Join the East Tennessee Historical Society on Friday, November 15, 2024, 6-7:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 16, 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. in an exploration of the 1863 East Tennessee/Knoxville Campaign.

The story will begin with the months leading up to the Battle of Fort Sanders in Knoxville and follow Confederate and Union troops as they move through the Great Valley toward Virginia in the weeks and months following. Speakers will address the military story, as well as share voices and experiences from diverse local communities.

The East Tennessee: 1863 Civil War Symposium is free. Seating is limited, so registration highly recommended. Funding for the program is provided through a grant from the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.

The scheduled topics for the two days include:

Friday: War in the Switzerland of America: East Tennessee and the Civil War – Dr. Aaron Astor, Maryville College

Saturday: Lunch will be on your own in Downtown Knoxville

  • Fort Sanders and Beyond: The Civil War in East Tennessee from August 1863 to April 1864 – Dr. Aaron Astor, Maryville College
  • The Black Chesnutt Family from Hawkins County – Mr. William Isom II, Black in Appalachia
  • War, Work and Welfare: East Tennessee Women Experience the Civil War – Ms. Lisa Oakley, East Tennessee Historical Society
  • “We Have no Union to Hope For, no Constitution to Struggle For”: East Tennessee Unionists’ House Dividing – Dr. William Hardy, Lincoln Memorial University