2007: The Experience of Combat

The Experience of Combat

On 18-19 May 2007, the University of Mississippi Department of History co-hosted the third annual Conference on the Civil War: The Experience of Combat. Panelists addressed a wide-range of combatant experiences of soldiers on both sides, with a specific focus on African-American soldiers, prisoners of war, and battlefield strategy. Panelists also explored the nature of "total war", emphasizing the importance of the distinction between combatant and noncombatant experiences in the Civil War.

Earl J. Hess, the Stewart McClelland Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, delivered the keynote address. Dr. Hess is the author of several significant books on Civil War military conflict, including The Union Soldier in Battle: Enduring the Ordeal of Combat.