The Art of Command in the Civil War

The Virginia Piedmont Area's Annual Civil War Conference: Where the Historic Landscape, Preservation, Civil War Expertise, and Friendship Come Together for an Invaluable Weekend Escape

 
Middleburg Community Center

Middleburg Community Center

Click here to register for the 2024 Art of Command Conference.

Since 1998, we have offered an annual three-day conference examining the Civil War in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania through the lens of leadership as well as historic preservation. VPHA brings vetted experts with links to both the leaders of the Civil War and the battlefields and landscapes on which their actions played out.

Meeting at the classically handsome Middleburg Community Center conference attendees are provided with eight provocative talks on the annual topic beginning the Friday night of the conference and ending with a panel discussion of historians on Saturday. Saturday’s talks are followed by an evening banquet. Sunday, the final day of the conference, several of the historians will take us by luxury bus into the field to walk the ground and note the preservation efforts involved as we go.


2024 Civil War Conference

Click here to read our 2024 student scholarship essays. Congratulations to our winner Averi Owens and runner up Keagan Killinger for their outstanding scholarship!

2023 Civil War Conference

Click here to read our 2023 Student Essay Contest Finalists. Congratulations to our scholarship recipient, Abigayle Elkhouri for her excellent essay on Civil War medicine.

Topic: Grant Takes Command

Dates: Friday, October 6—Sunday, October 8, 2023

Speakers and topics included:


Chris Mackowski - "The Army of Northern Virginia's B Team: Robert E. Lee's Second String in the Overland Campaign"

Gordon Rhea - "Grant Versus Lee in the Overland Campaign: Myth Versus Reality"

Gary Ecelbarger - "'He Stood By Me When I Was Crazy': William Tecumseh Sherman Takes Over the Military Division of the Mississippi"

Frank O'Reilly - "'Dogged Pertinacity’ on the Clock: Lincoln and Grant at War"

Scott Patchan - "'Holding a Leg': U. S. Grant's 1864 Campaign in Western Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley"

Jeff Wert - "'I'll Be Damned if I'll Cooperate': Leadership of the Army of the Potomac at Spotsylvania"

Gordon Rhea - "The Odd Couple: Grant and Meade in the Overland Campaign"

Eric Wittenberg - "Little Phil Versus JEB: Cavalry Actions in the Overland Campaign, Part One

Full registration included Friday and Saturday talks, Saturday night dinner, and Sunday battlefield tour. Partial registration included Friday and Saturday talks. Additional tickets to Saturday’s dinner are also available.

Stay tuned for information on our 26th Annual Conference in October 2024!


Check out the 25th Annual Conference on the Art of Command in the Civil War in Photos

Conference Director Childs Burden

Conference Director Childs Burden

  • Program: Childs Burden, conference director, has superb connections with fine speakers. Co-founder of the Heritage Area and a longtime board member of the Civil War Trust, he has run the program with great heart since its very beginning. He has his finger on the pulse of conference topic and ensures we get the best experts to speak on it.

  • Opportunities: The conference offers you a superb opportunity to socialize and interact with the conference historians.

  • Location: Middleburg, Virginia is located in the heart of some of the best preserved 19th century landscapes in the region. This lovely region features superb accommodations and dining. It is also an ideal location for day trips throughout northern Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. We are happy to help you find accommodations to suit your needs.

  • Food & Drink: In addition to scheduled meals, a wide variety of snacks and beverages are always available to conference attendees.

  • Books and Store: Through the services of Owens & Ramsey, Historical Booksellers of Richmond, Virginia, you'll find a superb collection of new and used Civil War books available for browsing. In addition, all of the speakers will sell and sign their own books.

  • Participants: Attendees come from all over the country, and their interests and personal knowledge add to the conference. Serious Civil War buffs as well as first-time attendees and those just beginning their historical journey are all welcome.

Civil War Conference Gallery

Mouse over the images below for descriptions.

Previous Civil War Conference Topics

  • 2001— Robert E. Lee and His Lieutenants 

  • 2002—The 1864 Overland Campaign

  • 2003—Command and Control at Gettysburg

  • 2004—The 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign

  • 2005—The Generals and Their Presidents

  • 2006—The Civil War in the Mosby Heritage Area

  • 2007—The Second Manassas Campaign

  • 2008—The Antietam Campaign

  • 2009—The Valley Campaign of 1864

  • 2010—The Fredericksburg Campaign

  • 2011—Cavalry to the Field!

  • 2012—The Chancellorsville Campaign

  • 2013—Prelude to Gettysburg: The Armies Move North

  • 2014—July 1, 1863: Gettysburg—The First Day

  • 2015—July 2, 1863: Gettysburg—The Second Day

  • 2016—July 3, 1863: Gettysburg—The Third Day

  • 2017—The Maryland Campaign: The Battles of South Mountain and Harpers Ferry

  • 2018—The Maryland Campaign: The Battle of Antietam

  • 2019—To The Gates of Washington: Jubal Early’s 1864 Maryland Campaign

  • 2021—The Prelude to Second Manassas

  • 2022 — The Battle of Second Manassas

  • 2023 — Grant Takes Command

For more information or reservations, call the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area at 540-687-6681.

Note: The Conference on the Art of Command in the Civil War is always the first full weekend in October.