Prior Meetings

The Historians of the Civil War Western Theater met in Corinth, Mississippi on Friday, May 22, 1998. Discussions included the future of the organization, the significance of the western theater with the eastern theater, the state of the current writing on the western theater, and whether it was a more brutal war in the west than in other areas.

On Saturday, the group toured the battlefield, and visited the Museum in Corinth and other Civil War sites nearby.

Twenty historians attended our second annual meeting at the Battlefield Inn in Vicksburg on May 21. The twenty were almost evenly split between graduate students and professionals. Twenty is double the number we had at our initial meeting in Corinth in 1998 between graduate students and professionals.

After a brief business meeting, we tackled our initial discussion topic, the significance of the Mississippi River in the war in the west, led by Michael Ballard. After lunch, William Shea led a lively exchange on the state of current historical writing on the western theater. Nathaniel Hughes led the closing discussion on generalship and the war in the west. That evening, we all got together for a wonderous meal in the Inn restaurant. Next morning, several of our number toured the Vicksburg National Military Park and other sites in historic Vicksburg.

Historians of the Civil War Western Theater held their 9^th annual meeting in May, 2005, venturing north this year to Springfield Illinois to meet in the conference room of the Lincoln Home. National Park Service historian Tim Townsend coordinated the gathering, and Superintendent Richard Lusardi offered his welcome and cooperation.

Kennesaw Mountain 2006

Murfreesboro 2007

first row, left to right: Catherine Weigley, John Marszalek, Jeanne Marszalek, Jan Ballard, Mike Ballard, Tim Smith, and Jonathan Shepherd

second row, left to right: Larry Schiller, Larry Daniel, James Lee McDonough, Nat Hughes, Sam Elliott, Richard McMurry

Organized in 1996 by John F. Marszalek and Michael B. Ballard, who continue as the organization’s co-executive directors, the Western Theater group meets yearly at a different site and provides the opportunity for historians who have published books and/or articles on this theater of the war to discuss its significance in an informal setting. There are no formal papers; the annual meeting consists of a series of discussion sessions on appropriate topics and several dinners which further the camaraderie and exchange of ideas. Tours of nearby Civil War sites conclude the meeting each year. In Springfield, this meant tours of the Lincoln Home and neighborhood and a visit to the newly opened Lincoln Museum.

The organization also sponsors an online journal with refereed articles and a variety of book reviews on its website: Buck Foster serves as the organization’s webmaster.

"We are very pleased with the progress of our organization," Ballard said. "We are well established, and the annual meetings provide us with a chance to keep up with the latest research and writing in our field of interest." New members are always welcome. Interested historians are encouraged to contact Marszalek at johnmarsz@yahoo.com or Ballard at mballard@library.msstate.edu