In partnership with the National Park Service, Eastern National will host author Dr. Andrew S. Bledsoe at the Visitor Center at Chickamauga Battlefield on Saturday. Dr. Bledsoe will be signing copies of his book, Citizen-Officers: the Union and Confederate Volunteer Junior Officer Corps in the American Civil War, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
He will also provide a special program at 1 p.m. During his program, Dr. Bledsoe will answer the questions: What is a company officer? How can one become a company officer? What is the role of a company officer? and Why is it so hazardous?
"Citizen-Officers… fills a major gap in the literature on the American Civil War," said Gary Gallagher, author of The Union War. "It offers perceptive analysis of volunteers who filed junior ranks among officers in both the Union and Confederate armies. The author’s careful attention to the republican example of disinterested served, the transition from civilian to military cultures, the impact of combat, and change over time, among other virtues, lends distinction to this book.”
Dr. Bledsoe is assistant professor of history at Lee University and a historian of the Civil War and of American military leadership traditions. Dr. Bledsoe earned his MA and PhD in American History from Rice University and in 2015 was a Fellow at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
The funds generated by the purchase of Citizen-Officers: The Union and Confederate Volunteer Junior Officer Corps in the American Civil War supports the interpretive programs at National Parks.