John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History

Solomon Galpern, one of our fantastic Nau Center interns, is spending the summer at Manassas National Battlefield Park!

Photo 1: Solomon with his parents
Photo 2: Solomon leading a battlefield tour

In the latest episode of "The Last Best Hope?" podcast, Professor Caroline Janney discusses "1776 and the break up of the United States." To listen, visit: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/1776-and-the-break-up-of-the-united-states/id1511930470?i=1000769769738

We are delighted to announce that Professor Michael Vorenberg of Brown University has won the 2026 John L. Nau III Book Prize in American Civil War Era History for his new book, "Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War" (Knopf, 2025)!

Thank you to John Rodrigue, Sarah Handley-Cousins, and Kevin Levin for serving on our Book Prize committee, and congratulations to Professor Vorenberg!

Last week, the Nau Center hosted a graduate student workshop in partnership with Oxford University's Rothermere American Institute!

The presenters included Benedict Willis and Spencer Drake from Oxford and Andrew Turner and Carrington OBrion from UVA.

Reminder: Our 2026 Annual Conference will take place this Friday (April 24) in UVA's Special Collections Library! The conference, entitled "'The Unfinished Work Before Us': The War in 1863," will be free and open to the public. Registration on Eventbrite.com is required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-unfinished-work-before-us-the-war-in-1863-tickets-1976458267884?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1*1bfmghs*_up*MQ..*_ga*Nzk5NjQ0OTI2LjE3NjQ2MDExMzE.*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3NjQ2MDExMzEkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjQ2MDExMzEkajYwJGwwJGgw&keep_tld=true

Note: We are NOT sold out; we recently added more tickets on Eventbrite!

Reminder: Our 2026 Annual Conference will take place on Friday, April 24, in UVA's Special Collections Library!

The conference, entitled, "'The Unfinished Work Before Us': The War in 1863," will feature presentations by Caroline E. Janney, Adam I. P. Smith, Cecily N. Zander, and Lindsay Rae Smith Privette. It will be free and open to the public, but registration on Eventbrite.com is required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-unfinished-work-before-us-the-war-in-1863-tickets-1976458267884?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1*1bfmghs*_up*MQ..*_ga*Nzk5NjQ0OTI2LjE3NjQ2MDExMzE.*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3NjQ2MDExMzEkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjQ2MDExMzEkajYwJGwwJGgw&keep_tld=true

New on the blog: "Rebels Roasting Shad: Blunder or Remedy?" by postdoctoral fellow Jeremy Nelson.

As Nelson explains, many Confederates "placed high hopes in shad and other fish...the regular migration of tasty victuals promised fresh protein each spring, and this was ever more welcome during wartime disruptions of trade." Visit our website to read more: https://naucenter.as.virginia.edu/blog-page/rebels-roasting-shad-blunder-or-remedy

Congratulations to PhD candidate Cathryn Perini, who received a Mellon Graduate Fellowship in U.S. Law and Race from the University of Nebraska! During this three-week residential program, she will "engage with faculty mentors aiming to understand racialized people's use of the law to advance personhood, citizenship, rights, and sovereignty throughout American history."

To learn more, visit https://uslawandrace.unl.edu/mellon-graduate-fellows/

Congratulations to Dr. Alice King (UVA PhD 2024), who just accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Indigenous History of the Americas at Hunter College!!

Thank you to Professor Scott Ellsworth, who delivered our annual Crozer Lecture yesterday!

He discussed his new book, "Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America."