Dr. Drew Bledsoe is shown speaking on the “Generalship in the Army of Tennessee” panel on C-Span
Lee University’s Dr. Drew Bledsoe was featured on two panels at Gettysburg College’s 2023 Civil War Institute Conference this summer, one of which recently aired on C-Span.
“It was an honor to participate in the CWI, and I always enjoy the opportunity to interact with historians and interested Civil War fans in Gettysburg,” said Dr. Bledsoe, associate professor of history.
Dr. Bledsoe was invited to participate in the conference by Dr. Peter Carmichael, CWI director. Dr. Bledsoe served on the two panels “Debating Joseph Johnston,” which covered General Joseph E. Johnston’s personality, strategic miscalculations, and leadership and legacy in Civil War history; and “Generalship in the Army of Tennessee,” which later appeared on C-Span.
During “Generalship in the Army of Tennessee,” historians discussed generals, such as Braxton Bragg and John Bell Hood, who led the principal Confederate army west of the Mississippi River.
“The audience was extremely well-informed, and the other panelists brought tremendous knowledge and ability to the conversations,” said Dr. Bledsoe. “Judging from the quality and enthusiasm of all the participants, it seems Civil War history is in a healthy place.”
Dr. Bledsoe has been a member of Lee’s faculty since 2013. He is the author of “Citizen-Officers: The Union and Confederate Volunteer Junior Officer Corps in the American Civil War” and has authored or edited numerous scholarly works on the Civil War and military history. He received Lee’s Excellence in Scholarship Award in 2019 and has been a fellow at the United States Military Academy at West Point, a Ridgway fellow at the U.S. Army Center for Military History, and a faculty fellow at the CWI at Gettysburg College.
He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee College of Law, his Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts at Rice University, his Master of Liberal Arts from Henderson State University, and his Bachelor of Arts from Ouachita Baptist University.
The CWI creates opportunities for students to put history into action in immersive and experiential ways. Academically, it contributes to enhancing the teaching and research aspects of Gettysburg College’s intellectual life and serves as home to the Civil War era studies minor and public history minor. The CWI’s annual summer conference, public programs, and digital scholarship initiatives also foster informed public conversation about the history and legacy of the Civil War era.
For more information about the CWI, visit https://www.gettysburg.edu/civil-war-institute/about/.
To view the C-Span airing of the panel, visit
https://www.c-span.org/video/?528650-2/army-tennessee-generals&event=528650&playEvent.