National Park Partners presents the 14th Annual Moccasin Bend Fall Lecture Series, sponsored by Greg A. Vital, with the final lecture to be held on Veteran’s Day, Monday, Nov. 11.
The Moccasin Bend Fall Lecture Series brings thought leaders and subject matter experts to share stories and experiences related to national parks, conservation, history, American Indian culture and more. All lectures are on Monday evenings inside the IMAX Theater in downtown Chattanooga and are free and open to the public, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and all lectures begin at 7 p.m. More information can be found in the Our Projects section of the National Park Partners website, npp-ccm.org.
The final lecture is presented in partnership with the Chattanooga Area Historical Association and the History Department of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The lecture will feature Timothy B. Smith, Ph.D. (Ph.D. Mississippi State University, 2001), and National Park Service Historian Jim Ogden, for a discussion on “The Chickamauga Battlefield and the Civil War Reconciliation Movement.” Dr. Smith and Mr. Ogden will host a discussion detailing the first reconciliation of Civil War veterans at Chickamauga, which gave rise to the battlefield preservation movement and the mixed results of attempts to heal a divided nation.
Dr. Smith is a veteran of the National Park Service and teaches history at the University of Tennessee at Martin. In addition to numerous articles and essays, he is the author, editor or co-editor of 18 books, including award winners Champion Hill: Decisive Battle for Vicksburg (2004), Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, Occupation (2012), Shiloh: Conquer or Perish (2014), Grant Invades Tennessee: The 1862 Battles for Forts Henry and Donelson (2016) and The Real Horse Soldiers: Benjamin Grierson’s Epic 1863 Civil War Raid Through Mississippi (2018). His book on the May 19 and 22 Vicksburg assaults comes out in the spring of 2020, and he is currently writing a book on the Vicksburg siege. He lives with his wife Kelly and children Mary Kate and Leah Grace in Adamsville, Tn.