Virginia Center for Civil War Studies
Our annual Civil War Weekend takes place March 27-29, 2026, at The Inn at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. This year's theme is "Civil War Innovations." Our expert speakers will explore how the crisis of war transformed so many aspects of life, from the way Americans fought to the way they ate, giving rise to new technologies in medicine, photography, naval warfare, and more.
Registration is now open. Click here to book your room!
2024-25 Year in Review
A Traveling Trunk presentation at Margaret Beeks Elementary in Blacksburg in 2025.
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William C. “Jack” Davis and Sue Heth Bell, speaking at Civil War Weekend 2025. Photo by Chase Parker for Virginia Tech.
The audience at Civil War Weekend 2025.
Spring Campaign 2025 attendees touring Gettysburg.
Visitors view the augmented reality available at Pamplin Historical Park in Petersburg, Virginia.
Dr. Hilary Green of Davidson speaking at Virginia Tech in 2025.
Thank you to all of our supporters for making the 2024-25 academic year a huge success!
This year, we sponsored several free guest lectures from professors and authors, including an in-person talk by Dr. Hilary Green of Davidson College and several online lectures recorded and posted on our YouTube channel.
In addition, we printed an updated Civil War Driving Tour brochure; presented an educational program to more than 600 elementary students; led a guided trip to Gettysburg; provided grants to five Virginia Tech students to fund summer internships; awarded research grants to visiting Civil War scholars, and so much more!
Highlights of the 2025 Civil War Weekend, attended by more than 120 guests, included a lecture by Pulitzer-prize winning author Ilyon Woo and the announcement of a major donation to Virginia Tech from speaker Sue Heth Bell - read the details here: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/04/univlib-Wharton-Collection.html
Click the links below to learn more about the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies programs, and stay tuned for details for our 2025-26 programming, coming soon!
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Upcoming events:
Free lecture: Cherokees and Unionists in Civil War Appalachia
Please join us on Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. at Virginia Tech for an in-person lecture on Civil War history from VCCWS Postdoctoral Associate Stuart Marshall.
Marshall will speak about his own research and share some findings about Southern Unionists' claims in Montgomery County, Va. This talk is free and open to the public.
Save the date:
American Prisoners of the Civil War
Join us for a free online conversation and question-and-answer session on March 16, 2026 at 7 p.m. with historian W. Fitzhugh Brundage about prisoners of war in the American Civil War.
Preston Brooks, Political Violence, and the Road to the Civil War
May 4, 2026, at 7 p.m. – A free online lecture and discussion with Virginia Tech professor Paul Quigley about his recently-published biography of Preston Brooks.