Civil War Symposium Coming to Bossier City in March
Shreveport-Bossier, La. (PRWEB) February 25, 2014 -- Historians, collectors and others interested in learning about the history of the American Civil War will have a unique opportunity to do so in Bossier City, March 14-16, when the Louisiana Sesquicentennial Civil War Task Force presents “Defending the Homeland: Union Forces Target Shreveport, Texas and Beyond,” a symposium commemorating the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War in Louisiana. The symposium will be held at Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton, 2015 Old Minden Road in Bossier City, and will feature a program filled with expert speakers, exhibitors and vendors, a guided tour of the Mansfield State Historic Site and more. Symposium registration cost is $100 for the general public and $35 for students (with current student ID) and includes admission to all programs, as well as several meals throughout the weekend. Advance registration is required. For more information or to register, visit http://www.friendsofmansfieldbattlefield.org.
“This symposium is a big deal. It is the state’s largest effort to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War,” said Dr. Gary Joiner, event organizer and Chair of the Department of History and Social Sciences at LSU-Shreveport. Joiner encourages history buffs to attend the symposium, where they can meet and interact with some of the world’s leading Civil War historians. “Our expert speakers were chosen because of what they know, but also because they’re friendly and approachable. Symposium attendees can pick their brains, visit with them and interact with them.”
“Defending the Homeland: Union Forces Target Shreveport, Texas and Beyond” is presented by the Louisiana Sesquicentennial Civil War Task Force of Jay Dardenne, Lt. Gov. of Louisiana, as well as a generous group of supporting sponsors that includes: Friends of the Mansfield Battlefield; the North Louisiana Civil War Round Table; the Red River Regional Studies Center at LSU-Shreveport; and American Coin and Collectibles.
The symposium program will feature seven national experts on the Civil War, whose presentation topics will include the Red River Campaign, the 19th Texas Infantry in Louisiana, the Battle of Pleasant Hill and more. The list of exhibitors and vendors in attendance will include: Historical Documents of America and American Coin & Collectibles; Jim Mundie Books; The Wright Collection; and author and bookseller Chuck Parsons. The symposium program will also include Anna Maria Sparke Keele, attorney and actress, portraying Miss Sidney Harding, a southern Louisiana refugee in northern Louisiana during the Red River Campaign. Presentations will be held, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, March 15, as well as the morning of Sunday, March 16. The program will conclude on Sunday with a group guided tour of the Mansfield State Historic Site.
Group hotel room rates are available at the Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton. Any excess revenue earned from this symposium will be donated to the Civil War Preservation Trust for Red River Campaign land purchases.
For more information on things to see and do in Shreveport-Bossier, visit http://www.shreveport-bossier.org or call 888-45-VISIT.
Chris Jay, Shreveport-Bossier: Louisiana's Other Side, http://www.shreveport-bossier.org, +1 (318) 429-0658, [email protected]
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