driving existing partnerships apart. Our speakers explored an array of different partnerships that took new forms amid the challenges of slavery, sectional conflict, and war.
Keynote speaker Ilyon Woo shared the incredible story of the enslaved couple who escaped to freedom in disguise, the subject of her recent Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Master, Slave, Husband, Wife. Our distinguished speakers also investigated the critical relationships between leaders on both sides: Lincoln and McClellan, Lee and Jackson. We learned about how war transformed romantic pairings in the North and the South, and how the United States Army and Navy slowly worked their way toward a more harmonious collaboration as the war went on.
Free webinar — Lincoln’s Peace

2023-24 Year in Review
As we wrap up the 2023-24 academic year, we want to share with you all of the exciting recent events from the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies. This year we sponsored four free guest lectures including an in-person talk with NPR host Steve Inskeep, continued the annual Civil War Weekend (a tradition for more than 30 years) and visited numerous fourth-grade classrooms across the New River Valley. Click the links below for YouTube and C-SPAN videos of our recent events. And if you are in Southwest Virginia, check out our Civil War Driving Tour:
Photos from 2023-24 events:









Who are we?
Civil War history lives at Virginia Tech. From its home in Virginia Tech’s History Department, the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies promotes greater understanding of the Civil War era among academics and the public. Whether you’re a student or a professional historian, a serious history buff or someone who just likes to learn, we have something to offer you here.