Battlefield terrain features and obstacles have been studied by numerous historians and are the blessing or curse of many military commanders throughout time. The American Civil War is no different with many examples of rivers, streams and ravines playing a role in defining battles. Some already had bridges in place such as the Burnside Bridge at Antietam and other bridges had to be constructed as in the case of the pontoon bridge across the James River. Many of these bridges played a vital role in the battles surrounding them and others were a silent witness to the carnage and fighting between opposing forces. This year’s Pamplin Historical Park Symposium, with an prominent cast of speakers, examines both literally and figuratively examples of “Bridges Over Troubled Waters.”

The conference will be held on Friday, October 20 through Sunday, October 22, 2023 at Pamplin Historical Park’s Museum of the Civil War Soldier and Education Center in Dinwiddie, Virginia and will feature presentations from seven outstanding historians: Peter Cozzens, Jerry Desmond, Bradley M. Gottfried, A. Wilson Greene, John Hennessy, Scott Mingus, Sr. and Brian Steel Wills.