(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Oct. 15, 2012) - - - One-hundred and fifty years have passed since the Civil War battles of 1862. Some of the bloodiest battles and events were fought on Tennessee and Virginia soil, resulting in the nation staying united. On Thursday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Ledbetter Auditorium at Columbia State Community College, the history department will examine "Turning Points of the Civil War: 1862."
Professors Greg Mewbourn, James Senefeld and Barry Gidcomb will lead an in-depth discussion as they interpret specific events that changed the outcomes of the war.
"This should prove to be an exciting night filled with great topics and passionate speakers who have great insights into the step by step movement of a war fought right here in middle Tennessee," Gidcomb said.
Gidcomb will discuss the indecisive Peninsular Campaign, a series of Union designed battles, which attempted to cut off the Confederate's supply line in York, Virginia, as well to establish Union control over the Confederate capital. He will also speak about the bloody Battle of Shiloh.
Senefeld will present the Seven Days' Battle, a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, which took place near Richmond, Va. The Second Manassas, a culmination of an offensive campaigns waged by Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against Union Major General John Pope's Army of Virginia will also be discussed.
Mewbourn will tackle the Battle of Antietam, the single bloodiest day in American history. This horrific day in September of 1862, which led to 23,000 men being killed, wounded or missing, Antietam became the perfect platform for Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Each of these battles proved to be deciding factors in the Civil War during 1862 in both the western theater as well as the east.
The event is free and open to the public.
Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.
