A Sense of the Sesquicentennial

Beth Parnicza speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

On April 23, 2015, Beth Parnicza presented the fifth of our six part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2015).

In this podcast, Ms. Parnicza shares her personal memories of four years of the American Civil War sesquicentennial visiting and tour leading, a review of the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park’s four commemorations as well as a look at the broader picture of trying to understand what the sesquicentennial was about and what it means to us now and in the future.

Beth Parnicza is an historian with the National Parks Service at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park where she supervises the Chancellorsville Battlefield Center and manages volunteers and social media. A 2011 graduate of West Virginia University, her research interests focuses largely on the human element of the Civil War, particularly in understanding the steps taken by individuals toward a harder kind of war and their motivations to do so.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

Click here to listen to all six parts of this series.

Modern Memory and Material Culture

Beth Parnicza speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

On April 17, 2014, Beth Parnicza presented the fifth and final lecture in our Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2014).

How does a culture view its past and how does it present itself through a museum forum? How do we understand a society through its museum exhibits? This and many other questions on how we perceive the American Civil War are answered in this interesting podcast.

Beth Parnicza is an historian with the National Parks Service at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park where she supervises the Chancellorsville Battlefield Center and manages volunteers and social media. A 2011 graduate of West Virginia University, her research interests focus largely on the human element of the Civil War, particularly in understanding the steps taken by individuals toward a harder kind of war and their motivations to do so.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

Click here to listen to all five parts of this series.

Such is War: The Looting of Fredericksburg

Beth Parnicza speaking at the
Senior Center in Charlottesville.

On March 21, 2013, Beth Parnicza presented the third lecture in a our six part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2013).

How does an action like the looting of Fredericksburg reflect on the culture of the army of the Potomac, and of the country at large? How do we think about the looting in the great scheme of battle? How is it that the looting of Fredericksburg can be considered a form of victory? These and many more questions are answered in this interesting podcast.

Beth Parnicza is an historian with the National Parks Service at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park where she supervises the Chancellorsville Battlefield Center and manages volunteers and social media. A 2011 graduate of West Virginia University, her research interests focus largely on the human element of the Civil War, particularly in understanding the steps taken by individuals toward a harder kind of war and their motivations to do so.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience.

Click here listen all six parts of this series.

The Battle of Chancellorsville

Beth Parnicza speaking at the Charlottesville Senior Center Wednesday.

Beth Parnicza speaking at the
Charlottesville Senior Center
Wednesday.

Regular listeners of our podcasts might know Rick Britton.He’s a Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer. An award-winning historian, Rick also organizes a “Civil War Lecture and Day-Trip Series” in conjunction with the Charlottesville Senior Center.

On Wednesday, September 21st, NPS historian Beth Parnicza-a recent university graduate whose poise and depth of knowledge were admired by all-delivered a talk on the Chancellorsville campaign and battle. Fought in 1863 over the first four days of May, Chancellorsville pitted Robert E. Lee’s 60,000-man Army of Northern Virginia against “Fighting Joe” Hooker’s 134,000. Amazingly, Lee was able to defeat Hooker and drive him back over the Rappahannock. Was Chancellorsville truly Lee’s masterpiece? Listen and hear what this young historian has to say!

On Wednesday, September 28th, Rick Britton will conduct a tour of the Chancellorsville Battlefield. The tour will take in the Visitors Center in the morning, and hear a presentation on “Stonewall” Jackson’s mortal wounding. After a picnic lunch the tour will spend the afternoon on this well-preserved Virginia battlefield. Bus tour departs from the Charlottesville Senior Center at 9:00 am. There is a fee for the tour. Call 974-6538 for more information.

This is part six of a seven part series for 2011. You can listen to all seven parts of this series here.