Civil War panel coming March 12 to UNG/Gainesville

OAKWOOD - Continuing the University of North Georgia's (UNG) "Civil War at 150" series, a panel discussion featuring UNG history faculty is set to unfold on March 12 on the Gainesville campus in Oakwood. The presenters will discuss facets of the war related to their areas of interest and expertise.

"The panel shines a spotlight on UNG historians who specialize in the Civil War period," said Dr. Deanna Gillespie, associate professor of history at UNG, who organized the series. "Panelists will present four different perspectives on the war's impact and significance, examining the rise of the 'Lost Cause,' the environmental impact of the war in Georgia, and broader political and social consequences of the war."

Dr. Clay Ouzts, professor of history, will talk about the "Scourge of War: The Economic and Environmental Impact of the Civil War." His research highlights military actions taken during the war and how they affected the U.S. economy and environment.

Dr. Jennifer Lund Smith, associate professor of history, will discuss "The Messy Aftermath of the Civil War" in the context of her research, which focuses on gender and race during the war and during Reconstruction, with particular emphasis on Appalachia.

Dr. Ben Wynne, associate professor of history, will present "Defending Defeat: The Rise of the Lost Cause in the Post-Bellum South." Wynne is the author of two books examining the war and its impact in Mississippi, and teaches several undergraduate classes on U.S. history including a course focusing on the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Glen Kyle, executive director of the Northeast Georgia History Center in Gainesville and a faculty member at UNG, will facilitate the panel.

Capping off the series on April 9 is a presentation from Dr. J. David Hacker, whose 2012 study on the Civil War's death toll showed the number to be much higher than previously thought, at 750,000 killed rather than 620,000. His event will recount the research and demonstrate the reasoning and evidence behind his discovery.

Both programs will be on UNG's Gainesville Campus in the Cleveland Ballroom in the Martha T. Nesbitt Building. Programs begin at 6 p.m. and a reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. before each program. All three sessions will be recorded and posted online at https://video.ung.edu/Playlist/civilwar. The first lecture in the series featured Dr. John Inscoe of the University of Georgia.

The lecture series is supported by a grant from the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities and through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly. Additional support is provided by the Northeast Georgia History Center in Gainesville and UNG partners, including the College of Arts and Letters; the Department of History, Anthropology, and Philosophy; the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Leadership; and the UNG libraries.